Etiquette for girls [antikvár]

For many of us, life is just too fast to bother with manners. Bombarded with news and communication, our reflex is to scuttle through and get it over with. Civilities, inevitably, are the first thing to go. Discretion is out because notoriety seems like so much more fun. The vestige of social responsibility that remains is confused as we are flooded with wildly contradictory global customs, leaving us to slump in apathy when it comes to doing the right thing. Yet in a world of ever-increasing social mobility, knowledge of etiquette is more necessary than ever. While the definition is rather more loose than it used to be, and the practice rather less obsessive, social conventions still guide us towards what is acceptable behaviour. Snobbery lives on, but fortunately, managing social scruples is no longer a hidden code. Searching for guidance is an accepted and ever relevant pursuit. Etiquette is a revisionist business. Social change is now infinitely harder to keep up with (no thanks, in part, to the recent communications revolution). There are ever more ways to commit a faux pas. New rules are constantly appearing and old ones evolving. What was frowned upon just ten years ago is the done thing nowadays. Society may be more liberal about certain things, but perfection now has new parameters. Getting it right is not just about following form, but about understanding the spirit in which the rules were written. Thus, a modern survival manual is called for, to lay out the new social order and explain how to ensure damage limitation. Social success lies in forethought and understanding. Back by popular demand, etiquette has re-entered the Zeitgeist. Be sure that you are switched on and prepare to prosper.