Newport Manners & Etiquette: Mr. Trump’s Laugh, Dating + Table Manners

Wednesday, March 08, 2017

Didi Lorillard, GoLocalProv Manners + Etiquette Expert

 

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Why doesn't Mr. Trump ever laugh? What to do when she sleeps with her cellphone? The loss of civility in the Oval Office, and when dating table manners are tricky to change because they're engrained in childhood were all questions to Didi Lorillard this week at NewportManners.

Mr. Trump's lack of laughter

Q.  We never see or hear the president laughing. It's interesting that he doesn't laugh because scientists tell us that laughing is a highly sophisticated social signaling system that helps us to bond and negotiate, and Trump takes great pride in his negotiation skills. This isn't actually an etiquette question, but more of a comment about social skills. Why doesn't Trump ever laugh?  GH, Boston

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A.  Laughter has huge health benefits. Laughing is a great stress reliever, lowers anxiety, releases tension, boosts the immune system, and stimulates our circulation and conversation. Not being a scientist, my guess is that control freaks don't laugh. Mr. Trump would feel out of control should he find himself bursting into laughter. Laughter sets you free.

Dating table manners

Q.  My boyfriend has the most annoying habit of picking food off my plate and eating it. I want to say, "Here, help yourself," and hand him my plate. Even though I've asked him time and again to kick the habit my plea doesn't register. How do I get him to be more polite?  MO, Providence

 

A.  Next time you sit down to eat alongside your beau, make sure there is a small plate above your dinner plate. A butter plate or salad plate will do. Then when you notice him eyeing your food, make your move. He's zeroing into exactly what tidbit looks the most mouth-watering. Wedge off a piece of your grilled tuna with your knife and fork, scoop up a generous bite with your fork, place the tuna on the small plate, and handing it to him gently say, "Here, what else would you like to sample?" Make the small plate a ritual. Not only will this civilized addition to your routine make you both more patient, but it shows respect for each other: including your personal boundaries.

No, your boyfriend shouldn't be eating food off your plate, but he learned table manners as a small child and bad table manners are lifelong habits hard to break. Have patience, use the small plate trick. It will work. 

To quote the British author Peter Mayle, "Good manners make any man a pleasure to be with. Ask any woman."

You decide together, or not, that your relationship itself comes first, that the wishes of your partner are second and that personal needs come in third. 

This understanding between you and your partner only works when each partner prioritizes the other person's needs, the expectation is that the other will reciprocate and that at the end of day, you both get what you really need.

Cellphone Ménage à trois

Q.  There are three of us in this relationship. My girlfriend is addicted to her cellphone. It's like having another person in the room whom she can't take her eyes off. Even at a restaurant her phone is on the table and she periodically reads messages. For example, we can be in mid-conversation about the fact that my dad is dying and she'll start texting or eyeing social media. 

I would say that this is the opposite of sexting, texting during a serious face-to-face conversation! I keep asking her to put her phone away, but she'll say, "It's business," which I would bet it is not. 

How can I communicate with her that I wish she would pay more attention to me and less to her screen? Last night she fell asleep with her cellphone in her hand.  RC, Brooklyn, NY

 

A.  Next time, before your sweetheart goes scrolling down that rabbit hole of browsing and texting, remember that she probably knows she's addicted to her cellphone, and that she can't do anything about it. She hates that she loves it and she loves hating it. Here are a couple of counter-intuitive ways to help her free herself.

Encourage her to acknowledge that it may not be the technology that she is addicted to, but the social awards from being liked instead of ignored. You know how she feels, since the consequence for you is that she ignores you. Talk about the patterns that set off her anxiety and addiction and compare them to gambling or having an abusive friend or partner. 

Most of what we tend to feel, think and do is inevitably influenced by our anticipation about other people's expectations of us. We see our world through the viewpoint of our friends and acquaintances, and we intuitively imagine circumstances that influence most of what we do.

  • There is nothing inherently wrong with her texting, emailing and using social media, because they provide a platform for not only her need to be connected on the one hand, but also for her addiction to watch and monitor others, and better still, for her need to be seen, heard from, remembered, monitored, judged and praised by others.
  • It is natural to want to know how much others mean to her, and how much she wants to mean something to them, because these are instincts embraced and followed by her circle of friends.

 

The problem, as you say, is setting boundaries. So, as a couple, why not talk and set your intentions. The screen doesn't flicker on the night-table but from across the room on your bureau. (There are those who believe sleeping next to, or carrying a cellphone close to the body, is dangerous, because your cellphone is connected to satellites that radiate harmful energy.) 

  • At meals, neither of you use your phones but you can see when your babysitter or dad is trying to communicate with you.
  • At bedtime, your phones are not next to your bed.
  • Neither of you answer emails after six o'clock at night.
  • Make time to spend a couple of hours in a natural environment.
  • Gauge how much time you spend in face-to-face conversation not looking at a screen.

 

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When talking about who cares more, or less, about cellphone addiction, think of the dynamic as one of rising and falling tides, unceasing traits. As a romantic duo you might not wish to argue about who is the superior, who is the inferior -- by not being judgmental.

