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Fall/Winter 2011 : Encore
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Encore
Oregon Humanities: Fall/Winter 2011
The Standards of Civility
The standards of what is considered to be civil or uncivil, proper or improper, vary according to time and place. Political and socioeconomic conditions affect how courteous we are to one another. How people behave is a reflection of the human condition in a given time and place. Good conditions generally bring out the best in people, and they will likely behave with civility, courtesy, and decency.
In the United States at the present time, we are in a general decline. Even though we are a wealthy nation, our quality of life is deteriorating. We can see evidence of this in various ways.
First, there is great inequality in income, and many people are justifiably angry. Working conditions are commonly stressful, and it becomes difficult to be on our best behavior.
Second, violence and pornography in popular culture—especially music, art, and entertainment—also reflect the deteriorating human condition in our country at this time. Many movies have little substance, though there are exceptions. Pornographic, violent, and deceitful websites reveal how we occupy ourselves. There is much good in us, however, and the Internet also contains vast amounts of valid information.
Third, written and spoken communication frequently shows us that civility and propriety are becoming less common. Sloppy e-mails written very quickly are part of our fast-paced life.
Fourth, although there are many fine people in the military, some do not conduct themselves very decently. War is not civilized and it shows that we humans quite often are not able to work things out diplomatically among ourselves, and we spend a good deal of time and resources in conflict and fighting.
Finally, because we have been wasteful of the earth’s resources, our environment has become a huge concern. The environmentalists among us sometimes become violent and uncivil.
These examples reflect our human condition at this time and our limited ability to communicate and work things out among ourselves, as individuals and in groups.
From Fall/Winter 2008 Civility
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Oregon Humanities magazine examines topics of broad public interest from a variety of perspectives and approaches. Recent issues of this publication have focused on stuff, nostalgia, and civility. Through good and thoughtful writing, Oregon Humanities magazine enriches our understanding of important subjects and stimulates conversation and reflection among readers, their friends, families, colleagues, and neighbors.
Contributors
Dmae Roberts
Dmae Roberts is an award-winning independent radio producer and writer based in Portland.
Eric Gold
Eric Gold is a freelance writer in Portland and regular contributor to Oregon Humanities.
Jennifer Ruth
Jennifer Ruth is a professor of English literature at Portland State University and the author of Novel Professions, a book of literary criticism.
John Holloran
John Holloran lives in Portland and teaches at Oregon Episcopal School. His last essay for Oregon Humanities was “After the Fall” (Spring 2011).
Leigh van der Werff
After ten years in Oregon, Leigh van der Werff now lives in central California, where she runs a record store with her husband and their dog, Edgar. When she’s not at the shop, she’s writing essays and music criticism.
Rebecca Hartman
Rebecca Hartman is an associate professor of history at Eastern Oregon University. She received her PhD in history from Rutgers University in 2004. Her current research is focused on twentieth-century U.S. rural history.
Richard J. Ellis
Richard J. Ellis is the Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics at Willamette University. In 2008 he was named Oregon Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and in 2007 he was chosen as Oregon Scientist of the Year by
the Oregon Academy of Science. His book The Development of the American Presidency is forthcoming from Routledge in January 2012.
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