by Jonique Gaynor, Staff Reporter

It is becoming increasingly clear that some people's parents did not bother to teach them any sort of manners.

There are some things that most of us would never think of doing. But for some people, these things are a part of every day life. And this is not even about people saying good morning or good evening because no matter how much we talk about those things, it makes no difference. This is about people knowing their limits, knowing when to stand back and knowing that sometimes it's best to just wait until you're acknowledged or invited to partake of something.

I don't know who thinks it's normal to just barge into someone's house or room, but apparently some people see nothing wrong with this. I recently met someone like this, someone who is seemingly averse to knocking and who thinks that knowing someone is an excuse to just show up at their house or room. And then, as if this was not bad enough, this person saw it fit and well, to walk pass the persons in the house, after uttering a silly dancehall style greeting and take up residence in the couch.

But, dear friends, it did not end there, with just a casual 'yu naw watch nuttin?', this individual captured the remote control from those who were previously watching the TV and proceeded to choose something more his own taste. Now, this individual, mind you, was sort of an attachment. That is, he was not among the people that were primarily invited to the event, and he was not a friend of the promoters. He simply was a person that happened to drop by because someone he knew had been invited. Wouldn't have known this by his behaviour though, in fact, you'd think he was the host.

But anyway, back to the story. After making himself comfortable by perching his feet on the centre table, this person went on to describe how nice the place was. Oh wait, how could I forget? After entering unannounced, he promptly made his way to the fridge where he poured himself something to drink. This something, of course belonged to someone else, but he didn't bother to ask. He assumed that all that was in the house belonged to him as well. We had no problem with sharing the things we had but it would have been nice if he asked. I mean, we did not advertise a buffet or a self serve event.

Seriously now, who does these things? Where are these people raised? What goes through their mind? How can anyone think it is normal to walk into another person's place, regardless of who you may know, and just assume the role of 'man a yard'? Maybe I'm expecting too much from people, but my God, a little decency can't be too much. If you want something, you ask for it nicely, you knock before you enter someone's place and you can at least acknowledge their presence.