Road Rage

In the essay written by Stephen L. Carter, “Just Be Nice,” he discusses how in past years, manners were a very central part of life. They were so important in fact, that the schools “took classroom time to study manners”.   They were educated from the basics, like “please” and “thank you,” to more sophisticated etiquette skills such as how to set the table and answer the telephone (583). However, he explains how over the years people have altered their views on manners, and have actually become very rude and self obsessed. Not only that, but they do not want to acknowledge that there are certain principles that must be maintained in order to keep civility and respect among all citizens, no matter where one is located. He goes on to explain that our expressions and actions can wound others and the way in which we express ourselves can either have a positive, or negative outcome (587). Each one of us is appointed to do the best that we can and be as civil as is possible. I acknowledge this reasoning and believe that it is true that our society has lost manners.
In our day and age, manners have been abandoned and are no longer as important as they were once considered. For all people, manners used to be a key part of their daily life, but in recent years, there seems to be a shift away from this behavior. As a society, we have opted to search for what is most convenient for ourselves, instead of looking for a common good in which all can benefit. This is true in all aspects of life. And in a very important one, driving, manners are all but gone. I cannot say that I am an angel on the road and never do anything that’s aggressive, however, there are limits to what is appropriate and what is just plain wrong.   I’ve noticed that people don’t wave “thanks” when someone lets them into their lane. They’re too busy chatting on their cell phone with one hand and eating some greasy food with the other. Also, there are certain drivers that will get on the highway, go into the... [continues]

Read full essay