Harry Mount (Telegraph)–Americans: the most polite yet direct people in the world

I have just touched down in America for a week, and am immediately reminded about the extraordinary manners of the Americans. In the loos at Atlanta Airport, a man pulled at the door of an occupied stall, only to find it was locked. “Excuse me, sir,” he immediately said.

A middle-aged blonde lady, also in Atlanta Airport, bumped into a young man, and said with a laugh, “Oh, I’m sorry, I was drifting off there.”

Read it all.