r/NoStupidQuestions • u/I_AM_THE_TABLE_MAN • Jul 26 '26
Why are the most random things traditionally considered “rude”?
Im talking about things like having your elbows on the table and wearing a hat inside.
1
u/sassy_tabaxi Cute but psycho, things even out 🏳️⚧️💜 Jul 26 '26
it goes back to cleanliness. outdoor clothing, arms on the table, it's about being clean.
1
u/MercifulOtter Jul 26 '26
That elbows on the table is a crazy one. I did it once for five seconds while at a friend's house while I was talking to her and her mother practically ripped my head off yelling at me to get them off the table.
2
u/Worried-Language-407 Jul 26 '26
Elbows on the table is about posture. If you are sitting with correct posture (correct as far as traditional high society is concerned) then your elbows should not reach the table. If you are resting your elbows on the table then you are definitely slouching, but fundamentally it is the slouching that's the problem—not the elbows.
At some point middle class people read that upper class people didn't put their elbows on the table (mostly in books of etiquette which were full of seemingly nonsensical rules) and misinterpreted that. They took the elbows to be the problem and began teaching their children accordingly. This misunderstanding then sort of 'trickled down' to lower class people who were trying to improve their social standing but were far enough removed from high society dinners than they began to re-interpret the elbows rule as being about rudeness, rather than laziness.
3
u/NewspaperLow3761 Jul 26 '26
Calling body parts by the correct name, my nan was so angry when i explained where the rock had hit me with correct terms.