Uncivilized Behavior

NOTE: I just discovered some evil forces have deleted much of this article when I find the tenth element was missing. The evil forces keep hindering me from editing this article.

The enemies of truth again deleted materials on this article. It is clear that evil people do not want you to know they are uncivilized.

The facts that openly raped incidents continuously and repeatedly happen in India and its laws and law enforcement efforts fail to stop the inhuman acts and a recent (April 30, 2013) 5-year old raped victim died -- indicate India not only is an uncivilized nation, it is most dangerous even for Indian girls and women.

When I was a poor student working my way at a college in Los Angeles, I needed a cheap dentist. Through Yellow Pages and a phone call, I found a cheap dentist. I did not know the area or the neighborhood. I drove my old jalopy to the dental office, when I arrived and parked my car on the street, hundred pairs of black eyes focused on me. Suddenly I felt a sense of danger. I hurried to enter the dental office and hurried to come out without doing any dental work. I hurried to drive my car away. As I left that neighborhood driving home, I felt a sense of relief. A black political preacher once said he did not feel safe to be around with black youth. It was reported by Kansas City, Missouri Reuters (June 10, 2011), a 5-year-old girl could face murder charges in drowning of a toddler in a bathtub. She held the toddler under water until he stopped crying. Could it be that 5-year-old girl has been watching too many violent movies? Violence in America is so exceptionally frightening. As a contrast, in 1975 I conceived a theoretical framework on a good society when I visited Scandinavia the first time. In 1976 I was doing a follow-up project in Europe to assess the most advanced European societies (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England, France, and Germany) where I completed The Theory of Good Society (please read the article). I was staying in a suburb of Copenhagen called Skodsborg. One day I was on my way to the railway station going to Copenhagen. When I was walking at the sidewalk between the bushes on right and left, a group of Danish children between 6-8 years old were walking in a row hand in hand towards me. Suddenly, without saying a word to each other, they realized they were blocking my passage way. They immediately changed their pattern of walking together from a row into a column and turned facing me on their right. They bent their bodies with left hands in their backs, and right hands extending with a ceremonial bow and good gesture making a way and waiting to let me pass. How civilized and delightful the children were! They acted as one person without consultation. They were brought up in such a cultured way that they instinctively knew what to do and behave properly. They taught me the true meaning of civility. I have traveled widely and met millions of peoples in the world, but I have never met children more lovely and beautiful than those Danish children. Won’t it be wonderful if one of those children (who are adults now) would identify himself or herself and contact me through the E-mail? In addition I can honestly say: Norwegians are the most civilized people I have ever met in my life. The test of civility is not how you treat the people you know, but how you treat strangers, people who are not important to you personally. You cannot define the ugliness of uncivilized behavior (incivility) until you know the beauty of civility.

See The Theory of Good Society.

Do not confuse criminality with incivility. All crimes are uncivilized, but not all uncivilized manners are crimes. Among the ugly sights unfortunately I have seen was an ugly woman picking her nose on a subway train. Picking nose in the public is an uncivilized act, as far as I know it is not a crime. Another uncivilized act I saw was a woman holding her baby to defecate in public. Defecating in public should be a crime.

There are eleven elements which characterize most uncivilized behavior and they are observable and verifiable.

The first element which characterizes most uncivilized behavior is violence.

Violence is both personal and national characteristics. Violent society is made of violent people. Violent people create violent society. Violence not only is incivility, it is criminality. Historically speaking, the most violent and uncivilized peoples have been Western imperialists and colonialists (the vicious white man’s burden) and evil empire of Japanese militarists because they have been warmongers, even today their evil deeds remain and are evident all over the world. An outstanding case in point was the infamous Opium Wars conducted by Western powers and Japan against China. Recently the Islamic terrorists fall into the same category.

The greatest crimes against humanity are genocide (such as committed by Japanese militarists against the Chinese and Nazis against the Jews), warmongering and murder, terrorist bombing, etc. I only mention crime in passing because it does not fall into the subject of our concern here. On October 18, 2011 in Everett, Wash., Police say a woman is accused of cutting her sleeping husband's neck and shoulder with a power saw. All violent people are uncivilized people. The more violent people are, the more uncivilized they are.