Oval Office lacks civility

Q.  What is going on in the Oval Office? Kellyanne Conway has made it her personal salon. She is tucked up on the couch feet-less and calves-less with her bare knees and thighs -- sitting on her feet -- in an attention-grabbing pose. Meanwhile dignitaries, university chancellors from historically black colleges, gaze on in astonishment as the White House photographer takes photos of Ms. Conway in a "look-at-me texting" pose. Is this correct professional behavior? She is as unhinged as Trump.  JL, Cincinnati, Ohio

A.  The most popular Tweet about her is: "Why does Kellyanne Conway always look like she's still drunk & wearing makeup from last night's bender?"  Personally, I'm more concerned about her obsession with "alternative facts" that are, for the most part, created to distract us from what's really going on. But I understand why you're angry about her lack of civilized behavior in the Oval Office. 

Didi Lorillard researches manners and etiquette at NewportManners.

 

Related Slideshow: Trump’s Win - What Does it Mean for Rhode Island?

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Jennifer Duffy

Cook Report

"We don't really know what a Trump presidency means for the nation, never mind the smallest state.  One of the unintended consequences of last night's results is that Sen. Jack Reed won't be chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.  Chalk that up as a loss for RI."

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Pam Gencarella

Head of Ocean State Taxpayers' Association

"Trump’s win means that his signature issue, illegal immigration, could have a big impact on RI, hopefully reversing our course as a sanctuary state and saving the state taxpayer millions of dollars.  While we agree with his 'repeal and replace' Obamacare stance, we have no idea what that means to the RI debacle known as UHIP.  It is not a stretch to believe that federal funding for this kind of system will be off the table so, will RI be stuck with this massively expensive system that still doesn’t work and that is expected to cost another $124 million to fix?  

Trump's belief that there is significant fraud in the Food Stamp program and the policies that may come from that belief could have a negative impact on RI's local economy since there are businesses in certain cities that rely heavily on this program, fraud and all. On the upside, we may be able to ditch the UHIP program if there is significantly less need for processing welfare program requests (ie. Medicaid and food stamps) resulting from fewer illegal immigrants and less fraud.  While we are ambivalent about his touted child care policies, if enacted, it may force our legislators to revisit the ever growing state cost of subsidies in this area and possibly reduce the fraud and abuse in this system." 

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Kay Israel

Professor at Rhode Island College

"With a Republican President and Congress, Rhode Island will probably be excluded from the 'fruits of victory."  

The congressional delegation will be able to vocally make their presence felt, but in the long term it's more symbolic than substantive.  

For Rhode Island it's a matter of holding on and waiting until '18 or '20 and a surge in Democratic influence."

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Jennifer Lawless

Professor at American University

"The RI congressional delegation just became even less powerful than it was. With unified government, Trump doesn’t need to quell Democrats’ concerns or acquiesce because he’s worried about a Democratically-controlled Senate.

His appointments will reflect that. His executive orders will affect that. And the conservative policy agenda he puts forward will affect that."

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Len Lardaro

Professor at University of Rhode Island

"Well there's a few things -- because there's not going to be gridlock, that's a big difference if it had been Hillary and a GOP Congress, in which nothing would got done. We'll at least get a half a billion in infrastructure that's going to pass which will have an impact.

I think you'll see there will be reduced reliance on government nationally -- and that's where we'll stick out like sore thumb. We've relied way too much on government -- and our government is highly inefficient and ineffective.  Maybe, just maybe, in this who cycle of things we might be forced to be small and more efficient for once.

A couple of other things -- interest rates jumped. The one to follow is the ten year government bond rate -- which is tied to mortgages. It went from 1.7% to 2.05% in one day. The point is -- if the ten year stays high, mortgage rates will start going higher -- and in the short time people will run to re-finance. 

That's the short term impact -- but then if rates stay hight, that will make mortgages more out of reach. And we just passed a bond issue to limit open space -- housing has limited upside here.
The next thing -- the Fed Reserve will go ahead with tightening next month. A strong dollar will hurt manufacturing. When the dollar is strong our exports become more expensive overseas. 

Our goods production sector -- manufacturing and construction -- in the near term will do a little better, but as time goes on will be more limited. But something you won't hear, is there are lags in fiscal policy, of six months to year. So we won't really see the effects until the third our fourth quarter of 2017, going into 2018."
 

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Mike Stenhouse

RI Center for Freedon and Prosperity

"As the unbelievable turned into reality this morning, it struck me that the presidential election was not really all about Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. It was about a fed-up people, revolting against a corrupt system - the "beast" - that relentlessly favors insiders. Hillary personified the beast, while Donald personified the slayer.

Sadly, based on election results in our state, Rhode Island's version of the beast lives on. I fear our political class has not learned the lessons from the Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump movements - and will continue with their government-centric, anti-family, anti-business status quo."

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Kristina Contreras Fox

VP of Young Democrats of America

"A Trump Presidency means the validation of the ugliest part of America. In RI, as with the rest of the country, the hammer of his hatred will fall hardest on minority communities. Being a blue state doesn't make us immune from this danger.

Trump won over 35% (39.5) of the vote here! We need to look in the mirror, and not lie about what the reflection shows us. No more hiding underneath a blue blanket. I expect those who claim Democratic values to be true to those values. The gulf between words and actions have turned into fertile ground for Trump's message to grow here in RI. If you call yourself a Democrat, if you claim to stand in opposition to Trump, now is the time to prove it. Show up and fight back."
 

 

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