| Where have all the manners gone? Three | | | | political, intellectual and cultural debate. |
| things give rise to my query. First, the | | | | I'd like to think so, anyway. I'd like to |
| failure of folks day by day to just say thank | | | | think that, just as Malcolm Gladwell's The |
| you for an act of kindness or generosity. | | | | Tipping Point ushered in an optimistic new |
| Second, as reported in the New York Times | | | | way to think about change, we are ready for a |
| recently, the dilapidated sportsmanship of | | | | brand new territory where civility governs |
| more than the usual handful of spoiled | | | | passion, where people are free to think for |
| Olympic athletes who just can't grasp how | | | | themselves and where we actually listen to |
| they could lose or why bible-thick Omaha | | | | and consider alternative points of view. A |
| steaks aren't steaming away on every | | | | non-left, non-right territory capable of |
| streetcorner in Turin. For heroes like them. | | | | fresh ideas. Less emphasis on being cool or |
| And third, the rancorous mooing between | | | | on being righteous, those identical twins, |
| herds that is the picture of current cultural | | | | and more on being interesting. See, good |
| discourse. Did someone say fair mindedness? | | | | manners have a very pragmatic, even |
| What purple critter are you? A left-wing | | | | avant-garde potential. They open up fresh |
| pundit (could just as well have been a | | | | space for new ideas, new ways of thinking. |
| conservative one) recently extolled the | | | | They usher in that most radical of |
| virtue of passion while defending an instance | | | | subversives, optimism. If someone is polite |
| of clearly barbaric personal assault. We | | | | to you, you listen. Listening in turn |
| have a new it word, I suspect. Passion. A | | | | invigorates and reshapes your own thoughts. |
| blanket exoneration of every kind of stupid, | | | | If someone is shouting at you, hey, you shout |
| well, mooing. | | | | back in the same cliches you alway use to |
| | | | shout back. |
| Shake hands. | | | | |
| | | | Etiquette classes for all of us. |
| Back in ancient high school, that long ago, I | | | | |
| threw discus and shotput. Hated losing, loved | | | | What a chimera, etiquette classes for young |
| to win. Of course we want our team to be the | | | | athletes. How about this, then. Etiquette |
| best, but isn't it also in our national | | | | classes for all of us. And every five years, |
| interest to field a team of competitors who | | | | a refresher course. Airline pilots update |
| are exemplary offspring of that responsible | | | | their skills regularly. Rough weather, |
| freedom we herald as mankind's highest ideal? | | | | emergency situations, drastic loss of |
| Athletes as fair and generous in spirit as | | | | altitude are no less frequent in the skies of |
| they are ruthless in competition? I'd send | | | | day-to-day life and updating the social |
| every athlete who wants to represent his or | | | | skills to navigate through them smoothly, |
| her country to a month of etiquette classes. | | | | graciously may not be such a bad idea. |
| This is how you shakes hands. This is when | | | | |
| you shake hands. OK, maybe not the most | | | | Thank you. |
| dazzling form of athletic dexterity, but | | | | |
| essential nonetheless. Make the penalty for | | | | Two words. One syllable each. We're not |
| rotten behaviour severe. | | | | talking elocutionary figure skating here. |
| | | | Simple, simple, simple. A handwritten note, |
| The Tipping Territory. | | | | into the envelope, on goes a stamp and you |
| | | | have sent a huge bouquet of goodwill into the |
| About passion, it's over, I think. At least | | | | world. Better yet, forget the stamp and just |
| as a euphemism for the simplistic one-track | | | | tuck it under your wife's coffee cup. |
| thinking, or fundamentalism, of current | | | | |