Hazing is a form of bullying, therefore it is uncivilized. Hazing that humiliates, degrades or insults people is an uncivilized behavior. When hazing causes physical or emotional harm, it becomes a crime and should be punished according to the law. Hazing that causes death is murder.  Whatever and however hazing originated, this pernicious practice should be terminated and prohibitive.

How terrible is the violent culture of America! Not only strangers can be shot dead by strangers such as two USC Chinese students were shot dead in Los Angeles by a stranger, children can be shot dead by their own parents or relatives. A man in Cleveland，Ohio shot his 10-year-old girl who celebrated her birthday in a restaurant (April 12, 2012), killed her sister and mother, and then was killed by police as he fled. Every day Americans are shot dead in America but lawmakers under pretext of constitutional right in bearing arms and bought by gun interests would not impose gun control although the vast majority of Americans would want to have gun control. The only possible explanation of such senseless situation is a faulty constitution or a defective and destructive culture. Among other things (imperialism and capitalism, etc.), American way of life is the wrong way of life and it should be rejected by the whole world.

Riots are very destructive and deadly, most uncivilized. I have lived through two Los Angeles riots. The two Los Angeles riots were racial riots. The most uncivilized acts of riots are still vivid in my mind.

The second element of incivility is dirtiness.

Dirtiness is both personal and national characteristics. Dirty society is made of dirty people. Dirty people create dirty society. The worst kind of dirtiness is toilet dirtiness. Toilets do not dirty themselves; dirty people make dirty toilets such as not flushing toilet after having bowel movement, urinating on the floor, creating foul smell, etc. The condition of toilet actually has direct correlation with civilization. The higher the civilization, the cleaner the toilets; the lower the civilization, the dirtier the toilets. One of the foulest dirty practices is that uncivilized parents have their children urinate and defecate in public places or on the streets. It is the duty of cities to build sufficient public toilets with easy access to prevent such unclean and unsightly and uncivilized practices from taking place anywhere. It is a national disgrace if you see it happen in any country. All dirty people are uncivilized people, the dirtier the people, the more uncivilized they are. Life is full of regrets; however, to be civilized is much better than to be uncivilized.

People who litter are basically dirty, ignorant, and irresponsible. In addition, there is a lucky sense that they get rid of what they do not want and give them to the public or others. There is also a sick sense that they have won something by passing the unwanted to others. For example, there are people who throw things or trash out of a high-rise building. Jesus says, Mat 7:12,“In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” If you want people treat you right, you would not litter.

Do not confuse criminality with incivility. All crimes are uncivilized, but not all uncivilized manners are crimes. Among the ugly sights unfortunately I have seen was an ugly woman picking her nose on a subway train. Picking nose in the public is an uncivilized act, as far as I know it is not a crime. Another uncivilized act I saw was a woman holding her baby to defecate in public. Defecating in public should be a crime. Upon second thought, the city is guilty if it does not provide clean and convenient public restrooms. With respect to a human being, there are two kinds of dirtiness we focus on: personal dirtiness and external dirtiness of the person. Personal dirtiness such as a stinking body because the person does not take a bath and having foul smell. External dirtiness such as wearing dirty clothes, dirty shoes, etc. that makes unsightly appearance and exudes bad smell. Personal dirtiness is more offensive than external dirtiness. All civilized persons should be clean even without using perfume. Some very strong perfume is also offensive.

On the way back from Hangzhou in a high-speed train I found the toilet in disarray. Some one or some ones threw tissue roll on the wet floor and waste papers everywhere. There are messy people who exist just to make the world messy. If a person is messy and makes himself/herself filthy, he/she is messy and filthy to himself/herself. If that same person makes the surrounding or environment messy and filthy, that person is not only uncivilized, he/she is a criminal in terms of practical justice. No one has the right to dirty the environment be it a toilet or a street or the sky. So the act of littering or making the surrounding dirty or filthy should be treated as a crime. Smoking pollutes the air and environment and harms the health of others; it should be treated as a crime and punished as a crime. People who do not flush toilet after use should be treated as committing a misdemeanor. Too many cars in a big city create smog and health problems.

