The View From the ‘Hil: Sneeze and Thank You

Even though the groundhogs insist that spring won’t start for another week, I can’t help but disagree.

Public displays of affection are at their yearly high, North Faces are being swapped out for t-shirts, and the trees in the quad have begun to spring their suspicious-smelling flowers.

But the most incontrovertible proof that spring has arrived is the increased amount of pollen—and the increased amount of sneezing.

I hate sneezers.

Sometimes, I can empathize. Sneezing sucks for everyone involved. I haven’t been struck by the sniffles yet, but I too have been inconvenienced: I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve had to say “bless your soul” in third period, and my Purell supply is already running dangerously low.

But you would think that by now, the sneezers would have mastered the art of covering their mouths. Or at least saying “excuse me.”

I’m not the only person bothered by this. Recently, we even had a video announcement that taught students how to sneeze properly. But the message about hygiene doesn’t seem to have sunk in.

The way I see it, however, there’s a bigger problem than the lack of sanitation. It’s really an issue of basic etiquette.

But to be honest, I’m not much of a manners man myself. Strangers at the public library often yell at me for talking too loudly, and once, the lady seated behind me in a theater physically grabbed my head and yelled at me for moving it so much.

In short, I am among the teenagers that many adults hate because they view us as rowdy, uncivilized barbarians.

Which is kind of an unfair assessment of us, I think. With some effort, I can be mature.

Sometimes, I wonder what life would be like if older people didn’t hate me just because I’m a teenager. I think most of my peers and I agree that it would be a whole lot better.

But the only solution I can conceive is practicing etiquette until good manners become a habit. Because even if my friends won’t care if I belch loudly, a lot of people will. And now is the time to practice controlling myself.

This is where the sneezing thing comes in again. We don’t need video announcements to teach us to hold a door open for someone or to teach us how to chew with our mouths closed. We know basic manners, even if we forget to follow them.

Maybe I shouldn’t get worked up over a small thing like people forgetting to say “excuse me.” But I think that if we made it a habit to do so, it might get some older folks to stop hating teenagers. And the benefit of that, I think you’ll agree, isn’t something to sneeze at.