A little more etiquette in our conversation.

In this post for OverExposure , I want to talk about etiquette, so to speak. If for no other reason than our politics today are toxic, dishonest, and too often harmful to many Americans, maybe we should be working on our oral correctness.

There is a reoccurring “pain in the neck” for me in most conversations – especially when broadcast on radio and TV. It is usually at the end of an interview or conversation when one person thanks the other and that awkward response occurs. It goes something like this: “Well, thank you so much John for telling us your story today.” Then the other person, who was just thanked says, “No, thank you.”

Think about it. Sometimes the response is just a nod from the person receiving the “thank you.”

But whatever happened to, “You are welcome.” That seldom heard retort that acknowledges the “thank you.” If a return thanks is in order, perhaps the receiver could say, “You’re certainly welcome and thank you for your interest.”

It’s about acknowledging the original “thank you” that grates me and, all too often, becomes a knee-jerk response non-response.

Worst of all I’ve heard authors, academics and scholars, statesmen, politicians, and others well-educated persons fall into this rhetorical trap. Oddlly enough, less educated people of meager means will more often chime in with that perfect, “you’re welcome” response. Odd. Maybe there is more pressure upon those who reside lower on the social rungs to be more proper? My hat’s off to them.

So that’s my beef for today. Thank you for reading this post.