Uncommon Courtesy

The other day, I wrote about cultural infirmity, and identified, with the able assistance of Robert Heinlein, some of the signs of a sick culture. Given the waymarks listed and compared to the state of society today, I think we can generally agree that there is cause for alarm. I ended the post with the comment, “The question now becomes: what are we going to do about it?”

No answer to that question has been forthcoming, and so I feel we must now take the next step and consider, once again with the aid of the inestimable Mr. Heinlein, the mark of a dying culture.

In the futuristic novel, Time Enough for Love, Heinlein briefly examines the importance of courtesy–ordinary politeness–in the context of society:

“Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untravelled, the naive, the sophisticated deplore these formalities as ‘empty,’ ‘meaningless,’ or ‘dishonest,’ and scorn to use them. No matter how ‘pure’ their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.”

This applies most especially in today’s ideas of political discourse, which I covered yesterday, and which, not so coincidentally, stands as a perfect example of what Heinlein was talking about.

Continuing with the concept of loss of courtesy in today’s society, in the novel Friday, Heinlein goes on to say:

“Sick cultures show a complex of symptoms as you have named… But a dying culture invariably exhibits personal rudeness. Bad manners. Lack of consideration for others in minor matters. A loss of politeness, of gentle manners, is more significant than a riot.

“This symptom is especially serious in that an individual displaying it never thinks of it as a sign of ill health but as proof of his/her strength.”

“Speaking truth to power.” “Telling it like it is.” “Pulling no punches.” This is not to say that bad things happening should be sugar-coated or dismissed. But there is still time to pull public discourse up from the “F*** Bush” mentality to “I respectfully disagree with the President” level before we’re completely sunk.

On second thought, given the level of acrimony flying around, both during the campaign and in the aftermath, maybe it is too late.

Respectfully,
Stoutcat