ArcaMax

DEAR MISS MANNERS: When shopping for clothes, perfect strangers will offer their opinions and show me clothes that they have picked out for me, when no request for their help has been made.

I know that they are doing this to be kind, but I know exactly what I want to buy, so why do people do this? How can I respond to their offers of assistance...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I sometimes get a coffee to go from a local shop, and I stop at the little station to add sugar, cream, etc. to my cup. As at most coffeeshops, this station is pretty small.

If someone is there, I usually ask something such as, "Would I be in your way if I reached for some sugar?" Other times I just wait for the person to ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: A student at my child's high school died from suicide at the very end of the last school year. The young man was a popular baseball player on the school's team, and he was from a socially popular family in my neighborhood.

There were multiple tributes to him made by well-meaning members of the community: Green ribbons were ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: While having a casual dinner at my parents' house, I noticed that my brother and his fiancee were wearing wedding bands. I texted my sister to ask if they had secretly gotten married, and she told me I needed to talk to our brother.

He finally called me tonight and told me that they did indeed go to the courthouse to get ...Read more

DEAR MISS MANNERS: We live in an era where the social fabric has thinned significantly. The clubs, civic organizations and community events that once brought our forefathers together are largely fading away. Opportunities for natural socialization have plummeted across the country, leaving many of us more isolated than generations past.

In this...Read more