The third element of uncivilized behavior is vulgarity.

Vulgarity can be called verbal incivility. America has become not only a violent culture, but also a vulgar culture. Hollywood produced too many movies and TV programs with extreme vulgarity, full of F word. The F word is prevalently used by police, law enforcement, the military, government employees, politicians and officials, college students, blue-collar workers, people on the street, convicts, drug addicts, common crooks and criminals, and almost everywhere. It is worse and wanton when girls and young women use dirty words profusely and shamelessly. Almost all kinds of vulgarity involve degrading sex or sexual behavior or making sex degrading.

The brawling and howling and shouting way of communication as often demonstrated by Taiwan legislators and politicians and others, especially by the shrill sounds of coarse females, display a very distasteful and disturbing form of vulgarity in speech. Recently and unfortunately I met a young man who lacked world knowledge and experience and yet he bragged about things he did not know and untrue, this bold boasting and broadcasting of lies is another form of uncivilized behavior, it is not free speech.

The fourth element of incivility is disrespect for human lives.

There is a dangerous group of people in any nation; they are the uncivilized and barbaric drivers. If you walk in the streets of Washington, D.C. you will know what I mean. There are many uncivilized and barbaric drivers also in China. How can you know? These uncivilized and barbaric drivers do not have respect for human life. All murderers, warmongers and terrorists do not have respect for human life. They honk unnecessarily and incessantly because the traffic is congested. They drive at high beam at night to blind the drivers and pedestrians from the opposite direction. They drive through red light. They speed up when they see pedestrians crossing the street. They drive at unsafe speed and cut in front of other drivers. They drive on side walks and stop in the middle of the street. When pedestrians are walking on the green light, they plow into them without care. They drink and drive. They intentionally violate major traffic rules. The only way to stop uncivilized and barbaric drivers is to impose stiff fine and severe penalty. Drunk drivers who kill people should be executed as committing murder.

Have you heard about a driver who hit a child presumably by accident. When the driver realized the boy was not dead, he reversed the car and ran over the child one more time to make sure he was dead. The rationale was it was much less when you pay for the death of a person, rather than to pay for his medical and hospital costs probably all his life. The criminal justice system must respond justly that the death was not caused by an accident, it was a premeditated murder. The driver must be sentenced to death. This was probably the most uncivilized act I have ever heard in my life, not only it was an uncivilized behavior, it was a wicked and evil and vicious act. It was a murder. Death penalty is only fit for the crime. In addition, all his assets must be seized to pay the family of the victim.

For a man to keep a python as a pet who has been cited by police before, and that the huge snake escaped to his neighbor’s and wrapped around their baby’s foot is much more than uncivilized, it is a criminal act. The governments of civilized world should ban all dangerous animals as pets and prosecute and punish violators severely.

Recently it was reported a large number of dead pigs were floating in the river. This is not only a nasty uncivilized act, it is a criminal act. The dead pigs pollute the water and environment which may have grave consequences. If those dead pigs cause spreading of diseases and deaths, the persons who committed the crime must be executed as a case of capital offense and their assets seized to pay for compensations and damages.

Manufacturing and distribution and sale of illegal and deadly food products, whether contaminated or adulterated or falsified, such as baby milk powder, etc. which clearly harm and kill people is much more than a most vicious uncivilized act, it is a high crime. Those who are involved in the crime not only their business must be busted and confiscated, the responsible owners and managers should also be executed. In a civilized country, those most uncivilized and deadly acts must not be tolerated. 

The fifth element of incivility is ignorance or stupidity.

