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Civility is "formal politeness and courtesy in behavior or speech"
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I miss it.
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I don't just miss that it has leeched out of practice in politics, or advertising, or media, or social settings.
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I miss that it has pull an Elvis and left the building - chased out by a goon squad populace unable to feel empathy, think about something two seconds in the future or even to keep their opinions to themselves.
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Civility has joined other traits, once considered desired, that have been discarded as we bulldoze towards the brave new world.
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Honesty is long gone. In its place is "believability". Truth was replaced but truthiness, a joke that became a truth that sums up this century so far. Discourse has been ground down to a screaming match cacophony of which liar can say something the longest and loudest and make people believe it.
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The beauty and awe of new places, from nature to new countries, has been replaced by the race for a selfie and better reception. Being in awe is so last century. Caring is for suckers.
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And so New York is the prefect place to be in these times. Really, how many cities will offer you the chance for perfectly respectable older woman to scream "Fuck You" of infractions of accidentally stepping in front of them? Where else do the police consider public urination the natural order of things? When did catcalling women go from a rarity to a ubiquitous part of the daily commute?
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We live in a society dripping with shit and poor manners - and New York was there to prepare me for it. Thank you assholes, I'm ready.