Is Politeness Immoral?

Today’s twentysomethings are a generation raised in the therapeutic culture, readily turning inward to analyze their emotions. But they are also a generation known for blunt communication skills and a lack of fidelity to social conventions. Indeed, for many of the college students, being too polite or conscious of the feelings of others is a concerning sign that you are out of touch with your core self. … During the inner-directed 1960s—the era of the Human Potential Movement and self-actualization—sincerity and expressions of visceral emotions became our new definition of honesty. And these ideas stuck.