Often an uncivilized behavior is a product of ignorance or stupidity. Stupidity breeds uncivilized conduct; for example, there are stupid people who drive at night using high beam, not knowing their uncivilized behavior of blinding other people may cause accident and casualty. There are stupid people riding on an escalator, they do not move forward when arriving on the ground floor causing the people coming up from behind having no place to stand.

The same uncivilized act can have different degrees of offense contingent upon purpose or lack of purpose of the violator. For example, when a man rides on an escalator, instead of riding on the right side or left side of the step or tread, he stands in the center of the tread. Usually two persons can ride an escalator together on the same tread; if you stand in the center then no other person can share riding with you on that tread. If a man who stands in the middle of the tread of an escalator out of ignorance or stupidity, his uncivilized act is not as bad as a person who does so on purpose with the arrogant attitude of selfishness and self-centeredness.

There is another combination of uncivilized behavior which I coin DND (dirty-noisy-disorderly) syndrome. The whole world is suffering severe DND syndrome. Some nations are worse than other nations. Some cities are worse than other cities. China and many nations are suffering DND syndrome. DND can be observed and verified. The streets of any nation reveal a lot about the cleanliness or dirtiness of its people. A student of mine who visited Holland told me the streets in Amsterdam were very dirty. It is reported that New York City Chinatown is dirty. During the Shanghai Expo 2010, the Expo area was very large but very clean. The West Lake area of Hangzhou is maintained and kept clean at all times. Another place to look at is public toilet. The toilet of Yosemite National Park was disastrously dirty during my visit some years ago. When I was working at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C., many barbarian staff members did not flush the toilet after having bowel movement. It was disgusting. The streets of Washington, D.C. were disgracefully dirty. I saw many houses surrounded by garbage and trash on all sides. In my opinion, Scandinavian countries are the cleanest in the world. Once after a long flight to Hong Kong I was tired and looking forward to enjoy a good lunch. The restaurant was so noisy, it was impossible to have peace and quiet. You witness Chinese subway trains are so noisy and people shout in talking that you cannot hear official announcement. The barbaric drivers in big cities honk incessantly during traffic congestion. Their attitude is that I am the emperor; you are in my way so I honk you to get out of my way! You often see people lining up (queue) for something, there are always people who break the line to get ahead. During the Shanghai Expo 2010, there were many uncivilized people (men, women, young and old) who pushed and pressed to get in. I even witnessed a person was pushed down, without the police the man might have been trampled to death. The people who break line or push to get ahead are by nature very selfish and senseless people. Uncivilized parents produce uncivilized children. Uncivilized parents are those who do not discipline their children.  You see the evidence everywhere, in public places. Uncivilized children without discipline will grow up to be uncivilized citizens. Uncivilized citizens make uncivilized nation.

The sixth element of incivility is destructiveness.

To dirty, break, damage or destroy public or private facility or property is an uncivilized act. Parents have responsibility to forbid their children in putting their dirty shoes on public seating whether on a subway train, bus, or public park. You can observe almost anywhere that some mischievous boys and young men and even girls who would pull down, shake down, pull off, shake off, pull out, etc. some public device or tool to make it dysfunctional. These destructive people enjoy breaking door and window, tearing up public notice or no-smoking sign, etc. Have you noticed some sick people would even unscrew and take off hooks in the rest room? Uncivilized people do not rest until they break things up, break beautiful and useful things.

