Miss Manners just cracks me up! :-)
By LCecelia
@LCecelia (1124)
United States
July 31, 2007 4:37pm CST
Today's Miss Manners column talked about the best way to introduce two people who you don't think know each other.
The writer thought it was stuffy to introduce them by saying, "Carol this is John. John this is Carol." The writer thought that they would offend John and Carol if they already knew each other. They wondered if, "Carol, this is John," surfice, but again thought that they would be offending one of them by not directing the question to them both. Or the alternative, "have you two met?" still has problems which brings them back to the stuffy, "Carol, this is John. John, this is Carol."
Miss Manners wondered what was wrong with being stuffy? She much prefers it to the "casual" which has come to signal the sloppy and uncaring.
I, like Miss Manners tend to lean towards the stuffy. Although I can be "casual" when need be.
So how about you? Are you casual or stuffy?
2 people like this
2 responses
@scarywhitegirl (2766)
• United States
1 Aug 07
How is introducing two people to each other stuffy?! I think the person writing in was a little off. I always introduce people to each other, even if I think they may know each other. I've discovered that not doing so can cause ALL sorts of embarrassing situations (longish story).
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
1 Aug 07
I don't think that the introducing is the stuffy part, where it becomes stuffy is the process of HOW the introduction process is handled.
For instance I took an English course in college and one of the things I remember about that class was the professor explaining the introduction process. For instance, when a man and woman first meet, it is the woman who should offer her hand first. I can't remember the reasoning behind this right now though. Maybe I should and ask Miss Manners. What do you think? :-)
@danishcanadian (28954)
• Canada
1 Aug 07
"Carol this is John, John this is Carol." That works for me!! I don't know why some people get so uptight about these things. Just get the facts straight, and introduce the two people as you know them. People get too hung up on etiquette, it drives me crazy sometimes.
@LCecelia (1124)
• United States
1 Aug 07
I agree. If I'm in conversation with someone and someone else joined the the mix, at some point I stop to find out if they knew each other. I've never noticed whether or not one or the other was offended that I assumed that they didn't know each other. And when I did this I usually ask the last person joining the group if they knew the other person I was in conversation with.
I am one of those people who is hung up on etiquette. For instance I wouldn't call a guy for a date. :-)
