Actually, there is some reason to believe that the likelihood of
encountering immediate physical consequences does tend to diminish certain forms of
antisocial behavior. Check out a real cowboy bar sometime, or any other place
where a fight could actually break out: by and large, people in such environments
tend to interact with more awareness of the discomforts they may induce in others.
On the
other side of the coin, I once lived in a city where a great many people were oblivious to
the unwritten rules of conduct, such as the taboo against pushing one’s face into
somebody else’s. When, say, a line became stalled at the checkout counter of a
drugstore, these folks considered it an especially appropriate time to look backward
through the line. And I’m not talking mere perfunctory glances. I mean,
from a distance of no more than a foot ahead of you, turning completely around and parking
their face smack dab in the center of your line of vision--and then just keeping it
there, for, oh, about as long as it takes a good mechanic to change a car’s oil, or
maybe for the average person to eat a sandwich.
Again,
I’ve rarely seen this kind of behavior in environments where it was plausible that
fisticuffs might be forthcoming. But in this particular city, where physical
confrontation was only slightly less unlikely than drowning in a tsunami, such behavior
was rampant.
I suppose
when you think about it, there has probably always been some sort of correlation between
courtesy and the potential for violence. The times when men walked around with
swords at their sides did tend to be periods of highly refined manners.
But for our
own times, I could not in good conscience propose that we all strap on dueling gear before
we step out onto the sidewalk. Nor could I suggest that we start punching one
another out in the name of improved courtesy. What else might avail us?
© COPYRIGHT 1998 ROBERT
WINTER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Normally the threat of physical consequences tends to improve certain kinds of manners.
