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Civility on the decline in modern America

  Travis Ober - Arrow Staff

   Ever notice that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but anyone going faster is a maniac? Or that an upraised middle finger is the universal sign of contempt and scorn?

   Take a look around our parking lot and scan some of the bumper stickers. Most of them express messages of irascibility. "Don't like my driving? Call 1-800-give-a-s…" Or the classic now made more famous by George W., "Don't mess with Texas".

   Listen to some of the casual conversations in the hallway and you get the idea. Far from being prudish, even the best of our students could use a little dose of civility.

   CIVILITY: Courteous behavior; politeness. American history students learn that our Civil War was an armed conflict among citizens who could no longer be civil toward one another. More recently, no blockbuster movie, it seems, is complete without the screen exploding in violence and spoken or physical injury to other humans. Last week Emimen won several Grammy Awards for rap songs which celebrated killing women and bashing gays. While Eminem's ugliness has caused more than a minor flutter of distaste in the "artistic" community, he has also set an example that any teenage druggie/criminal/drop-out can make millions by exploiting homophobia. What up with all this?

   This is not an impassioned plea for a PG-13 society. Our civic culture, however, seems to be crumbling. Last summer 78 percent of those questioned in a Gallup poll stated that, in recent years, rude behavior has increased in stores, on highways, and in airports. Road rage, airport rage, browbeating lawyers, outrageous talk show hosts and foul-mouthed teens now seem to be the norm.

   But for all the talk about restoring manners, there seems to be some civic resentment percolating. For some, "civility" appears to do little to improve our daily public lives and perhaps more to stifle our public debate.

  Nevertheless, there seems to be a universal anger arising throughout the nation fueled by the entertainment industry, politicians and just about anyone who believes that ill-manners are cute and appropriate.

   So when tempted to act out your frustrations and anger with foul words and gestures, count to five and remember what we were told as we were growing up: If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all.