the latest in etiquette for the modern professional
Just when hope was nearly lost that the world would forever be stuck with people talking too loudly on their cell phones in public or embarrassing themselves with boorish e-mails,  Thomas Blaikie aims to bring us up to speed in his new book, “For the Manner Born: a Most Proper Guide to Modern Civility.”

In his quirky and comedic British tone, Blaikie teaches the modern professional how to navigate an increasingly complex social world. Blaikie craftily avoids Emily Post-style etiquette by stressing the unimportance of knowing how to correctly slurp soup or which fork to use first, and instead offers practical advice, such as how to politely end a text message conversation or how to deal with a coworker who eats smelly lunches at his desk. 

Blaikie’s practical guide to manners is illustrated with anecdotes about three characters, artfully crafted to represent three distinct sects of society. There’s Zoe, a young startup in public relations; Matt, a middle-aged magazine publisher; and Mrs. Gibbs, an 85-year-old grandmother whose hilarious and cheeky judgments hearken back to the good old days when manners meant something. The characters are two-dimensional and are obviously written in to break up Blaikie’s pages and pages of bulleted lists, which consist mostly of dos and don’ts. Zoe is a perpetual “flaker,” which is Blaikie’s word for those who are chronically late or forget about engagements, and Matt is a simpleton, lost in a tangled social web where he’s forced into uncomfortable situations.

Overall, “To the Manner Born” is a funny, easy read (though it wouldn’t be nearly as funny if Blaikie didn’t pepper his writing with nuggets of snarky British slang and stories about Posh Spice and David Beckham littering in the street), and what it lacks in originality is made up for in practicality. He urges his readers to “concede that the British way of doing things has got something to be said for it,” calling for Americans to adopt some proper (but not stuffy) behavior. It is, after all, useful to know how to refuse a second date, or what to say when someone forgets your name. Blaikie seems to have advice for every possible social situation, including those occurring in public bathrooms and at parties where everyone remains standing up, as well as how to gracefully refuse drugs at said party.

Blaikie stresses that “manners can ruin your life, make you hysterical, unhinge you, cause you to lose grip on reality altogether” if taken too seriously. That’s true. The best thing “To the Manner Born” has to offer is that its wisdom is based in common sense. Blaikie suggests that technological devices may make our lives seem easier, but we still must know how to relate to actual people. Maybe better manners won’t lead to world peace, but in navigating the complicated social and political puzzle of the modern world, opening a door for a stranger isn’t a bad place to start.