# Why can't we just behave? Rudeness is everywhere now

> From shirtless bikers in banks to screaming strangers, basic manners have vanished from American life.
- Title: Why can't we just behave? Rudeness is everywhere now
- Summary: From shirtless bikers in banks to screaming strangers, basic manners have vanished from American life. Common courtesy and basic manners have largely…
- Keywords: manners, rudeness, american culture, social behavior, civility, etiquette, emily post, pandemic, new york, public behavior, news, entertainment
- Source: New York Post — https://nypost.com/2026/09/15/opinion/why-cant-we-just-behave-rudeness-is-everywhere-these-days
- Published: 2026-09-16T00:16:28+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: manners, rudeness, american culture, social behavior, civility, etiquette, emily post, pandemic, new york, public behavior, news, entertainment
## Manners have disappeared
Basic courtesies like napkins, helping others, and simple politeness are gone. Kids bring weapons to kindergarten instead of learning materials.

> We once had a book about manners. Now no book. Now no manners.
## Shirtless bikers, wrong-way cyclists
People ride bikes the wrong way and slam into pedestrians without apology. A shirtless man casually rides into a Chase Bank.
## Politeness gets you screamed at
A respected attorney stepped back to let a young woman enter an elevator first. She screamed at him, calling him stupid and an antique.

> What're you, stupid? An antique? We're same as you, good as you. Do same jobs as you.
## Emily Post is ancient history
The 1922 etiquette guide is now only useful for propping up furniture. Nobody knows how to behave in public anymore.
## Experts blame the pandemic
Specialists say the decline started after COVID-19. But the connection between a health crisis and abandoning basic decency remains unclear.
## America is falling apart
Empty churches, closed schools, broken trains, contaminated food, and crumbling infrastructure. The greatest nation is manufacturing liars and losers.

> All we're manufacturing are liars and losers.
## Key takeaway

Common courtesy and basic manners have largely disappeared from everyday American interactions, leaving a society where rudeness has become the norm.