The article discusses a situation where a long-time friend sends a hurtful text criticizing the author's life choices. This leads to feelings of anger and betrayal, prompting the author to sever contact with the friend. The response from Miss Manners highlights that miscommunications, like cross-texts, can occur, and suggests that an apology could help mend the friendship. It emphasizes the importance of addressing misunderstandings directly, rather than letting them fester, to preserve long-standing relationships.
Our devices change much faster than the human condition, which means etiquette can usually adapt relatively easily. Your friend thought about, wrote and got caught writing something unkind about you.
Though thoroughly unpleasant for you, it is not the first time in human history such a thing has happened; in fact, it is why the apology was invented.
Senders are not always aware they have sent what you call cross-texts, an important point. Miss Manners would have had you text back at the time that you did not believe this text was meant for you.
An apology should then have been forthcoming, after which you could have decided whether 50 years of friendship could survive a slip of the finger.
Collection
[
|
...
]