Racial divide in America is fundamental, deep, ugly and troubling to the point like a timed bomb which can explode anytime. After experiencing, watching and studying two Los Angeles riots, I am keenly aware of its danger and destructiveness. For a harmonious society, racial groups need to make themselves respectable and respectful of others. A great Chinese philosophy said, “Before others humiliate you, you must have humiliated yourself first.” Any ethnocentric or egomaniac attitude and behavior, provocative word and deed can only incite prejudice and fan hatred. America is already a polarized society; racism only adds fuel to the fire. It is true that many misunderstand what racism is. Most people believe only whites practice racism and discrimination. When blacks are in power such as when they rule city hall, city counsel, county government and government agencies such as Post Office, the racism that black people practice is even more arrogant, blatant, brazen, crude, offensive and disgusting. A corrupt Washington, D.C. politician of many decades is a sore and sour case in point. The reality is this racial group received more than $2 trillion in aid for nothing since Johnson’s Great Society, demanded preferential treatment in job and education and housing and medical care in terms of Affirmative Action, large percentage on welfare, large population in prisons, high crime rate, large number of gang affiliations, large population of single-parent families, etc. exude the most virulent and violent form of racism without any redeeming feature. This ignoramus talked like he owns Washington, D.C. by making outrageous statement,“We’ve got to do something about these Asians coming in, opening up businesses, those dirty shops. They ought to go. I’ll just say that right now, you know. But we need African American businesspeople to be able to take their places, too.” Who is stopping African American businesspeople who receive federal preferential treatment in business loan and contract? Perhaps it would be a good idea for Asian businesses to move out of D.C. to a more civilized and safe area that they do not need placing thick bulletproof plexiglass between customers and employees... Tired of being kept at arms length distance? Look at the mirror and ask yourself why would anyone keep near a violent and uncivilized people? Poor ignoramus, respect is not something you can command, it must be earned. This racial group is America’s number one social, political, economic and cultural liability, a timed bomb many American politicians try to ignore. For the same reason a black journalist some months ago from D.C. went to China just to write about the poor area of Shanghai, he did not even mention Lujiazui Shanghai the most modern city in the world -- tells how deep rooted and poisonous is black racism. The same black journalist would not mention how the blacks live in Washington, D.C. just a few blocks from the White House -- tells you about the blinding bias and pernicious nature of black racism.

The seventh element of incivility is disrespect for other's rights.

An uncivilized person is a self-centered person thinking he/she has more rights than anybody else. Uncivilized persons demand or seek special treatment or privilege. I recall a white young woman in America who had a baby without husband and she paid for grocery with food stamps; she was pushing her baby cart and furiously yelled at people with profanity to get out of her way. There are so many drivers in China who have the same mentality. They honk and honk incessantly seemingly to declare: I am the emperor or empress of China, even in traffic congestion, get out of my way. The same drivers when they see pedestrians crossing or walking, instead of slowing down they would accelerate in order to bypass them. These stupid drivers drive with high beam at night to blind the eyes of other drivers and pedestrians. People who break the line (queue), who do not hold the swing door, who speak loudly on subway train, who block traffic, etc. suffer this uncivilized behavior syndrome.

A professor who skipped classes because he was going abroad and got full pay was not only uncivilized, but irresponsible and fraudulent. Besides he violated the contract and the right of students. A teacher who does not fulfill his teaching responsibilities and fails the students is immoral.

There should be a “pooper scooper law” everywhere, not only the dog walker or owner must clean up the mess but pay a stiff fine too. The human destruction of the environment is already too much; do not add animal waste on top of it. It is observable that too many dog walkers or owners have no respect or regard for anyone else much less the society at large. It is annoying to observe these uncivilized people who let their animals make a mess on other’s or public property. Why don’t they let their dogs and cats have bowel movement and urination at their homes before they take a walk?  The root cause of incivility is to give to others what you do not want for yourselves. There should be annual pollution tax levied on every dog or cat anywhere. The money wasted on a pet would be more desirable and meaningful to spend on an orphan.

Once I bought a gadget that can be hung on kitchen wall, etc. without nail; and you can hook your wok and other things on it. The merchant demonstrated how strong and firm that the hook could hold two bricks. However, when I installed it at home, the wok fell down. I thought the gadget was useless. When I met the merchant again I told him publicly that the gadget was no good. In fact, it was my fault because I did not install the hook properly. The whole incident bothered me, and I sought a few times to repair the damage I caused for saying the product was no good while it is very good. Finally, I had a chance to correct my false statement and told other consumers that the product was really good that I had bought it and used it satisfactorily. After I have corrected my false statement I felt relieved. This little anecdote illustrates what I mean a civilized conscience. To be civilized you need to cultivate a civilized conscience. By the way after use for sometime, the gadget was not dependable, it dropped.

