RSVP always warrants response

Somehow I have become a 32-year-old female version of Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof. I feel like throwing my arms up in the air and bellowing "Courtesy" as Tevye yelled "Tradition." Like Tevye, I, too, am waiting for an answer or intervention from above. However, I am not referring to the larger traditions of religion, marriage or duty. I am concerned with the loss of courteous social etiquette. Courtesy is an art that was passed down to the Baby Boomer generation but for the most part didn't make a lasting impression on generations X, Y, Z or I. It seems as if courtesy has fallen out of favor in written and verbal communications.

How hard is it to respond to an invitation? The difficulty must lie within the many options of how to reply: texting, calling, e-mailing, replying in person and good old-fashioned mailing. The problem could be that many don't have the faintest idea what RSVP stands for. It's French for "please reply."

It is downright rude when someone is spending money for food, venue and party favors and people are not polite enough to reply or thank them for the invitation.

We all need to consider how our actions affect others. To some of us, a birthday invitation is just another event or chore to fit into our busy schedule. Please consider a little girl like mine who helped color the invitations and put the stamps on the envelopes herself with her almost 2-year-old hands. Picture her talking about her birthday and happily listing all of the friends that she wants to come. Imagine looking at her excited little face when she asks if her best friend is coming and all that you can say is "I don't know, Honey. Her mommy didn't call back yet." Envision her excitement on her big day as she waits impatiently at the door for her friends to arrive. Are you going to let her down? This issue may not be of major importance when considering the current state of our union. However, without courtesy nothing of importance will be achieved. We need to stop with the excuses and make time. I refuse to take the easy way out and become a party to this ill-mannered era of neglected communication. I will cling tightly to simple traditions like answering an invitation so that they are not lost to the winds of discourtesy. I ask you to do the same.

Bonnie Jang

Pingree Grove