Manners

The Rise of Incivility

Incivility seemed to penetrate every aspect of American life during the 1990s. A survey conducted in February 1996 by U.S. News & World Report and Bozell Worldwide revealed that 90 percent of Americans believed incivility in speech and conduct was a serious social problem. Seventy-eight percent of respondents thought that the problem had worsened during the 1990s, and more than 84 percent saw in incivility evidence of social disorder portending crisis and collapse. The poll concluded that a vast majority of Americans felt themselves embattled, and perhaps imperiled, in their personal and professional lives by the rising tide of vulgarity, discourtesy, and inconsideration. Many Americans came to believe that the real issue underlying bad manners was the loss of a basic sense of respect for others. "You cannot have a complex society in which you do not hear the other party, the antagonist," explained Martin Marty, a noted scholar of religion, in 1996. "The alternative to civility is first incivility," Marty concluded, "and then it is war."

"ROAD RAGE"

American drivers became ruder, meaner, and more dangerous than ever in the 1990s. By 1998 "aggressive driving" incidents, in which an angry or impatient driver tries to hurt or in some cases even kill another driver, had risen by 51 percent since the beginning of the decade. In several cases studied, 37 percent of those drivers used firearms against other drivers; 28 percent used other weapons; and 35 percent used their cars. Fear of drivers and "road rage" has become so pervasive that in a 1996 poll, residents of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia listed it as a more pressing concern than drunk drivers. The phenomenon has since given rise to many books, articles, and special therapies that deal specifically with the problem. "Road Rage" has become so prevalent that legislation to punish offenders is currently under discussion in Congress. Experts agree that aggressive driving has become the "norm" for many drivers now, generating a new American subculture. Studies have shown that increased traffic and longer commutes pave the way for shorter tempers and in some cases aggressive and dangerous behavior. Other factors that have contributed to the problem are the increasing popularity of trucks and SUVs, which, because of their height and weight, give the driver a greater feeling of power and invincibility than those in regular-sized automobiles.

Sources:

Sidney Callahan, "Oh Behave," Commonweal, 126 (17 December 1999): S-10.

Michael A. Lipton and Jennifer Mendelsohn. People, 15 (10 May): 256-260.

A Culture of Incivility?

Americans in the 1990s were ambivalent about their own bad behavior. On the one hand, Americans did not want children to talk rudely to parents, students to disrespect teachers, or politicians to insult one another. On the other hand, they continued to applaud rebels in government and popular culture who did not always play by the rules or rely on genteel courtesies to get what they wanted. Americans especially enjoyed the spectacle of a good fight, as the competitiveness of sports and politics, the violence and coarseness of television and the movies, and the aggressiveness and vulgarity of pop music made clear. Another symptom of the decline of civility during the 1990s was the spectacle of the public confession combined with the incessant invasion of privacy. "Popular culture shines its klieg lights on the most intimate corners of our lives," wrote Joshua Quittner of Time, "and most of us play right along. If all we really wanted was to be left alone, explain the lasting popularity of Oprah and Sally and Ricki tell-all TV. Memoirs top the best-seller lists, with books about incest and insanity and illness leading the way." The ambiguous attitudes about incivility had experts asking whether a certain level of incivility was not key to being an American.

The Return of Etiquette

Surprisingly, the popularity of etiquette returned in the 1990s. Such books as Marjabelle Young Stewart and Marian Faux's Executive Etiquette in the New Workplace (1994), Norine Dresser's Multicultural Manners: New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society (1996), Wendy Reid Crisp's Do As I Say, Not As I Did: Perfect Advice from an Imperfect Mother (1997), and Judith Martin's Miss Manners' Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior (1982) proliferated. "Manners are the new status accessory," suggested etiquette expert Stewart. "Pricier than a Rolex, more portable than a Day-Timer, and shinier than handmade shoes … polished graces can get you where you're going faster than a speeding BMW."

