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Bill Ackman, the billionaire investor who has become an unusually candid voice on social media, set off a viral storm when he suggested a simple, old-fashioned opener for men: “May I meet you?” His post—meant as practical advice for a generation raised on screens—blew up across platforms and forced a debate about manners, courage, and who gets to laugh at tradition.
Ackman argued that online culture has hollowed out the possibility of spontaneous, real-world encounters and that a polite, grammatically correct approach “almost never got a No” for him in his youth. That line landed not because it was flashy, but because it respected the person being approached and required a man to show courage rather than hide behind an app.
Of course, the usual suspects treated the advice like a punchline, turning the phrase into memes and snark instead of engaging with his larger point about social rot. Critics were quick to say only someone with wealth and status could get away with such confidence, and the internet gleefully mocked every awkward experiment that followed.
Ackman didn’t cower from the pushback—he told a critic who shared a failed attempt to “Try again” and reminded doubters that he wasn’t rich when he first used the line, challenging the entitlement narrative some rushed to deploy. That kind of tough, common-sense reply is exactly what we need more of in a culture that applauds weakness and excuses failure.
Conservative voices like Megyn Kelly and Emily Jashinsky have rightly pointed out the absurdity of turning a lesson in civility into material for late-night ridicule, and they pushed back on the idea that politeness is somehow backward. This is about reclaiming public life: encouraging men to have the gall to speak to strangers respectfully, and encouraging women to expect courtesy rather than calculated anonymous banter.
What this moment really exposes is the bankruptcy of a generation told that everything worth having arrives through algorithms and curated profiles. If we want healthier families and stronger communities, we should applaud older Americans who still champion manners, personal responsibility, and the courage to approach someone face to face instead of hiding behind a glowing rectangle.
