Miss Manners On Shushing
Busy bees buzzing around OM Headquarters these days. Don’t worry though. Your withdrawal pangs will be worth it.
For now, let’s hear from Miss Manners on the issue of shushers. You know who you are and yes that is Miss Mussel boring holes into the back of your head with her super-disapproving eyeball laser.
Dear Miss Manners:
Is it rude to shush a friend who is talking to another person during a performance, and disturbing those around us who want to listen to the performance? A friendship was destroyed over this.
It is always rude to shush a friend. However, Miss Manners considers it a courtesy to alert a friend, through a gentle tap and kind look, to the fact that she is inadvertently disturbing others.
On this day..
- Sicut cervus desiderat - 2012
- Brain Malfunction - 2008
- Quiz #11 - 2008
- Just Like Riding A Bike - 2008
Yassha on 
Tina on 
Rebecca on 
Dear Miss Manners: May one make that “gentle tap” with a large and heavy blunt instrument to accompany the kind smile and to remind him/her that she is not merely”inadvertently disturbing others” but is being an obnoxious f*****g distraction and nuisance!
I think as long as it is done without drawing attention to oneself and therefore disturbing additional individuals that sort of action is permissible. Otherwise, you risk starting a chain reaction of “gentle taps” that ends only when everyone is unconscious from head trauma.
My Dad constantly “whispers” during my children’s concerts, talking about other audience members insultingly, and basically embarrassing us. I have given the gentle tap, the kind smile, and the shush. Sometimes he just gets louder just to show he can. Thanks a lot for writing that it is rude to shush, because guess what? He cut this column out of the paper and he presented it to me today, and now I am the rude one.
Two rudes don’t make a right.
Tell your Father!
Your husband sounds like an abusive pig and you sound like a doormat. Unfortunately your kids have bigger things to worry about than whispering at a performance.