The Unspoken Rules Of Kansas City Etiquette

By Gina Kaufmann,

Sylvia Maria Gross, Matthew Long-Middleton

Published March 26, 2015 at 4:44 PM CDT

"Kansas City nice." It's a term you hear all the time around here, but what does it mean? Is there such a thing as a Kansas City-specific code of conduct? We explore the purpose and history of etiquette in general, then we focus on etiquette in Kansas City today. What do we consider polite and what offends us? And do our etiquette rules hinder us in any way?

Guests:

Janis Kliethermes, owner, Etiquette Kansas City
Rashaan Gilmore, citizen, Kansas City
Michelle Smirnova, assistant professor of sociology, UMKC

Tags

Central Standard manners

Gina Kaufmann

People don't make cameos in news stories; the human story is the story, with characters affected by news events, not defined by them. As a columnist and podcaster, I want to acknowledge what it feels like to live through this time in Kansas City, one vantage point at a time. Together, these weekly vignettes form a collage of daily life in Kansas City as it changes in some ways, and stubbornly resists change in others. You can follow me on Twitter @GinaKCUR or email me at gina@kcur.org.

See stories by Gina Kaufmann

Sylvia Maria Gross

Sylvia Maria Gross is storytelling editor at KCUR 89.3. Reach her on Twitter @pubradiosly.

See stories by Sylvia Maria Gross

Matthew Long-Middleton

Matthew Long-Middleton has been a talk-show producer, community producer, Media Training Manager and now the Community Engagement Manager at KCUR. You can reach him at Matthew@kcur.org, or on Twitter @MLMIndustries.

See stories by Matthew Long-Middleton