Etiquette: How Rules Of Etiquette Started
August 8th, 2009 | by admin |Ever wondered why we have to be polite when we ask something from a stranger? Or why we have
to set our silverware at four o’clock once we’re done with our meal? Or why we have to wait
for others to be served first before we serve ourselves at dinner? Well, it could have been
a lot convenient if these rules do not exist, but as it is, they exist and they need to be
followed. Unless of course if you are willing to be labeled as uncouth, rude and
inconsiderate.
The aforementioned examples are just tiny fractions of indelible etiquette that we were
taught since infancy. And since then, we had to practice etiquette in all forms and on all
occasions where they are prescribed. So how did these hard-and-fast rules of socialization
started?
Well, about a few hundred years ago, some thoughtful people layed the basic rules of living
which made interaction with other people which supposedly made socialization a bit more
peaceful, more amiable and more comfortable. These rules were not so clear-cut back then,
instead they just followed what whims the snobbish aristocrats had. So since all things
these snob cohorts had were fashionable, everyone followed or tried to follow, including
Charles I and Charles II of England who were instrumental in the transmission of French
court behaviors to English lands.
Every aristocrat followed suit and so the prescribed court behaviors were layed down- these
included wearing outrageously tight corsets and skirts for males. And as these people try to
develop higher orders of social behaviors, they tossed in countless rules of etiquette to
suit their need to be different from everyone else and to satisfy their snooty behaviors.
One thing led to another and we now have the slightly modified versions of what the nobles
used to have as etiquette. We don’t have to wear fancy wigs or make-ups that ruin the face
anymore but we still have to observe some of the basic etiquette followed a few hundred
years ago.
Nowadays, basic etiquette are no longer very elaborate and some have already lost their
stiff appeal. In fact, it may even be said that some rules of etiquette have become quite
loose that they no longer need to be observed on a number of occasions. Nonetheless, there
are still a lot of them that one should know and practice as they pop up every now and then
in our daily lives.
The rules of etiquette are definitely embedded into our culture, regardless of what nook of
the globe we came from. These are not strict rules, but they are permanent and firmly
established codes and guidelines that were passed down for countless years to serve
beneficial purposes for us. They help greatly in establishing basic rules of good manners
and conduct which give mostly everyone equal opportunities to be respected even by those
people who live in higher strata of the society.
Through the rules of etiquette, we can easily polish ourselves to become polite to
everyone’s eyes without fear of prejudice because of our station. And through these, we can
also identify those people who are supposedly more learned and cultured than we are yet they
fail to observe simple good manners.
Etiquette is closely intertwined with our culture, our daily activities and our personal
lives. And they will always be.
