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Los Angeles, CA - According to a recent survey, intercity
youth rarely RSVP to parties and other events, even if they
are sent formal invitations.
"A lot of times they just show up, they don't phone
or fill out the RSVP card or whatever," said Los Angeles
resident Tranice Parker. "How am I supposed to know how
much food and alcohol to purchase if I don't have a proper
count beforehand? It's just unbelievably rude."
According to the survey, residents of several lower income
neighborhoods in Los Angeles and Chicago say the problem of
people not RSVP-ing has gotten worse, not better.
"It's like they have no manners," said Susan Walters,
a intercity social worker who helped distribute and tally
the results of the survey. "How hard is it to RSVP? You
don't have to be rich or educated to RSVP. Being a drug addict
is absolutely no excuse. Anyone can take the time to be polite."
Notorious street gangs like the Los Angeles-based Crips and
Bloods are the worst, explains one party thrower who asked
to remain anonymous. "They just park there cars all over
the lawn and just invite whoever they want. Sometimes there
are a dozen people who weren't even on the guest list. Then
they have the nerve to shoot people who were actually invited."
"Why should I go to the bother of having a party if
people who weren't even invited just just walk in my house
and eat all my food?" asked Estella Rolando, a 19 year-old
mother of six, who was astonished when half the neighborhood
showed up for the invitation-only baptism of her newborn.
"And on top of that, they drank the entire box of wine.
We had to take communion with a 40-ounce bottle of 'Olde English'"
Gang members declined repeated requests for a statement.
According to etiquette expert "Miss Manners", when
someone makes the effort to send out invitations, it is the
responsibility of invitees to fill out and return the RSVP
card within one week. If there is no formal invitation or
RSVP card, they should phone ahead and let the host know whether
or not they can attend. They need to offer to bring food,
napkins, or a box of wine, depending on what is required.
"It doesn't matter if you're the Queen of England or
a gang member living in a crack den," Miss Manners said.
"People need to be considerate and RSVP in plenty of
time for arrangements to be made. That way everyone is happy."
The survey was part a $4 million federal grant to study the
problem.
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