Call me Miss Manners

A writer laments the disappearance of phone etiquette, longing for the niceties of "hello" before diving into the purpose of the call.

His first example of bad manners?

My son answers the phone and immediately hears an editor wanting to know if I really, really want to use a word in a way so much at variance with good taste, common language usage, Associated Press style and good taste. Or that new events have made the whole premise of a column nonsensical and what do I propose to do next?

It's easy to rush through those phone calls to reporters at home. We're talking deadlines here, people.

But you'll get much better results from your call if you start with a "How do you do?"