Lesson from a past master: Jazz great Louis
Armstrong flashes his famous smile.
Photograph: PA
Wayne Rooney, Naomi Campbell and Mike Watson take note, please; today is national courtesy day, writes Kearan Ramful.
Set up by the Campaign for Courtesy, this year's theme is Thumbs up for Courtesy. It seems Britain is in a mild panic at the current state of our behaviour: The government has appointed a tsar to help foster a 'culture of respect'; Ed West has written a book on the prevalence of asbos, and Lynne Truss is set to release another, documenting the increasing rudeness of our society. So are our manners deteriorating?
The Rev Ian Gregory thought that was the case as far back as 1986 when he set up the campaign group to inspire people to be more courteous in their daily lives. He would ultimately like people to put more care into their dealings with one another; taking the time to smile and express thanks. But in today's politically correct environment this can lead to problems - are men required to hold doors open for women, or vice versa?
If the use of asbos tells us anything, it is probably that we should be more concerned with reducing our bad behaviour - breaching an order can lead to a jail term.