There are many corrupt and wicked practices in every nation on earth. These corrupt and wicked practices are not peculiar only to China; however, to realize the Chinese dream or China dream, they must be eliminated by the power of law. Doctors, officials, teachers, managers and other professionals earn wages and they are supposed to do their duties. After they have done their duties, they should not expect and do not deserve to receive any gift or present from the public. Doctors must comply with medical ethics and after they have performed surgeries, patients or family of patients have no need to send expensive gifts to doctors. For doctors, officials, teachers, supervisors and others to receive extra gifts or presents in addition to their salaries are corrupt and wicked practices. Any professional or official who receives gift or present in relation to their position and job function should be fired and penalized severely by law. It is immoral, unethical, uncivilized and wrong for doctors, teachers, officials, managers, etc. to expect or demand gifts or presents from their subordinates or the public. China dream is to facilitate in building a clean and good society with truth and justice for all.

Discrimination is a violation of equality principle. Discrimination is disrespect of other's rights. Racism is a form of discrimination.

Racism is a fact of life in America. Racial discrimination in American society is a universal practice of many forms, including employment, promotion, education, housing, contract, social treatment, medical treatment, financing, business and industry, facilities, etc. Discrimination is not only a dirty word, it is an ugly deed. I have experienced and encountered white professors and classmates, corporate executives and administrators, government officials and lawyers, doctors and nurses, engineers and technicians, professionals and non-professionals, old and young, males and females, believers and non-believers, ministers and church members; etc. all my life. Usually white people exhibit a superior air of arrogance, a repugnant sense of racial superiority; those who discriminate treat others as inferiors and other Americans as second class citizens. This is the perennial dilemma of Asian Americans: although you were born in America or having lived in America all your life, the whites who think of themselves as native sons and daughters treat you like foreigners (outsiders) or second-class citizens. Although most blacks are descendants of slaves also think of themselves as natives and consider other minorities as foreigners. When blacks are in position of power, they exhibit even more virulent, vicious, pernicious and malicious form of racism. Most blacks in America act and talk as if they were entitled to special treatment. Some Chinese Americans want to avoid disclosure of their identity by adopting names such as Locke, Lincoln, etc. On surface, Chinese who use such names deliberately seek to identify with Caucasians. However, when they appear in person they cannot cover up their Chinese features and accent. God has given me very sharp ears. I can tell on the phone whether a person is white, southern white, black, Asian, Latino, European, Indian or Pakistani, etc. without seeing. Racial divide is very deep and destructive in America. Racism is a timed bomb sooner or later will explode in America in a deadly manner. I had watched two most brutal and deadly racial riots in Los Angeles. If you are a female minority, you may fare even worse – double discrimination. I have a female colleague who holds a CPA degree; all her supervisors including the V.P. of finance do not have a CPA. I advised her to ignore American discrimination as a fact of life and focus her life on something more worthwhile. If she dwells on discrimination, she would not be able to live a happy life. One of my most satisfied side-line experiences was to lecture at some major Chinese universities during my vacation. In America well educated and able minorities usually work for white supervisors. I know a Chinese American who applied for a state position: There were selected three most qualified candidates. The Chinese was the most qualified and best educated, the white was above average, the black was the least educated and least qualified of the three, but the black got the job. Racism and racial discrimination among other things are characteristics of a bad society. I believe in Scandinavia gender discrimination is almost non-existent among whites; I cannot say the same about discrimination against other races.

The eighth element of incivility is indifference to the suffering, dying or life-threatening situation of strangers around you.

Years ago it was reported that a woman was screaming for help in New York City when she was attacked and killed, no one called 911 for help. Recently a little girl was run over by a reckless driver near Guangzhou, 18 persons passed by indifferently without taking any action until a woman garbage collector came to rescue the little one. This is the lowest manifestation of humanity or rather inhumanity. Inhumanity is a thousand times worse than incivility. When you see some one is drowning, or critically injured, or being brutally attacked, or being run over by a reckless driver, or a house is on fire, or in an emergency situation, etc. and you do nothing, that is beyond incivility and it becomes immorality. The test of civility is not how you treat the people you know, but how you treat strangers.

