Campaign for Courtesy
Gets Attention, Funds
'Choose Civility' Is
in Its 2nd Year
By Mary Otto, Post
Staff Writer, Posted Feb. 28th, from the Web, March 2, 2008
The "Choose Civility in Howard
County" movement all started with a craving for kindness -- and a book.
Over the past year, the Howard County Library system has purchased 2,000 copies
of the slender volume "Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of
Considerate Conduct" by P.M. Forni, a professor of Italian literature at Johns
Hopkins University.
The book, featuring three rules about speaking kindly, apologizing earnestly and
being agreeable, has been widely distributed and discussed by students, civic
leaders and reading groups. A supply of 17,500 green "Choose Civility in
Howard County" car magnets is dwindling, and thousands more have been ordered.
"They've flown off the tables," said Howard County Library director Valerie J.
Gross.
"I think we've touched a nerve," Gross said. "People are longing for
civility."
She hears stories, too, about people remembering that they have the magnets on
their cars and driving more politely.
"I myself chose civility yesterday with United Airlines after they changed my
itinerary four times," she said with a smile.
The campaign has gathered dozens of corporate, civic and charitable partners,
and thanks to a new $10,000 grant from local philanthropies, the Choose Civility
campaign, originally planned for a single year, will continue for a second.
The library is hosting a free Choose Civility spring symposium May 14 at the
Grace Community Church in Fulton.
And library educators are leading Kindness Counts programs for children, such as
one recently for 80 second-graders from Cradlerock School at the library's East
Columbia branch. The children listened to a story about neighborliness --
"Do Unto Otters" -- and played games that reinforced its lessons.
"Who can tell me what kindness means?" asked Stacey Freedman, children's library
services supervisor.
"Respecting others," Kyle Heflinger suggested.
"Don't push or shove," Robert White offered.
Thoughtfulness has been part of the lesson plan for the past month at the
school, teacher Sarita Campbell said, with each of the children trying to
perform 100 considerate acts.
"We really saw the kindness come out," she said.
A Canadian film crew making a documentary about manners was on hand for the
library lesson. The same craving for civility that inspired Forni's book
and Howard's movement is what helped launch the film project, director Bree
Tiffin said. She had experienced a particularly bad day in traffic when
she came up with the idea.
"Why don't we do something about rudeness?" she asked.
And like so many Howard residents, she was drawn to Forni's message:
Modern society's focus on self-esteem has resulted in widespread narcissism,
self-absorption and even bullying that constitute the opposite of civility.
Forni encourages readers to honor the existence of others by allowing fellow
drivers to merge, saying good morning to co-workers, listening attentively and
respecting diverse opinions.
"Civility requires work and dedication," he writes. Yet following the
rules, distilled through centuries of civilization, can provide "a path to
serenity and contentment."
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