Madam, - I thought I was the odd one out until I read Kathy Sheridan's column of January 22nd.
The fact is that at the most basic level we have become boorish as a nation. There is no recognition of one's right to personal space, to the extent that people would rather walk through you than stand aside or move around you.
On a recent Saturday in Dublin city centre I decided to test this belief, and on 15 separate occasions I held shop entrance doors open to let people pass through. On 13 of those no-one so much as blinked an eye, even though I smiled and said "You're welcome" as they sailed by.
One lady gave me an Old Testament look worthy of turning me into a pillar of salt.
It was two young male teenagers who restored my faith in human beings, with their smile and "Thanks, man".
It gives one hope for the future. - Yours, etc.,
DESMOND GRAHAM, Collins Avenue East, Donnycarney, Dublin 5.
