I can’t forget the rude woman in the polka-dot dress. But now I know the cure

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I can’t forget the rude woman in the polka-dot dress. But now I know the cure

Julia Pound Teacher September 28, 2025 — 5.00am Advertisement

Lately it seems as though rudeness is being pumped into the air and we’re all absorbing it through our pores. Grown men are assaulting teenage wait staff , school principals are reporting ever-increasing rates of verbal and physical abuse from parents, and every doctor’s waiting room has a sign reminding people not to behave like animals. Sometimes, I find myself thinking wistfully of the before times when the rules governing rudeness were very different. Swearing at strangers was permissible, but only from the safety of your car with the windows safely wound up. You could call someone a