Modern Manners?

Yesterday, a friend told me about her recent experience of modern manners or, to be precise, a lack of any kind of manners. My friend and her family moved into a new home about a month ago, and thought that an invitation to neighbours to come for casual drinks would be nice. They felt it would provide an opportunity to say hello, exchange names and set up a "looking out for each other" idea. She said her daughter designed a simple invitation and this was delivered to nearby homes in their street. Of a total of seven invitations delivered, only three were responded to, with two accepted and one declined.

My friend wasn't upset that not everyone could make it, more the fact that she had received no response at all from more than half of those invited. She wondered why these four invitations were not even acknowledged. Her mobile phone number was on the invitation, so it would have been a simple task to send a quick text, "Thanks for the invite, but we're unable to make it. From, No 27", or similar. Were the non-responders unable to go and unsure of how to say this? Was the invitation mistaken for junk mail and put into the bin without a second glance? Were they scared that my friend and her family might never leave them alone again if they did accept the invitation? Or, were they totally unfamiliar with such an invitation and lacked the knowledge that basic manners would dictate a response?

Sadly, it is likely that this last explanation was the case. Today, not many people set out to be deliberately rude. The problem is that they haven't ever been taught certain skills of politeness. My friend accepts that this is the case and hasn't taken the collective snub personally, however, she and her family are left with a dilemma. What to do when, inevitably, they are in their front garden at the same time as No 27 neighbour is in theirs - smile non-commitally, frown or, take their neighbour's earlier lead, and ignore them completely?

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