Anno Domini 2020 began with an unusual news story: the apology of a Pope. Pope Francis apologized after a very rare “flash of anger” brought about when a woman nearly yanked him off his feet so she could have her Pope Time on New Year’s Eve. Be sure to watch the video so you can see exactly what happened.
Now, the Pope may be God’s Representative on Earth for Catholics around the world, but he’s still a man. And a very old man at this point of time, who could easily break a bone or dislocate a joint or something if brought off balance. One point made online referred to the woman who touched Jesus’ garment and was healed through her faith. That said, she didn’t expect Jesus to return to her position in the lineup. Celebrities, whether religious or cinematic, do not owe you personal attention. Act accordingly.
The Pope’s apology was a true act of humility (and therefore of Perfect Propriety) and serves as an example of How True Leaders Behave. World Leaders, pay attention! What really annoys Etiquetteer about this whole episode, though, is that no one seems to be calling for an apology from the woman who started it all. Whatever her motivation, her behavior was Not Perfectly Proper. If she hasn’t yet, she should write a Lovely Note of Apology to Pope Francis.
In other news, Etiquetteer overheard a couple young women two days ago complaining about weddings - specifically about paying for them. “When people ask what to get us I’m like ‘Can’t you just pay for the flowers?’” carped one, to which the other replied “Not even. I just tell them ‘No gifts, just send us money.’” And . . . and it just made Etiquetteer despair. These young women made the whole thing sound so transactional, so removed from any feelings of goodwill that might be expressed for a Happy Couple. So joyless. Is this really what we want weddings to be? Of course over the last 12 years what the middle class thinks of as “nice” has become more and more expensive; for a traditional “nice” wedding* the days of the Father of the Bride paying for everything before the wedding and the Groom paying for everything after departure for the honeymoon are long gone. Nevertheless . . . can’t we find a kinder way to talk about this? The acid snark of those young women . . . mercy, Etiquetteer doesn’t even know them and it left a sting**.
And finally, Etiquetteer witnessed an unusual practice by a waiter in an Italian restaurant that really does not bear repeating. After setting down a new glass of red wine, the waiter turned the old glass of red wine into it to shake out the last couple drops before taking it away. Can you imagine? Etiquetteer does enjoy wine, but is not so greedy over every drop as that! Let’s hope this doesn’t become a trend.
So . . . Happy New Year! Etiquetteer hopes to hear from you soon about how and where you’d like to see more Perfect Propriety in the world.
*This automatically excludes destination weddings, which are often perceived as desirable but are certainly not traditional.
**Rereading this, Etiquetteer couldn’t help but remember Alec Guinness in Kind Hearts and Coronets saying “Well, if you’re going to add impertinence to your eavesdropping . . . we’ll soon see about that!”