There are three main bodies of thought on the concept of being “polite.” These are: manners, etiquette and political correctness. Of these, manners are the only which truly forwards politeness. While the concept of manners is to treat all with fairness and kindness, political correctness is a form of active denial, whilst etiquette displaces the equality of mannerly behaviour by reserving it for a certain “class” of society. Etiquette consists of nitpicky social rules of behaviour designed to distinguish the exhibitor as someone with “class.” It is a snobbish practice, set to turn manners upside down in order to establish and maintain the rigid social class structure. Political correctness is the diplomatic practice of attempting to be sensitive to everyone’s varying characteristics which define them. However, it often falls far short of positing this mindset. For example, “culturally sensitive” designations like “African-American” presume a great deal about one’s national identity, and often comes across as rather ignorant. This purposeful drive to ignore racial definition, is truly an inability to face our historical roots in racial division, and thus prevents us from moving forward. So remember, a “please” and a “thank-you” go a long way, far more than holding one’s fork properly.

Written by Andrew