The Decline of Civility and Why It Matters

http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-09-2009/the_decline_of_civility_and_why_it_matters.html

. The self esteem movement run amok to the point where there is little or no basis in reality .......logical extention. where we ARE today

Haven't read this article yet, but let's look at some clues:

1. Someone posting under the name "Incognito" - hmmm . . . probably someone who has another name on the forum and wants to use this name to put up posts that he's too embarrassed to post under his own name (a person joining a forum outright probably wouldn't use the name "Incognito").
2. The thread title and the text of the link includes the words "decline of civility". Okay, so we're probably looking at a "kids get off my lawn" post by some older guy complaining about the younger generation.
3. Let's find out more about "Incognito" by clicking on his name and searching out previous posts. Ahh, here's one:

In reply to this post by Noah John

Noah John wrote

At the end of the day they're just another "HEY LOOK AT ME!" aspect of our increasingly self-obsessed society.  (Heavy, huh?)  And you say we aren't all Hemmingway?  Fair enough, but we all aren't Ansel Adams either.  These pictures rarely do anything emotionally for the viewer but that's not their purpose.  They're taken and posted solely for the pleasure of the person who took them.

Kind of like your posts on this forum!

I guess the winky face is supposed to signify a joke, even though the comment was pretty insulting, and hardly fits under the mantle of "civility". Let me try that:

I'm going to read this link now, even though it sounds like it's posted by a hypocritical, secretive prick

Article wasn't as bad as I anticipated, but still had underlying themes of "older people know what's right, younger people don't know shit". I mean this section was ridiculous:

This is a battle that should be embraced by Americans age 50 and older. When we are young we pursue beauty, success. As we grow older, our interests switch to ethics. Generally, as we age we care more about giving back. This would be a great project for older Americans; they could teach civility to their grandchildren and even visit schools to talk about why good manners matter.

If you had to go to a junior high school assembly where some senior citizen was talking about "good manners", you would be pissed off along with the rest of the class. Are they serious with that?

Every time an older person criticizes the "youth of today", I remember this, attributed to Socrates:

"The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place
of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their
households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They
contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties
at the table, cross their legs, and tyrannize their teachers.

People have been complaining about the decline of civility for 2000 years. Should people yell out "You Lie" during the State of the Union? Probably not (and the social backlash was enough to stop it from happening again since). But a few overzealous internet arguments are hardly the decline of civilization and a trigger for violence.

Good manners are important, no matter what your age. Love the Socrates quote. The NJ that is banned was an ill-mannered boor, despite his obvious intellect. Sad, really.

And I will leave this, which might have appealed to the real Noah John:

Edward Abbey wrote

"If the world of men is truly as ugly, cruel, trivial, unjust and stinking with fraud as it usually appears, and if it is really impossible to make it pleasant and decent, then there remains only one alternative for the honest man: stay home, cultivate your own garden, look to the mountains (Withdraw! Withdraw! Withdraw!)"

E. Abbey
May 28, 1959, Albuquerque, NM

As previous posters have suggested, I agree that the decline of civility is generally overstated. It is a label put onto the "other" based on different societal norms (be they generational or otherwise, I suspect more otherwise than generational). People are most civil to people they know, so perhaps we don't know (speaking as a society, very broadly speaking) others as much as we potentially could. Definitely something that we could all strive for.

I think the bigger issue in society today is the culture of outrage. One need look no further than some other posts on this forum. The internet is especially insidious with spreading outrage via click bait and whatnot. It creates a knee jerk reaction and overgeneralization. It is sadly only going to get worse before it gets better. I think the culture of outrage is something preventing us from getting to know "the other" better and thus improving civility. It speaks to us on a very primal level.

Hear, hear. At those fellows in that other thread are being reasonably civil, though outraged.

mattchuck2 wrote

older people know what's right, younger people don't know shit

Truth from the mouths of babes

+1, the most well thought out and written blog post I may have ever read!

I'm glad Matt has added some intellect & patiently point by point stood by what he believes when others stand on the bully pulpit

Sick Bird Rider wrote

Good manners are important, no matter what your age.

Amen

I am withdrawing.  It is the respectful thing to do!