Do you think being polite is important?

[MrG]

When I was young my mother always told me that good manners cost nothing - which was handy considering they were all we could afford back then!

I grew up on a council estate and the only thing that separated me from the animals was my family's insistance on politeness and good manners. It helped me get out of that rat-hole and I can laugh now when I know that the kids that used to ridicule my politeness are still languishing there.

Some idiots mistake politeness for weakness. More fool them, I'd say "excuse me" and then kick their ass

Joking asides, lack of good manners shows contempt for those around you which only end up breeding aggression.

[Nicaine]

Originally Posted by elbow

Do you guys think that it is important to be polite on the internet and in real life?

Sometimes. And other times, bluntly shooting from the hip is the kinder thing to do. Human interaction is situational, and can't be boiled down to shoulds/shouldn'ts for all possible situations that may arise.

[Fresh]

I'm usually polite when someone shows politeness first, otherwise I'm more of a stick to my business type person. I personally don't have the time of day to smile and say hello to every random person I walk by. As for the internet, I think people take things waaaay too serious most of the time. It's just words, but hey, I guess it means a lot to some. I never take negative things people say on the internet to me too seriously because they really don't know much about me besides what I reveal in a thread or whatever.