Some things that are vulgar

Many people seem to have no idea what is vulgar and what isn’t. It occurred to me that I could help out regarding this issue by providing a list:

• Smoking (especially while walking and near others)
• Swearing (ditto)
• Snorting or coughing loudly exactly as you walk past another person’s ear
• Listening to your personal music loudly on public transport
  (especially through a loudspeaker)
• Eating on public transport (especially hot food)
• Shouting across people to get to others
• Spitting
• Drinking alcohol in the street or on public transport
  (the latter has now been made illegal, but is still, of course, commonly seen)
• Wearing wince-inducing spikes, rings or rivets in the face
• Having public phone conversations
• Addressing people as “mate” when you hardly know them
  (especially when they’re employing you)
• Chewing gum with your mouth open in the vicinity of others
  (or even when not in their vicinity, for that matter)

Virtually all of these things were outlawed by social etiquette in the past and would rarely be seen. Now, the sad fact is that one can hardly take a short walk to, or journey on, the London Underground without encountering the majority of them.

The funny thing is they’re not hard to avoid doing. It takes no effort. How curious that civilisations, after a point, go into reverse.