Ever feel you are MORE polite than others?

[Licorice]

Oftentimes, yes. I push in chairs, don't spit on the sidewalk, turn my phone off in movies, and pull double-tables apart in crowded coffee shops if I'm using them so that it's two small tables.

 

[Lena_C]

Yes, but I seldom greetings with strangers.
It made me confused if you want me to talk with someone I haven't seen before, even its only a "hello"
I think it is unnecessary and feel weird...
One thing special is I would say hello to a stranger who standing beside my friend coz I think they're not "real strangers"
and if they don't do the same, I would feel that they're impolite (I'm very double standard...)
I always say thankyou because "helping others" is not a must, so I appreciate it.
I can't understand why people usually stick to so-called "formal/regulation"
It mean nothing to me unless there is something interesting
I do things because I know the reason, why I need to do so

 

[GhostWriter]

I have noticed for some time now that when I am out in public, often I am the only one using the prescribed greetings and manners which my mother drilled into me as social necessities.

For example, people on the street often do not say hello in passing, unless they know one another. And in crowded aisles in shops, people just push past without saying "excuse me" even if they have had to be very near you or even bumped into you. And when I say "excuse me," people just glare.

Also people seem very surprised sometimes when I thank them for their services or ask permission to do something like take a photo of something I want to remember on my phone, because I don't want to make them nervous by taking a picture randomly in public.

Does anyone else feel they tried hard to learn good manners, only to find that so many NTs are oblivious to good manners?

Well, I may not be quite as polite as you are in grocery stores! They seem to be the places I stress out the most because of the behavior of the Other Shoppers! They seem oblivious to the fact that they have parked their cart in the middle of the aisle, blocking traffic. They run into friends & stop Anywhere to talk, again blocking traffic. They stop in the middle of an aisle with their cart to take a cell phone call. Kids running everywhere- They don't watch where they are going, etc etc! I really have a hard time grocery shopping!
But in other circumstances, I do feel as if others are not as polite as I try to be. Maybe because what I do trying to be polite is so subtle ? I try to be neat when visiting someone's house- I don't leave my possessions lying all over the place. When I vacate a chair at table, I push it back in its place. I try to stay out of the way of a busy cook & don't distract her/ him by yakking away while they are busy, etc. Maybe these things are too subtle to be appreciated?

 

[GhostWriter]

I wonder if it's a result of the increasing sense of anonymity with so many people living in any one area now.. this seems evident on the roads, with other drivers often ranging from inconsiderate to outright hostile as they know they'll probably never cross paths with me again. Shopping centers/supermarkets are similar as you don't often encounter the same people.
So this seems to me to give many permission to act as if there's no-one else around them, whereas I'm always aware of anyone around me and will act politely accordingly.
This was coincidentally highlighted to me recently when I drove a friends relative back to London - the whole family hails from Zimbabwe, they insisted we stay for the whole afternoon and, even though this was the first time we'd met and I barely understood half of their native tongue, I've never felt more welcome anywhere in my life! It even came up in conversation how distant people in the UK can be. I know this is worse in London, again, so many people.

Yes! I agree that the more populated an area is the more Rude people are. Makes sense as in that situation we are constantly invading each others' Space. Like a pot of water being brought to a boil, the more bubbles, the more they collide, the temp goes up & the water boils!