I don't know if incivility in American
society is increasing or simply morphing into new
forms with the advances of modern technology and
restrictive laws. Nevertheless it is clearly
manifest on the scene, carrying with it
detrimental effects on both young and old. I'm not
suggesting that we are saturated with it, but like
a few drops of lethal liquid placed in the well it
poisons the whole.
Cell phones, for example, serve many good
purposes. Yet there are too many people who care
little for maintaining etiquette when using them.
So many think they must shout into them to be
heard and they do so irrespective of how that may
impact on others around them. Drivers use them
incessantly, even when making turns. Taxi drivers,
with rules posted for passengers to see that
prohibit drivers from using cell phones while on
duty, use them on the way to their destination.
People in elevators are subject to cell phone
users carrying on personal conversations and
sometimes even arguments. Although not prevalent,
I have even had to ask a man to discontinue using
his phone in one of Philadelphia's finer movie
theaters while the film was playing.
Pedestrians are frequently not given the right of
way when walking across a street with a green
light.
|
The other day one driver was politely
waiting for my brother and I to cross the street,
while the car behind him was honking away for the
first car to move on, when the only way he could
do that would have been to run us over. Often when
drivers pause to maneuver their cars into a long
sought parking space, the cars behind them
impatiently blow their horns, yet every one of the
honkers would do the same thing if the situation
were reversed. We have even coined the term
"road rage" to categorize many of the
more egregious travesties of civility that occur
while driving. Sometimes these travesties end with
the untimely death of innocent people. Despite
educational efforts, people who are drunk will
enter their cars and drive at risk of their own
lives and others. |
The world of sports not only offers opportunities
for great pleasure to spectators, but also
provides fertile soil for unseemly displays of a
lack of sportsmanship. Members of one team will
often argue vociferously with members of another,
at times even pushing or striking their opponents.
The umpire is not off limits from these shoving
and shouting matches. The illegal use of steroids
repeatedly gives unfair advantage to the user, who
invariably denies having used them. Athletes have
the chance to provide role models to children both
in victory and defeat, yet all too often fail to
deliver with their inflated egos and displays of
poor sportsmanship. Fathers will rush onto the
ball field while watching their sons playing
baseball when there is a dispute about whose son
had been in the right. The fathers will verbally
or physically slug it out and on at least on one
occasion this has led to the death of a man.
Only the other day one more deadly video game was
introduced to the market. This is a game that
simulates the Columbine massacre. The player gets
a chance to engage in the role of the slayers.
What wonderful training for the adults of
tomorrow! I am amazed by the degree
that some
people will stoop for profit. Both common sense
and the research strongly suggest that roaming in
the fantasy fields of killing other human beings
can lead to a disregard or devaluing of life.
People who assume positions of authority, trust,
and responsibility often betray that trust.
Every
week we are witness to new revelations of
corporate and political corruption. It is not
uncommon for those who have sworn to uphold the
law to transgress it. Yet amongst police officers,
the code of silence throws a protective shield
over the transgressors. Some teachers have been
exposed as sexually exploiting teenage children in
their charge. In recent times the unthinkable has
come to light, as we learn of the legions of
priests who have repeatedly abused children in
their care. And, sadly we learn that this is not
only of recent vintage, but dates back decades.
The way the Church has handled this when it has
come to their attention in the past, passes from
incivility into shamefulness.
Despite the dismal portrait I have
depicted above, I want to make clear that I do not
believe these behaviors are characteristic of most
people. I think most cell phone users are
respectful of others in their midst, most drivers
are courteous toward pedestrians and other
drivers, I have no doubt that overwhelmingly
teachers are committed to stimulating and
enhancing the growth of their students. Many
athletes serve as excellent role models devoted
and appreciative of their fans. The majority of
politicians wish to make a valued contribution
during their tenure. Almost all priests strive to
be faithful to their vows and the trust they are
endowed with, Police officers join the force
because they are idealists even though some of
that may decline in the face of the realities they
encounter. It is a truism to state that we are all
human and subject to error and transgressions at
times. We enter settings with the best of
intentions, but too many of us do not win the
struggle against our potential weaknesses and
yield to the lure of temptation, and a few of us
do not even engage in the struggle.
I believe that we need to evolve a society that
imparts caring for others amongst our children and
strives to strengthen the conscience of its
adults, without foregoing the pursuit of our
rational self-interest as individuals. Incivility
can lead to a descent into the fires of barbarism.
We need only to look at the Holocaust and genocide
in Rawanda, Bosnia, and Dafur to bear this out.
Are people getting ruder? If so, where
does this lead society?
Hugh Rosen is the author of Silent
Battlefields. Visit his Web site http://www.hughrosen.com to learn more about his novel of second
generation Holocaust survivors.
