Forget Martha, Oprah, and Rachael Ray.
The original hostess and multimedia queen was Emily Post. In 1922, her book “Etiquette” helped civilize America. Millions read her columns and listened to her radio shows. She taught us that elbows on the table, hunching over the dinner plate, and clutching silverware were, well, no-no’s.
Post’s remarkable life spanned Reconstruction, the roaring 20’s, World War II, and the start of the Civil Rights movement. Nearly fifty years since her death, a new biography on the life of this remarkable woman has just been released.
This hour, On Point: civility for these uncivil times. Emily Post, the woman who tamed America.
You can join the conversation. Did you grow up in a house with a well-worn copy of “Etiquette”? Have we become too coarse to pay attention any more? Emily Post saw no difference between etiquette and ethics. Do you? Share your thoughts.
-Guy Raz, guest host
Guests:
With us from New York is Laura Claridge, author of “Emily Post: Daughter of the Gilded Age, Mistress of American Manners.”
You can read an excerpt from the book at Laura Claridge’s website.
Joining us from Fort Myers, Florida, is Peggy Post, the great-grand-daughter-in-law of Emily Post. Millions seek her advice through her monthly columns in Good Housekeeping and Parents magazine. She is director of the Emily Post Institute.
And with us from Cincinnati, Ohio, is LisaMarie Luccioni, also known as “Cincinnati’s Miss Manners.” She is a professor of communication and teaches business etiquette at the College of Business at the University of Cincinnati.
I just looked at the New Yorker’s new issue online and see there is a feature on the book on Emily by Elizabeth Kolbert…
Posted by Alan Perkins, on October 13th, 2008 at 11:31 AMSpeaking of not hurting people in the manner of speaking, I want to mention that many people ask very personal questions in order to find out what kind of physical disability I have. I have a service dog and I receive many questions that are design by the asker to elucidate just what is ‘wrong’ with me. Is it bad manners to point out what is wrong with the asker. I sometimes, if I have the energy, reply with a very confusing answer that is completely off the subject. Many times the asker does not understand my meaning. Sometimes I will say, that this is none of the asker’s business. I am considered rude for saying the latter. More times than not I feel badly after these inquires in that it is very tiring. Yesterday a woman kept peppering me with questions about my wheelchair and if I use it and can I drive and when my dog pooped off to the side she offered to pick it up with my disposal bag so as to not harm her Karma!
Posted by Elaine, on October 13th, 2008 at 11:54 AMThis is not uncommon and it might make a weaker person hide away in the back room which I refuse to do. Thank you for your answer.
I regret that no one mentioned Joan Didion’s praise of Emily Post’s advice for the grief-stricken in her book The Year of Magical Thinking.
Posted by Ferial, on October 13th, 2008 at 11:57 AMYour speaker touting Emily Post and ETIQUETTE (the book and the behavior) today first says the country needed Post because of “the immigrants” (racist), then said that women who become big, like Oprah, don’t have a man at their side (sexist . . . she forgot about Hillary, LOTS of others). Oy.
Posted by Margaret, on October 13th, 2008 at 8:33 PMDoes Margaret considered “the immigrants” to be a racist phrase on its own, or in the capacity that the author used it? Would “person who was not born in the U.S.” be more acceptable? I don’t get it.
Posted by Libby, on October 14th, 2008 at 3:24 PMSOooooooo Mutch !!!
Posted by Tyrese Everett, on March 19th, 2009 at 5:33 AM