There Oughta Be A Law!

Is New York really becoming more polite by criminalizing boorish behavior? Or are we just indulging our inner cluck-cluck? Experts disagree:

. . . [S]omehow a city whose residents have long been scorned for their churlish behavior is now being praised for adopting rules and laws that govern personal conduct, making New York an unlikely model for legislating courtesy and decorum.

From tighter restrictions on sports fans and car alarms to a new $50 fine on subway riders who rest their feet on a seat, New York’s efforts to curb everyday annoyances and foster more civility among its residents have increasingly been studied and debated far from home.

. . .

“It sounds like your City Council is getting really uptight,” said Aaron Peskin, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, who, along with his colleagues, has nevertheless looked to New York’s laws for guidance. “It all seems a little overwrought.”

. . . Peter Post, the director of the Emily Post Institute, which instructs schools, businesses and government organizations on etiquette, said that law or no law, good behavior could not simply be forced on unwilling people. Instead, he suggested that New York invest in a public relations campaign that reflected the sentiments of its residents.

“I think we’ve reached a tipping point with rudeness,” he said. “Instead of people quietly putting up with rude behavior, they’re finally saying, ‘I don’t have to put up with that anymore.'”

All of which seems to suggest that it’s acceptable to be rude to people who are rude. Now that’s the spirit!