How to Graciously Deal with Rude People

When you’re out and about, there’s just no avoiding rude people. Whether you’re at work or on the street, you will be bumped into without apologies, cut off while driving, receive a mean email, or have a rant directed at you. You probably were rude to someone at some point.

What we perceive as rudeness can often be unintentional and due to a difference in values, but there are certain acts and behaviors that most of us can agree are outright rudeness.

It can be hard to stay calm when someone’s rude toward you, especially if you’re hurt and feel like you want to give it right back. However, those few moments are crucial because it can prevent a civil exchange from becoming a huge fight. 

In this post, we’ll look at how rudeness has become pervasive in our culture and what we can do to break the self-perpetuating cycle of rudeness in others and in ourselves with grace and tact.