Reddit reviews Emily Post's Etiquette, 18th Edition (Emily Post's Etiquette)

Found her wedding gift!

http://www.amazon.com/Emily-Posts-Etiquette-18th/dp/0061740233/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452232101&sr=8-1&keywords=emily+post+etiquette

Yup that makes three of us, I'm sure there's more people in this subreddit like this.

I know I have lost friends and relationships over this thing, so here's the conclusions that I have reached, please correct me if I'm wrong because I also need the feedback:

• It's all about being social nowadays isn't it? social media, social networks, everything is SOCIAL now, the internet used to be the one public place where we could hide in but not anymore, we're living in introvert's hell in a way, good thing there's places where we can meet where we don't have to take pictures of ourselves and can just write anonymously right? (thank you for this reddit)
  
  
• I think all introverts at some point realize that even though we have been like this since we were born, the world as it is right now is not made for the introvert but for the extrovert. Being social is seen as a quality whereas being withdrawn is seen as a defect of character, I never knew what the world was like for left-handed people until now.
  
  
• We are introverts till the day we die, we are never going to like being social as much as the next guy but that's ok because we hold a lot of wonderful and amazing things in higher regard than becoming socialites. That being said I don't think introverts want to be stigmatized as social outcasts (everyone wants to feel included) so until people become more tolerant about it we have to work on our social skills but without straining ourselves unnecessarily.
  
• As it is pointed out in this neat little article right there on the right hand side of the screen there's a difference between being introverted and being shy, so we have to work on dealing with the shyness (if we have it) as much as possible, perhaps it is a matter of raising self-esteem or as it is now more aptly called: self-compassion.
  
  
• In some other cases it may be a matter of learning how to trust people more, even strangers (I know it takes me a while to warm up to people) so we can talk to them as easily as we do to the people that we have known for years.
  
  
• We have to work on our people skills, social etiquette, emotional intelligence, perhaps learn how small talk even if we hate it (I know, I know, boring conversations we can't relate to, etc.)
  
  
• BUT we also have to learn the limits of this: first and foremost that we cannot ever become extroverts, so if we can't get it 100% right in social situations and can never learn to enjoy socialization as much as the rest of society THAT IS OK, if we can educate the people that love us into understanding us, they will eventually learn to tolerate what they may perceive as shortcomings. Socialization is not our biggest strength but we have many others and we have bigger fish to fry.
  
  
• Finally, I believe it is important to present yourself as you are, yes "faking it till you make it" is an invaluable tool that can take you very very far, especially if avoiding social situations is becoming an obstacle in your career or love life, but if you fake it all the time (especially with people you are intimate with) and create a false persona, eventually you're gonna get tired and the mask is going to fall off and although it is unfair, people are going to be disappointed.
  
  Better to be with people that know you are an introvert and know that you are trying your best, than with people that only like you because they think you're an extrovert and as years go by, come to realize that you are not.
  
  THAT being said, I wouldn't begin courting someone by stating that I'm an introvert, I might as well say that I'm shy weirdo, not very sexy (of course, this may change in the future).
  
  (I brought enough grammatical errors for everyone, please don't get excited about pointing them out, English is my second language and I'm at work so I can't proofread what I just wrote)

It sounds like you want to learn how to eat with European mannerisms. With practice, if you are conscious about changing your habits, it's very easy. I would recommend Emily Post's Etiquette for all the nuances to eating politely, but there are a few big main steps that anyone can follow:

• Never open your mouth while food is in it. Ever.
  
• Fork in your left hand, knife in your right. When cutting, point your index fingers down the length of the fork and knife and guide them that way. (I would post a photo but I can't find one!)
  
• Resting your fork and knife on opposite sides of the dish means you haven't finished. Resting them both on the same side of the dish means you have finished.
  
  There are plenty more little tricks to eating like this, but if you make the major parts of etiquette a habit, the rest will be easy to learn. I hope this answers what you're looking for!

Yessir, that's a good way of putting it.

>May I ask how you worked on your social skills and networking?

Absolutely! First I read a bunch of books and articles, which I'll list for you below. Second I got a job that requires a lot of social interaction. And third I made a very dedicated effort to do more social things.

(Wow, I didn't realize how large this list was going to be. So I'm going to very highly recommend the first three books and just say that everything else is going to be beneficial, but not really necessary. You don't have to go nearly as deep as I did to get good results.)

How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to Talk to Anyone
What EveryBODY is Saying

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Never Eat Alone
The Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense
Argumentation and Debate
What to Say When You're Dying on the Platform
The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking
The Art of Framing
This article
This documentary on body language
This video on body language
This ebook
/r/socialskills
This website
This video
This video
This video
A lot of Craig Ferguson interviews (especially the lady ones)
Etiquette

One I'd like to add regarding a subject that often gets overlooked: Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why, or for the women (and men who prefer more generalized instruction) Emily Post's Etiquette.

Etiquette and manners are the lubrication that keep the gears of society running smoothly. Although most folks have a halfway decent basic sense of manners, I think having strong knowledge of them, the reasoning behind them, and of course practicing them can help you in life in ways you wouldn't imagine. Really solid etiquette is all too rare, so people will notice and they respond accordingly. You'll get all sorts of preferential treatment and special favors from all corners of your life just for practicing good etiquette.

Oh! There is a book!

Here. It's a must read.
https://www.amazon.com/Emily-Posts-Etiquette-18th/dp/0061740233

Try this

Emily Post's Etiquette has helped me, because it gives me rules to follow.

I bought this.

So I used to be the most socially awkward idiot out there... If you have a bit of cash, I would read Post's book on etiquette and just get it as your go-to guide on EVERYTHING. It literally has EVERY SINGLE situation you can think of written out for you – from classes to meeting people to how to write thank you notes.