Stephen L Carter Just Be Nice
Micheal E. Talley
English 112 /32
Professor Yelena Mason
March 1, 2011
“Just Be Nice” is an article written by Stephen L. Carter. Carter is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at the Yale Law School. This article was written in May 1998, and was a response to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s remarks that the citizenry should give up their rude ways. Carter first touched on the fact that, in the Nineteen Sixties and seventies, some of his classroom time was spent in the study of manners and politeness, and no one objected to it. He believes that if these types of things were taught in school today, that there would be a public outcry. Furthermore, he believes that society today is different than what it was …show more content…
When people believe that they can express themselves in public any way they see fit, and no one should object to their verbal outburst. He also goes on to state that the case of Cohen v. California was a case that the rights of Cohen had not been upheld when his rights of expression was violated, by wearing a jacket with profanity on it. “Yet he believes that is a danger when offensiveness becomes a constitutional right.”(674)
Carter states that many of the rights that people fought and died for are not being respected. Government cannot regulate the speech for everyone. “We are not recognizing the terrible damage that free speech can do when people do not exercise civility.”(675) we have the ability to say wonderful or very mean thing with the tongue. With must watch the thing that we say to people with-out thinking. We must start being civil with one another and not feel that our right as a people gives us the right to treat people badly.
After analyzing the author’s article I feel that he is accurate in examples of how people do abuse many of our basic rights as Americans. The author points at the droopy pants boy as an example of how the misuse of a dress code can lead a response from authority, and counter claim by the boy of his rights being …show more content…
There use to be a time when we greeted each other in a welcome way, nowadays we do respond with so much anger and hate. As with the radio host for WABC in New York, “Bob Grant who made racist remarks on the air and refused to stop.”(674) Carter’s reflection on some issues, I believe came out looking like everything that the younger generation want to do to express themselves, they over step their rights. (675) I feel that civility works both ways. We have to learn to accept the ways of others, and not expect for someone to always be pleasing to us. Civility is accepting other for who they
English 112 /32
Professor Yelena Mason
March 1, 2011
“Just Be Nice” is an article written by Stephen L. Carter. Carter is the William Nelson Cromwell Professor of Law at the Yale Law School. This article was written in May 1998, and was a response to former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani’s remarks that the citizenry should give up their rude ways. Carter first touched on the fact that, in the Nineteen Sixties and seventies, some of his classroom time was spent in the study of manners and politeness, and no one objected to it. He believes that if these types of things were taught in school today, that there would be a public outcry. Furthermore, he believes that society today is different than what it was …show more content…
When people believe that they can express themselves in public any way they see fit, and no one should object to their verbal outburst. He also goes on to state that the case of Cohen v. California was a case that the rights of Cohen had not been upheld when his rights of expression was violated, by wearing a jacket with profanity on it. “Yet he believes that is a danger when offensiveness becomes a constitutional right.”(674)
Carter states that many of the rights that people fought and died for are not being respected. Government cannot regulate the speech for everyone. “We are not recognizing the terrible damage that free speech can do when people do not exercise civility.”(675) we have the ability to say wonderful or very mean thing with the tongue. With must watch the thing that we say to people with-out thinking. We must start being civil with one another and not feel that our right as a people gives us the right to treat people badly.
After analyzing the author’s article I feel that he is accurate in examples of how people do abuse many of our basic rights as Americans. The author points at the droopy pants boy as an example of how the misuse of a dress code can lead a response from authority, and counter claim by the boy of his rights being …show more content…
There use to be a time when we greeted each other in a welcome way, nowadays we do respond with so much anger and hate. As with the radio host for WABC in New York, “Bob Grant who made racist remarks on the air and refused to stop.”(674) Carter’s reflection on some issues, I believe came out looking like everything that the younger generation want to do to express themselves, they over step their rights. (675) I feel that civility works both ways. We have to learn to accept the ways of others, and not expect for someone to always be pleasing to us. Civility is accepting other for who they