answer:I hate it when I’m in the middle of a conversation with someone and they pull out their phone to read/send a text! It drives me up a wall. My friends to this a lot and normally I just stop talking until they’re done texting and then I just say “never mind” (but they never seem to get the hint). It bothers me more because I usually keep my phone on silent if I’m spending time with someone and I will not reach for it until I’m alone again out of respect for their time. I’ve been noticing this a lot lately at work, too. I’ll be in the process of talking to someone who came up to me for assistance and they will just pull out their phones and start texting/checking their Facebook accounts while I’m explaining something important to them…and these are grown-ups in their 40s and up I’m talking about! Don’t even get me started on the teenagers… Edit: To answer your main question, I’d say that, in general, people are not as well-mannered as I remember them being when I was younger. However, I’ve noticed that it depends on a lot of factors, including but not limited to: social/financial status, geographical origin, and age. Although I get my fair share of poor-mannered people at work, I’ve noticed that a lot of parents are making a really good effort in teaching their kids to be respectful and well-mannered. For example, I see a lot parents making sure their kids always say please and thank-you while looking the person in the eyes, which I find really nice.