Apr 26 2023 - Those Three Words

 

Are you the subject of sarcasm?  There's nothing like a "Harvard-trained etiquette expert" to guide you on how to reply.  What is Harvard doing training people in etiquette?  That's Sara Jane Ho's bio. It turns out her Harvard degree is an MBA.  She then went on to a Swiss finishing school.  And then on to an English degree, and now on to a Netflix series - Mind Your Manners.   So she's travelling in the professional realm that Emily Post made famous in the 1920s.  But there's no comparison between Emily Post and Sara Jane Ho to be found. There is lots written on her as she's quite the celebrity material. "Ms. Ho lives and runs Institute Sarita, the charm school she founded in 2012. With a curriculum that includes courses with names like “British Afternoon Tea,” “Pronunciation of Foreign Luxury Brands” and “Introduction to Expensive Sports,” Ms. Ho initially catered to nouveau riche Chinese interested in learning Western-style snobbery."   She's made a big impression in the U.S. with lots of coverage in the news.  What are those three words to reply to an insult?  They are:  "Are you okay?" Comparing her to Emily Post is possible as there is an Emily Post Institute with lots of advice:  "It’s OK to stand up to rude behavior as long as you don’t respond unkindly. Staying cool is the best way to make a point, and perhaps your good manners will be contagious. Here are some guidelines for responding to rude behavior—or not: Give the offender the benefit of the doubt Size up your announances Set a good example Encourage a positive response Laugh it off What I did notice at the Emily Post website is that one can get a signed copy of the NEW Emily Post's Etiquette Centennial edition.  Emily Post died in 1960.  More Cherry tree pictures today.   Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

A New Month, Really!

The start of October is so different than the start of September.  September is the month of a new grade for students and new projects and activities for adults.  October is the month for Canadians to celebrate thanksgiving, for the annual plants to demise with the first hard frost, and then it concludes with the time change to EST and the escapism of Halloween.  Lots happens in October, after all.   October is the eighth month in the old Roman calendar so its name comes from the Latin word 'octo' meaning eight.  It is now the 10th month of the year.  Perhaps that leads into October being National Sarcastic Awareness Month.  "October is a month for us to pause and be aware of the growing trend of sarcasm. Really. It’s become an epidemic and if we’re not careful, we’re going to have a situation on our hands that we won’t be able to control. We’ll end up with squirrels in charge. On second thought, maybe that’s not much worse than what we’ve got now." One has several chances during the year to be sarcastic.  June 14th is National Sarcasm Day, according to one site:   "How Is The Date For Sarcasm Day Calculated? The day shown for 'National Sarcasm Day' is based on how much chitter-chatter and buzz there was on June 14, 2015 across social media making references to 'Sarcasm Day'. Our algorithms examine all of the references to National Days across social media and updates whatnationaldayisit.com hourly, with our homepage displaying the current national day. This crowdsourcing of data method to assess the National Sarcasm Day date is used as opposed to being connected with any Government sanctioned lists :D Hurrah for democracy by consensus!"