The ninth element of uncivilized behavior is disregard for rules and regulations.

An unruly child is the product of an undisciplined home. An undisciplined home is created by irresponsible parents. A child who is unruly at home will be unruly at school. Children unruly at home and at school with grow up to be unruly at work and in the society. People who are unruly disregard rules and regulations. The most common violation is the disregard for traffic rules. Traffic rules and regulations are necessary not only to facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic; it is also intended to protect life and property. At the intersection of East Nanjiing Road and Central Sichuan Road are the most dangerous pedestrians crossing in Shanghai. I met a police there and asked him why drivers and motorcyclists and bikers who go through red light are not given citation. He told me the violation will cost the violator only ¥5, plus the hassle to deal with those violators. So right before the eyes of the police and before my eyes, I called his attention to the cars and motorcycles and electric bikes and bicycles that go through red light while pedestrians crossing on green light – this practice will cause accident and kill people. The police said it is up to the National People's Congress (NPC) to change the traffic rules and impose higher fine for violation. I do not know how to send an email to Chairman Wu Bangguo. I hope this message will somehow reach Chairman Wu (if any reader knows how, please get in touch with Chairman Wu), unless the fine for driving or riding through red light is changed, people will die for ¥5. May I suggest the fine for pedestrian who walks through red light is ¥50, for bicycle is ¥100, for motorcycle or electric bike is ¥300, for car or vehicle is ¥500. If they refuse to pay, their vehicles can be seized and sold. The second offense will double the fine. The third offense will triple the fine. The fourth offense will take their license away. Uncivilized people not only violate traffic rules, they will also violate no-smoking rule, no-parking rule, no-spitting rule, no littering rule, etc. An uncivilized person violates a rule or regulation on purpose and rejoices to get away with it. Thank God China has changed the penalty for driving through red, and other traffic violations. There are still motorcyclists and electric bikers who ride through red light, etc.

Honesty in doing business is a rule of law. Fraud is financial incivility. To defraud people is committing a crime and violation of the financial interest or right of others. A person who defrauds others is committing a financial uncivilized act. Crooks are financially and morally uncivilized persons. It is uncivilized to defraud people.

Chinese businesses are usually more honest. When I first went to China in 1985 the morality of Chinese people was so high that they would not even defraud or overcharge you ¥1. Since then American greedy capitalism has infected China severely and the morality of Chinese people has gone down rapidly. Today there maybe some Chinese crooks who would defraud you gladly for millions of dollars and laugh at it as an achievement. A small example for your information: On April 15, 2013 I went shopping at Shanghai Yuyuan Garden at the basement of a commercial building. The woman shop owner said, Panasonic Rechargeable Shaver (ES-RW30) is sold outside at ¥400-500; she sold to me for ¥350. To my shocking I discovered the same Panasonic Shaver is sold at ¥299 at Carrefour Supermarket. Yuyuan shops do not give receipt and do not refund. I called the male store owner and he would not acknowledge it was a lie and would not give refund. Carrefour already makes a profit of the Panasonic Shaver at the price of ¥299, the dishonest woman on top of it defrauded extra profit of ¥51. Sadly, man would be willing to go to hell for a lie of ¥51. The lesson learned: It is not wise to believe what Chinese merchants say. You should know the product and the price before you buy. Carrefour probably would be a good reference point of price comparison. 

I bought a scale from the store of a woman. The battery needed to be replaced, the woman said 8 yuan a piece; I bargained for 5 yuan, she said no on account it was a good quality battery. Then I found out and bought a set of five of the same kind battery for only 5 yuan, which is 1 yuan a piece. I returned the 8 yuan battery intact (without use or open) ten minutes later for refund; the woman refused and claimed hers was superior, although it was the same kind. How China has changed. The China I knew in 1985 is not the China I know in 2013. Can a human go the hell for lying for 8 yuan? Over the years I have discovered people in government and business regularly and habitually lie. Even people of small business lie. This is what Jesus says, Mat 5:26, “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.”

