Respond s'il vous plaît is French for respond please. When someone sets up a party or a meeting or something and asks you to RSVP it used to mean please let me know if you can make it or not so that I can prepare accordingly.
That meant that if he could make it I'll have a seat at the table or meeting or whatever for you. And if you can't make it you let me know that so that I don't have to look for you or prepare. Preparations tend to cost something, either in time and effort or money. When someone is having a wedding reception they are estimating how much food to have and if they put RSVP on their it used to mean please let me know so that I can tell the caterer to have food to cover what you will be.
Sadly I've watched "RSVP" turn into a couple of things. Most people don't realize that they should respond in the negative if they're not able to make it. It's embarrassing to say no. It would be rude to tell them no I'm not coming to your wedding reception. So instead of telling you so you can plan accordingly people tend to just not respond and it will be a mystery to you even though I have no intention of coming.
Worse now is the lack of commitment most people give to anything. So many people are afraid to commit to anything. They don't want to tie their hands because they might miss out on something else that comes up at the last minute. RSVP to them means I can tell you the day of or I don't even have to tell you because I don't want to tie myself up and commit to being at your thing in case something else better comes along. So many people don't respond to text messages and then respond at the last minute yeah I'll meet you and for me that tends to be too late and I've already moved on since you didn't respond. And usually next time I don't invite you or include you in the communication because you're not completing the circle.
What circle you may ask? The circle of communication. The circle of communication has someone transmitting, it getting to the person being transmitted to, that person receiving it, thinking about it, and then responding and then the person they're responding to receives the response. Only then is the circle complete. We play this game in air traffic control every day and lives are put at risk when either a pilot or a controller doesn't complete that communication circle effectively.
So when someone sends me an RSVP I tend to respond because I grew up understanding that it meant let me know either way so I can plan effectively. I don't know if that's just not being taught or if society is such that nobody wants to commit to anything. Or something else entirely. But I do know that in the Bible Jesus said let your yes be yes and your no be no. He didn't really say let your yes be yes but I'm let everybody wonder whether it's a no. But that's a different subject and could get me tangled up in all sorts of weird discussions.
Here's a request:
If somebody sends you a communication and ends it with RSVP please respond either way.
Rant over. Thanks :-)
