Here is the setup:

An acquaintance organized an event recently, hosting it at her house. With a few weeks to go, she invited about 40 people, more than half of which accepted the invitation. Then she spent the full week before the event working like a fiend–from cleaning her house from top to bottom, to buying groceries and cooking for at least twenty people.

Only four people showed up.

And I’ve been wondering… is it a cultural thing?

An education thing?

A generational thing?

I mean, to say, “Yeah, of course, I’ll be there” and then not only not showing up, but not even calling to excuse oneself?

I know my mother would have flayed me alive had I done such a thing. Then again, it’s also customary in my family that if someone doesn’t show up after promising to be there, phone calls ensue–it’s a given that if there was no apology/excuse before hand, something dire must have had happened.

What say you?