Information Related to "The Lost Art of R.S.V.P."
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Long
ago, in a culture far past, ladies and gentlemen adhered to a set of
behavioral protocols known as etiquette. Ladies curtsied; men bowed.
Ladies called in the afternoon to pay neighborly respects to one another
and drink tea. Gentlemen dipped their fingers in little bowls of water
between courses of moist and juicy food. The rules of etiquette served
to keep people friendly and respectful of one another in daily life.
Where, then, have all the good manners gone? Just like acid will eat
away at metal, so too does a modern culture that puts individual interests
and desires ahead of outgoing concern for other people. Soon the habits
of good manners are no longer taught and become forgotten altogether.
Etiquette, or manners, today is ridiculed for being elitist, snooty and nitpicky. It's true that most people no longer use finger bowls at nightly family dinners, but the basic purpose of good manners survives: Doing to others what you would have them do to you!
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What's to be done? How do we drag the poor, banished remnants of etiquette back to the mainstream? Let's start with a specific exercise in basic manners that everyone will be able to fulfill: the lost art of RSVP!
This unusual collection of letters is typically found at the bottom of a written (e-mail or paper letter) invitation to an event. It is a holdover from the days when French was the universal language instead of English. RSVP stands for répondez s'il vous plaît, which is French for "please respond."
All that is required is that you respond to the person who invited you as to whether you will be able to attend the event or not. This can be done by returning the card enclosed with the invitation, by a phone call or by a note of your own. Electronic invitations are more simplified; click on a respond button at the invitation Web site or send an e-mail.
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