Ventura County Reporter Interview
Editor Michael Sullivan did a nice Q&A with me about the ideas behind my book, I SEE RUDE PEOPLE: One woman's battle to beat some manners into impolite society. An excerpt:
Are people ruder than ever? Actually, I say in my book that rudeness is the human condition. It only seems like we're ruder than ever because our vast, transient modern society lacks the checks and balances on rudeness that we've had for centuries. I pulled together a lot of research, and found that it seems we live in societies too big for our brains. A British anthropologist named Robin Dunbar worked out that the human brain seems capable of having meaningful interactions with about 150 people, on average. This would be the maximum number of people in the small, tribal societies we evolved in. We wouldn't have had a capacity for dealing with strangers, yet we're around strangers almost constantly these days, and with a stranger, anything can go. With people you know, even if you're a bad person, you have to behave well because you have a continuing association. You need them and they need you. In my book, I ask people not only to refuse to be victimized by the rude, but to make an effort to treat strangers like neighbors -- in the smallest ways -- and maybe, just maybe, our daily lives will feel a little less like one big wrestling smackdown.
I'll be on the radio tonight in Ventura on KKZZ am at 5:30 Pacific Time, taking love advice questions. You can listen live at this link, and they'll give out a call-in number.
Amy, Congrats on the exposure. You work hard and desrve your success.
David M. at December 21, 2009 12:02 PM
Thank you so much!
Amy Alkon at December 21, 2009 12:49 PM
Love the pic!
Martin at December 21, 2009 1:52 PM
Amy Alkon
http://www.advicegoddess.com/archives/2009/12/21/ventura_reporte.html#comment-1683906">comment from MartinThanks so much -- by my man Gregg!
Amy Alkon
at December 21, 2009 2:28 PM
Popped on quickly while waiting for dinner to be ready with the kids. As I told you in an email, I loved your book! My favorite parts were probably when you tracked people down and called them on their bad behavior. Its something I think we can all relate to wanting to do, but then not following through. I think the nasty things you get from people is because of the anonymity of the internet. Its wrong that people don't care that there's a person at the other end of their viciousness and I'm glad you take care of that!
Kristen at December 21, 2009 3:43 PM
And of course, username "jonsan" on the VC site advocates letting people get away with it, claiming that horrible things will happen.
We're a nation of cowards. Heaven forbid anyone says what needs to be said.
Radwaste at December 21, 2009 6:17 PM
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