A vast majority of Americans believe that civility in society is worse than it was a decade ago, blaming social media and general media for the decline, according to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) annual poll released on April 27. Fully 85 percent of the 1,000 respondents of the “ABA Survey of Civic Literacy 2023”…
Imparting Dignity
Recently, a magazine editor told me that he hopes his writers ennoble their readers. Now, there’s a word rarely heard these days. His comment sent me to my online dictionary for specifics, where I found the definition he doubtless intended: “to lend greater dignity or nobility of character to.” Certainly a worthy goal, and one…
Kyrgios’ Lack of Civility in Tennis
Commentary In a paper on History and Civility, Larry Schaefer writes that “Civility is one of our most honored and valued words, a five-star word … It walks in partnership with other honored words such as politeness, duty, and civilized. There are those who say that duty and civility should be expressed together: the duty…
How to Be Civilized: Anton Chekhov’s 8-Step Program
“As your brother and intimate, I assure you that I understand you and sympathize with you from the bottom of my heart. I know all your good qualities like the back of my hand.” In 1886, Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) wrote those words in a letter to his older brother, Nikolai (1858–1889). Regarded today as a…
Cypress Residents, City Council Face New Rules Governing “Inappropriate” Conduct
CYPRESS, Calif.—Residents and officials may now be reprimanded if they engage in “inappropriate” or “derogatory” behavior during city council meetings thanks to an amended “civility” policy and a near rewrite of a city ordinance that hasn’t been changed in nearly 60 years. The amended ordinance includes censure, fines, and further penalties if a person violates…
Rules of Civility: Some Advice From the Past and the Present
Civility. We don’t hear that word much these days. My online dictionary defines it as “formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech.” Come to think of it, we not only don’t hear much about civility, but we also don’t see much formal courtesy exhibited by most of our public figures or even by some…
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