In the good old days, complimenting a lady on her beauty was an art that was highly valued. Chivalry was also a high art form, with Sir Walter Raleigh being known (among other things) for spreading out his cape on the floor for a lady to walk on.
Opening doors and pulling chairs out for women to sit on were considered a done thing for a gentleman, and the ladies were grateful for it. But it looks as though times have changed.
An Obama finds himself in the soup for having complimented the good looks of an attorney general in a Western state of the US of A. And finally, out of a threat of censure or of being asked to demit office (not sure what demit means but anyway, sounds right here), has APOLOGISED to the said lady. Sorry I thought you were beautiful, or something like that. How un-cool is that?
On the same lines, can I call someone ugly without being apologetic about it? And without the lady being apoplectic about it? Something to think about, surely.
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4 comments:
You have a point. And about the calling-someone-ugly bit, chances are you might end up paying a heftier price than just having to apologise for it. How does a man survive here? Tch tch.
Yes, Meghna, you have made your point. I shall be very careful.
Perhaps it's best not to say anything more than a sorry. The moment you wish to compliment anyone the standard lines should be 'Sorry, sorry, sorry'. (And if non-verbal communication is 80% of all comm, she and the whole world will know anyway.)
Yes, Hari. Sorry, all the lovely ladies reading this blog. I didn't mean to compliment you. Sorry!
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