Last week's voting in Etiquetteer's Spring Madness of Pet Peeves have led to some exciting pairings for next week's competition, which will determine the Champion Pet Peeve in each of the divisions! Etiquetteer would like to thank everyone to voted, and encourage you all to cast your votes again this week. WEDDINGS
First off, and without surprise, "Guests who don't R.s.v.p." handily overtook "Lack of information about time, directions, etc." at 57% to 43%. As a result, this week "Guests who don't R.s.v.p." will have to compete with "Couples who don't send thank-you notes," which squeaked ahead of "Weddings as fund-raisers for the honeymoon" 52% to 48%. In some ways, Etiquetteer thinks this might be the bloodiest of competitions; each pet peeve involves the lack of a response. But which leaves Etiquetteer readers feeling more disrespected?
DRIVING AND TRAFFIC
It's interesting to observe that any pet peeve not relating to driving has not advanced in this category. "Drivers who ignore red lights" trounced "Drivers blocking bike lanes" 82% to 18%. "Cell phone use while operating a vehicle" had a less easy time getting ahead of "Illegally parking in handicapped spaces, " 65% to 35%. And a part of Etiquetteer is disappointed in that, because those who require handicapped parking already have a lot to deal with, and deserve better than to be inconvenienced. But choosing between "Drivers who ignore red lights" and "Cell phone use while operating a vehicle" will surely be a tough call for many.
TABLE MANNERS/DINING OUT
Here, behaviors that have been pet peeves for centuries won out. The comparatively recent "Texting at the table," to Etiquetteer's surprise, didn't stand a chance against "Chewing with mouth open," 59% to 41%. It just proves that Etiquetteer really does know only the Very Best People, since it's been a very long time since anyone's been witnessed chewing with his or her mouth open. And texting at the table is such a deliberate ignoring of one's physical companions! Ah well, "Chewing with mouth open" must now fight a steamroller of a pet peeve "Ill-mannered children with complacent parents," which topped "Cheap tippers" 75% to 25%! "Ill-mannered children with complacent parents" has consistently performed well in Spring Madness, and may well defeat all the competition.
GENERAL PEEVES
In our last category, the victors came out as Etiquetteer predicted. "Confusing customer service menus" was no match for "Door-to-door solicitors of any kind," going down 42% to 58%. Then "Loud public cellphone conversations" easily bested "Oversufficient cologne" 64% to 36%. This week's pairing pits one century against the other, in a way, as the door-to-door thing was so 20th century, and the cellphone thing is, well, so omnipresent.
So keep voting! It will take half as much time every week. And of course if you discover something you think is missing, you may always share it with Etiquetteer at queries@etiquetteer.com.
