Civility masks the egoism and violence of those who claim refined manners

Evidence

So civility rests – necessarily? – on a certain hypocrisy. It has served – but need it, must it? – as a mask for the conniving egoism and violence of men with a reputation for refined manners. I am reminded here of Gandhi’s being asked what he thought of western civilization: “Well,” the wise one quipped back, “that would be a good idea.” — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 251 (#expands, via linked claim)

From the perspective of the Woman’s Convention, polite behavior on Jim Crow streetcars and trains did not constitute supine deference to white power. Nor did politeness constitute unconscious acts of political concession, as Pierre Bourdieu’s oft-quoted analysis would otherwise have us believe. — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent, 883 (#complicates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Politeness and social mixing mask a tacit acceptance of inhumanity — Rolf Wiggershaus, The Frankfurt School: Its History,…, 1690; Ruling-class procedural politeness masks a threat against open confrontation — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 2350; Good manners can work against the functioning of the public sphere. — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 102 (+11 more)

Broader Connections

• Claims to civilization often mask violence and egoism #expands (0.96) — David Theo Goldberg, The Threat of Race, 251
• Polite conduct can be conscious resistance rather than unconscious hegemonic concession #complicates (0.80) — Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, Righteous Discontent, 883