I’d like to talk a little about my job.

I am actually at my job as I write this, by the way. I am an attendant, of sorts, which means that during the course of my time at work I come into contact with quite a few people. I also spend a lot of my time waiting for these people, as the name “attendant” may suggest to any french speakers out there (deriving from the verb “attendre”).

Now, while I’m not always the most happy looking, enthusiastic attendant you’ve ever met, I am very polite. You could put it down to my old fashioned English upbringing, or simply to my desire to never be purposefully rude to anyone who I don’t think deserves it. It’s nice to have somewhat high standards for yourself, but this can lead to difficulties when you begin to expect the same out of other people.

I’m going to assume for a moment that some people are actually reading this, and venture an open question to anyone and everyone who might know the answer.

Why is it that so many Americans are incapable of saying the word “please”?

I do not mean to offend anyone with this ever so slight generalisation, but I am dying to know the answer.

I have only been in this country for shortly over two years, and I realise I am in New York City, a place hardly renowned for the decorum of its inhabitants, but I simply cannot get my head around the fact that such basics of human interaction can be so widely ignored by so many people.

Just the other day I was having lunch with my teammates on the soccer team (all nice guys, by the way), when one of them looks over to me, down to the ketchup next to me, back to me, then says, “Yo, let me get that.”

Let me get that.

Maybe I am being a bit too sensitive on the matter, but at the time I was speechless.

A Canadian friend of mine suggested that to New Yorkers and other Americans, simply the inclusion of words such as “can” and “let” when asking for something is polite enough. Should I be thankful that they aren’t just taking it and running?

In 2003 I went on a family holiday to Disneyland in Orlando, and I must say I have never met so many friendly and polite people as I did during the week I spent there. I have sadly never been called “Sir” by an adult since, but this experience makes me wonder what politeness means to the average American, and how social norms can vary from state to state.

I apologise if this post sounds a little self-righteous, I should probably get back to work now and stop complaining.