Sources:

Wendy Reid Crisp, Do As I Say, Not As I Did: Perfect Advice from an Imperfect Mother (New York: Berkley, 1997).

Norine Dresser, Multicultural Manners: New Rules of Etiquette for a Changing Society (New York: Wiley, 1996).

Owen Edwards, "End of the Rude," Town & Country, 146 (June 1992): 47-48.

John Marks, "The American Uncivil Wars," U.S. News & World Report, 120 (22 April 1996): 66-72.

Judith Martin, Miss Manners' Guide for the Turn of the Millennium (New York: Fireside, 1990).

Joshua Quittner, "Invasion of Privacy," Time, 150 (25 August 1997): 28-35.

Marjabelle Young Stewart and Marian Faux, Executive Etiquette in the New Workplace (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1994).

"No Norms," Wall Street Journal, 233 (22 April 1999): A22.

Borkenstein, Robert

8/31/1912–8/10/2002
AMERICAN
ALCOHOL/DRUG RESEARCHER, TRAFFIC
SAFETY INVENTOR

Known for contributions in the area of chemical tests for blood and breath alcohol, Robert F. Borkenstein was the scientist who invented in 1954 the first practical, hand-held breath-alcohol-measuring device called the Breathalyzer . Based on Borkenstein's groundbreaking invention, police officers use such devices today as a simple but accurate way to determine a driver's level of intoxication. By taking a sample of expelled breath when a driver is stopped, police officers are able to calculate the amount of alcohol as a percentage of blood. Borkenstein was also instrumental in founding and developing the International Council on Alcohol, Drugs and Traffic Safety (ICADTS), an independent, nonprofit organization whose purpose is to reduce injury and death caused by the abuse of drugs and alcohol while operating motor vehicles.

Borkenstein was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana. With an early interest in criminal justice and traffic safety, Borkenstein began his career in 1936 as a police photographer. He advanced quickly to criminal justice technician for the Indiana State Police, and completed his 22-year career as captain in charge of the Indiana State Police Forensics Laboratory. Borkenstein completed a bachelor's of arts degree in 1958 from Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington. Upon graduation, he became an IU professor and the chairman of the university's newly created Department of Police Administration, a position he held until his retirement in 1983. During his tenure, Borkenstein expanded the department so that today it offers masters and doctor of philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees. In 1963, Borkenstein received an honorary doctor of science degree from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. Then, in 1971, Borkenstein became the director of the IU Center for Studies of Law in Action. Today, the Center offers a one-week course (twice a year)—the "Robert F. Borkenstein Course on Alcohol and Highway Safety: Testing, Research, and Litigation"—for professionals in criminal justice, forensic science , law, and law enforcement. Indiana University bestowed Borkenstein with a honorary doctor of laws degree in 1987.

Because Borkenstein felt so strongly about reducing drunk driving, the use of breath samples for the enforcement of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits has been adopted in many countries around the world. Borkenstein's invention also allows for a larger percentage of impaired driving arrests by police officers because it eliminates the need to call a specially trained technician to take blood samples and the consequential delays for laboratory results. It also enables a greater number of convictions by prosecutors because the accurate breath samples are allowed as forensic evidence in court.

In 1950 Borkenstein attended the first meeting for the organization that would eventually become the ICADTS. Largely due to his early organizing efforts and his monetary contributions, the ICADTS became an international organization of professionals from such fields as economics, law, law enforcement, government, medicine , and public health. Borkenstein also helped to establish the Widmark Award, which is presented to individuals and organizations—such as the U.S. National Safety Council and Mothers Against Drunk Drivers—who have made outstanding contributions to reducing impaired driving.

During the 1960s, Borkenstein led a research team in the "Grand Rapids" study, which determined the relative risk of motored vehicle crashes due to BAC levels. The study was one of the earliest and largest studies of its kind and had a strong influence on strengthening the impaired driving laws around the world.

see also Automobile accidents; Breathalyzer®; Chemical and biological detection technologies; Sobriety testing.