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The Fashion Police is Out
Have you taken an etiquette course recently? Well, neither have most Czechs. A recent course offered free of charge was cancelled due to lack of interest, reports the Prague Post. Are your necktie knots a mess? Oops! Well, apparently you have a lot in common with 99% of Czech politicians.
Though impolite to name names, some of the fashionistas behind the political scenes praise current President Václav Klaus and ex-President Václav Havel for their exceptional taste. I am disinclined to believe this however. One of the most-remembered moments of Havel's 1989 inauguration was when he crossed the courtyard of Prague Castle, one of the most powerfully charged places of memory you can find in the modern Czech Republic, wearing high-water pants. In an interview with Marek Eben on the popular show Na plovárně ("Next to the Swimming Pool," a popular interview show on Czech Television), Havel later claimed that he had just "hitched them up" a moment before as he was walking down the stairs.
What about the calculatedly unkempt look or purposeful breaches of etiquette? Well, I imagine those are beyond most politicians whether they are Czech or not.
A refresher course:
*At social events, maintain personal space of at least 75 centimeters
*Using a mobile phone while making out is impolite
*If someone's dress is unzipped, let the person know in a discreet, tactful manner
And a Czech classic:
*Men should always hold the door open for ladies, but should walk into bars ahead of them; better the man get hit by something thrown in anger
Though impolite to name names, some of the fashionistas behind the political scenes praise current President Václav Klaus and ex-President Václav Havel for their exceptional taste. I am disinclined to believe this however. One of the most-remembered moments of Havel's 1989 inauguration was when he crossed the courtyard of Prague Castle, one of the most powerfully charged places of memory you can find in the modern Czech Republic, wearing high-water pants. In an interview with Marek Eben on the popular show Na plovárně ("Next to the Swimming Pool," a popular interview show on Czech Television), Havel later claimed that he had just "hitched them up" a moment before as he was walking down the stairs.
What about the calculatedly unkempt look or purposeful breaches of etiquette? Well, I imagine those are beyond most politicians whether they are Czech or not.
A refresher course:
*At social events, maintain personal space of at least 75 centimeters
*Using a mobile phone while making out is impolite
*If someone's dress is unzipped, let the person know in a discreet, tactful manner
And a Czech classic:
*Men should always hold the door open for ladies, but should walk into bars ahead of them; better the man get hit by something thrown in anger
Posted 22 November 2005 at 18:40.
A graduate student in music and anthropology writing a dissertation about music in Moravia, the eastern third of the Czech Republic. At some point, the Czech Republic's "second city" (that would be Brno) captured my attention, and I've since been blogging about events, arts, music, and other stuff—basically whatever interests me in and around the cityscape. I'm not living in Brno now, but I keep up with the cultural pulse from afar as best I can.
Comments:
I wonder if this means that lots of people use their cell phones while making out. It seems like more than I could manage; would this mean I am impaired or just single-minded?
Also, does this mean that the usual way people let on that someone's dress is unzipped is by a) pointing and loudly announcing the fact or b) putting an icy hand on the person's bare flesh?
As for men entering the bar first to see if the coast is clear, didn't someone tell us that during orientation week?
10:17 PM, November 22, 2005
Yes, we heard about the bar thing shortly after attending the reception at the embassy. I think it was at the embassy that I regretted not packing my 75c. measurement to make sure I was not infringing on anyone's personal space.
10:27 PM, November 22, 2005
I don't think you infringed on anyone's personal space at the reception (at least not without their tacit consent) except for the part where we were all obliged to stand close together and introduce ourselves to the crowd. In that case, I would say that we were expected to adhere to a different measure, more akin to a choral ensemble. (Meanwhile, I hear my shower curtain rod falling to the floor again.)
10:08 AM, November 23, 2005
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