The Presence of Incivility in Society
The Presence of Incivility in Society by Hugh Rosen
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.
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.
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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.
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.
Article Source: http://articles.directorygold.com
Visit DirectoryGold Article Directory for more articles on News And Society
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