Would it kill you to stop doing that? : a modern guide to manners / Henry Alford.

Includes index.

"We all know bad manners when we see them," author Henry Alford observes. But what do good manners look like in our day and age? When someone answers their cell phone in the middle of dining with you, or you enter a post-apocalyptic public restroom, the long-revered wisdom of Emily Post can seem downright prehistoric. So Alford studies how things might look if people were on their best behavior more often. He travels to Japan to observe its collective politesse. He interviews etiquette experts likely (Judith Martin, Tim Gunn) and unlikely (a former prisoner, an army sergeant). He volunteers as a tour guide to foreigners visiting New York City in order to study cultural divides. He also finds time to teach Miss Manners how to steal a cab, and designates the World's Most Annoying Bride. Ultimately, by tackling etiquette questions of our age, he presents a seriously entertaining book about grace, civility, and how we can simply treat each other better.--From publisher description.