By Michael French

Civility does matter! Yes, it does. Some things will always hold true. The way one conducts himself or herself is one of them.

Possessing a strong sense of civility and fair play has nothing to do with race, gender or ethnicity. Since we are all equal, no group of people should think they are above, or below, for that matter, being held to behaving in a civil manner, regardless of their socio-economic station. Individuals should behave in the manner in which they’d like to be treated.

A society’s civility quotient is a barometer of its overall quality of life. Of course, civility has different parameters in various societies.

This observation is about the pandemic decline of civility in the Unites States.

Sadly, for America, the signs are soberly evident everywhere that civility isn’t valued as highly as it once was. It’s now the person who is understandably offended by inappropriate or rude behavior that is chastised for being miffed, instead of the individual who is misbehaving. It’s just easier to transfer the onus by labeling the more civil person, as “needy, intolerant or too sensitive.”

Crude, impolite behavior is an epidemic in America. Some major cities in South Florida are consistently included in business travelers’ least favorite destinations due to discourteous, indifferent, blatantly rude behavior and poor attitudes of the populace in general. We see this ominous decline of civility on our highways, in shopping malls, offices, restaurants, when traveling, the way we communicate in business, TV and the cinema. It seems the ruder or crass one is the more attention and fame they get.

What happened to protocol and decorum? Instead of being repulsed by this lack of etiquette, kindness and grace, too many Americans think it’s acceptable to behave in such a way and unwittingly or intentionally start to emulate that behavior like lemmings.

Americans have begun to believe nothing can be done to change the situation. We hear more and more, apathetic clichés like, “It is what it is,” “There’s nothing we can do about it,” “You can’t say anything,” “Let it go,” “Well, that’s the way people are these days,” etc.

It’s exactly because of these sentiments that we’ve arrived at this point! With an attitude like this, no wonder our behavior in general slides deeper and deeper into an uncultured abyss. Come on America, get a grip!

American’s obsession with “the self” at the expense of everyone else is an endemic root to many of our problems. “You can’t tell me what to do. It’s a free country!” We’ve arrived at a point where most of wouldn’t dare express our discontent with behavior that just shouldn’t be tolerated. We are virtually paralyzed with fear of being verbally or even physically attacked.

Listen, really listen, and dance too if you’re so inclined, to Lilly Allen’s song, “The Fear.” The lyrics mirror this observation.

So called “reality shows” like “The A List” and “The Real Housewives” are rife with unbelievable nasty and mean behavior. If these shows are the true reality of America, we are in very deep trouble.

Civility is a social code of behavior between members of a society with a foundation of principles for how a civilized society functions. These principles include justice, liberty, rights, freedom, citizens’ duties to the government, and, yes, manners.

Few examples of this decline in our society stand out more than how differences in political ideologies are handled. Our political campaigns are little more than mean-spirited and disrespectful mud-slinging contests at best.  At one time, respect for differing opinions accompanied criticism. Nowadays, destruction of the “enemy” at all costs seems to be the all-important goal. It’s very difficult to imagine that the endless toxic rhetoric aimed at the opposing political party is motivated by a desire for a better life for Americans, and not a Machiavellian plot for an America that reflects their myopic political ideals.

If the GOP makes it into the White House in 2012, their first priorities should be restoring the belief that people of all political stripes can work together for the good of the nation. Hopefully the American public will follow suit with more civility and a renewed sense of fair play.

By the way, thank you for reading this article!

Michael French, is Agenda’s Home from