Last month, the public address system at Earl's Court subway station in London was ordered to get the noise down. Passengers, it seems, had had enough of being told the blindingly obvious: "Stand back or the train will run you over." "Don't lean on the doors." "Stand back from the opening doors." "Do this." "Don't do that." Bossiness is not just aural. It is also written. As a commuter, I'm continually bombarded by notices on car walls. "Please take your feet off the seat." "Please turn down your personal stereo." And when I drive past the local primary, a sign flashes: "School. Slow down!" The presumption behind these signs is that Britons must have everything spelled out because we are tow, uncivilized people who were raised by wolves. Britain didn't use to be so bossy. When I was a boy, for instance, the local cinema put a warning on screen before we settled down to watch. "Don't," it said, "make noises." In those days, long before mobile phones, it was the only bossiness we saw in the cinema. Since then, bossiness has become more commonplace. Television, that strongest guide to public morals and lifestyles in this country, is alive with dominant people. On screen, we see health experts holding some poor woman's breasts and demanding that she get in shape. Cooking programs tell us not to think of leaving toast crumbs on the kitchen table. There is no point in blaming TV for this new bossiness. We want to be bossed. We have behaved badly and now we yearn to feel the whip to correct us. On July 1, smoking will be banned in public places in England. My local government told churches in the area last week that no-smoking posters must be prominently displayed by church entrances. I love this: the governments are bossing people to make them more bossy. They are insisting that priests tell their congregations (教区的教民) what to do. My local government isn't the only source of bossiness. I find it everywhere. But the rise in bossiness does not seem to have been accompanied by a rise in socially well-adjusted behavior. In fact, the opposite. Perhaps this is because, if you feel as though you are treated with contempt, you will respond with the same.