Excuse me, that’s rude.

Rude. We usually use the word “Rude” to describe someone who’s being impolite, or a person without good manners. But very often, we always think that being polite is just saying “thank you” when someone does something for you or saying “sorry” when you cause trouble to others. At least that’s how we were taught when we were very little. However, this is a limited understanding of manners. And because of this limited understanding that goes around the society, you may think that being polite is not really a big deal.

Let’s hear some examples of common behaviour that is considered as being rude among children in Hong Kong. See if you might have witnessed it before. According to a survey of The Hong Kong Institute of Family Education, the top 6 rude behaviours found among children in Hong Kong are:

1. Never saying thank you when a domestic helper or a parent does them a favor

2. When they get on public transportation, they rush to an empty seat as soon as they get on a train or a bus

3. Not saying “Good morning” or “Good Night”

4. Interrupting people when they’re talking

5. Taking the homework from the hands of teacher with one hand

6. Cyberbullying someone on social media

Now, maybe you’re thinking, ugh, these types of kids have no manners! Their parents didn’t teach them well, they were born to be rude! They don’t deserve to be treated with politeness and we should not be nice to them so that they know what being rude feels like.

It’s true, sometimes we snap to our judgemental side when it comes to rudeness because we are offended! Like people talking loudly on the bus, kids running around and stepping on your shoes, people interrupting you etc. etc. However, does it help? Does it help them to stop being rude by judging them straightaway? Or alternatively be rude to them so that they know when to stop? Unfortunately, this is not the solution, it will only hurt the relationship between people more, and you may become a rude person yourself. When it goes on and on, people will no longer be nice to each other, and it would not be a place where you would like to live.

So, what should we do when we encounter someone who’s being rude? Well, just tell them! For the sake of Love! Do not be afraid to speak up when you see someone who’s being rude! And don’t just be mad at them and put them on the internet and criticize them with thousands of words. That doesn’t help at all! Maybe they just don’t know! Do you remember when Mr. Manchester made an announcement last month to remind you all to say “thank you” to appreciate the student ambassadors for sanitizing your hands. He said this only because he loves students, and he thought it was sad to see we are so cold to each other and it’s an act of love to be thankful! Therefore, when you’re reminding someone, try to do it out of love rather than anger, and don’t bring any personal emotions because we have all been rude to someone at some point in our lives.

Students you are now the big brothers and sisters of society, you are older than the primary school students and close the adulthood. We can’t just cross our arms and accept the rudeness, let’s start this positive change at school! When a teacher is talking in classroom and the one next to you is speaking loudly, tell them kindly, “Hey, the teacher is talking! Let’s talk later in recess” When your friend forgets to say thank you, you can say “Oh She was so nice to you! Maybe you should thank her” When someone says something inappropriate, you can tell them “Excuse me, that’s rude to say such a thing, please don’t do it.”

It may sound awkward or embarrassing to speak up like this at first, but remember, you’re not doing it for yourself, you are doing it for the sake of love because that’s how to make it a better place for us to live.

Mr Mak WT
8 November 2022