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rekirts · 03-30-2004, 04:28 PM

Here is an interesting article about civility: 
 
www.macleans.ca/topstorie...8052_78052 
 
This may be one of those links that disappears in a few days, not sure. 
 
Wendy "I am an admirer of the ancients,but not like some people so as to despise the talent of our own times." Pliny the Younger

NightHunter24 · 03-30-2004, 04:52 PM

Hey, 
 
You are not kiddin' about the timeliness of this article. 
It was a very good read and touched on lots of interesting points. It is very unfortunate that there seems to be a decline in manners. The article made a good point when it stated to the effect that instead of 'progressing' as a civilastion it looks more that we are 'regressing'.

Q Rutilius · 03-30-2004, 07:39 PM

Sad but true. Things are worse in the cities, probably due to the phenomenon that in small towns one tends to know everybody and vice versa, and so a little more social pressure to "behave", but it is there too. 
 
I think it was Robert Heinlein who said something along the lines of " courtesy is the grease of civilization". ( I'm sure I bungled that quotation). 
 
Allied to this, it seems to me, is the basic lack of intelligence - or is training? For example: the common occurence that goes something like this: approaching a (probably young) clerk in a store, "Excuse me, but where are the batteries?'" "Hhuuhh???" 
 
Somehow I can't help thinking that these two phenomena are related and that both come under the heading of: I'm alright, Jack.

NightHunter24 · 03-31-2004, 02:32 AM

Well Rutilius, in small towns you have a sense of community and that in itself begets politeness. I say this because I have experienced that small town/village lifestyle. You get this feeling of 'us' and a sense of belonging. You come to the big cities is becomes a 'me' world and a 'screw the rest' attitude is the norm. This in turn creates a very beast-like nature in people for some odd reason. But, it's just a generality in my part. 
 
Now to the above I'll add the old and timeless adage......'It all starts at home'. That's were all of your manners and eventually your character is nurtured. I mean if you have ogres for parents what do you think the kids are going to become? Hence a decline in civility.

TITVS SABATINVS AQVILIVS · 03-31-2004, 07:14 AM

I'd also associate this growing lack of good manners to the present changing of men/women intercourses. A polite, well mannered, gallant man is now seen with "suspect" by the women, or at least a little bit annoying after a while: what a difference compared with the (also recent) past! It seems that women now prefer a sort of rudeness in a man, even if they are cultured and intelligent ones. 
In fact, politeness is stupidely often associated to fleebleness now, and I see that many disappointed men, prefer so to be unnaturally rougher. That behaviour is one of the reasons of the bad manners diffusing . Once men were polite because women loved that, so men were polite "always" and almost toward anyone. Women were more polite due to education and to play the character they had to play. 
 
Valete, 
Titus

03-31-2004, 04:51 PM

Rutilius: 
I believe the Heinlein quote ran something like: "Manners are the lubrication that keeps the machine of civilization functioning. When you subtract manners, you're subtracting lubrication from a machine that didn't run all that well to begin with."

Hibernicus · 03-31-2004, 05:30 PM

"A polite, well mannered, gallant man is now seen with "suspect" by the women,...." Titus 
 
Yeah.... my youngest is still in High School. A polite courteous male is refered to as "gay".. ..not by the other guys but by the young women! 
 
Go figure. 
 
Hibernicus

Hibernicus · 03-31-2004, 05:36 PM

J M R... "Manners are the lubrication that keeps the machine of civilization functioning. When you subtract manners, you're subtracting lubrication from a machine that didn't run all that well to begin with." 
 
Thanks John.. I thought it was... "Mothers with Crisco keep the recipes of civilization functioning. When you subtract Mothers, you're also subtracting the Crisco from a recipe that didn't taste all that well to begin with." .. thanks for the correction! 
 
Hibernicus

NightHunter24 · 04-01-2004, 12:07 AM

Ave Hibernicvs, 
 
I like that Crisco twist ......

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