Note: Cent in Greek is kodrantēs, which means in the New Testament a coin equal to one half the Attic chalcus worth about 3/8 of a cent. In business, a woman was willing to lie for 8 yuan. How sad it is! How cheap is the human value!  Wall Street in 2008 economic and financial crisis cheated $50 trillion. Doctors and hospital owners and other healthcare providers annually and routinely cheat billions of dollars. 

Rev 21:8, “But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”

The tenth element of uncivilized behavior is the physical abuse or mistreatment of prisoners, strangers, aliens, people you don’t like, etc.

In a prisoner swap took place on October 18, 2011, 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were freed and one captured Israeli soldier was returned home. The stark contrast was the fact while agents of Hamas looked healthy and strong returning from Israel, the Israeli solder returning from Gaza Strip looked malnourished, terribly pale, sickly thin and frail. The look of the captured Israeli soldier caused a few sympathetic tears in my eyes. I feel pain whenever pain is inflicted upon the weak and helpless. Years ago in America ABC presented a program on the plight of Romanian orphans. When my friends and I were watching on TV how the Romanian orphans were abused and mistreated, we could not stop tears running down like a river. A human being who has no compassion is not a normal human being.

Torture is prohibited by the United Nations Convention Against Torture, which has been ratified by 147 states. Our subject here is not about war crime, it is about uncivilized behavior. Torture is ten thousand times worse than incivility. The more I learn about Hamas and Islamic terrorists the more I am convinced Palestinians are unworthy to have a state on Jewish land.

1.  No man is an island. You do not live by yourself in the world.
Therefore, to live in a civilized world you have certain responsibilities. Responsibility is the first step toward morality. An irresponsible person cannot be a moral person. To be a responsible and respectable person, you need to conduct yourself according to the norm of society. A society exists governed by law and order. The law of nations may vary, but morality is universal. A nation may pass law or by religious edict to make polygamy legal, that does not make polygamy moral. All men are created equal, for this reason any law or practice that treats men more favorable than women is immoral and should be banned from the civilized world. Morality is derived from natural law and the law of God. For example, for man to have sex with man and woman with woman is unnatural. In the sight of God, homosexuality is abomination, and sex with animal is perversion.

Civility is closely tied to sense of responsibility. The higher the sense of responsibility one has the better is one’s conduct of civility. Sense of responsibility is measurable; it can be divided into four categories: 

(A). No (zero) sense of responsibility, example those who litter, spit and smoke. 

(B). Low (1) sense of responsibility. Example, those who stop smoking only when they are told not to smoke in forbidden area. 

(C). Medium (2) sense of responsibility. Example, those who avoid smoking in prohibitive area. 

(D). High (3) sense of responsibility. Example, those who do not smoke at all and prevent their family members and friends from smoking.

2.   The issues of civility and incivility are complex because they involve various legal systems, mores and cultures and religions of different peoples and countries. 

What is civilized in one country may not be civilized in other countries. What is uncivilized in one country may not be uncivilized in other countries. There are shades of gray areas. An uncivilized behavior may not be a criminal act; a criminal act must be uncivilized. For example, sneezing is an uncivilized act only if you do not cover up your nose and mouth; however, sneezing itself cannot be a criminal act because it is not voluntary. Spitting is an uncivilized act and should be a crime because it is voluntary. Spitting pollutes the environment and spreads diseases; therefore it should be a criminal act. Smoking in forbidden areas should be a crime universally because smoking not only harms smokers; it harms others and pollutes the air and environment. Once I was riding on a subway train, a young woman sat on my left. Her pony tail swept over my face twice like a broom; even she was informed she didn’t express any apology. The woman can be uncivilized in many other things not known. A civilized person should feel sorry whenever or wherever his/her behavior unknowingly affects others unpleasantly. A person’s behavior that knowingly affects others harmfully constitutes a criminal act. An immoral act may not be a crime because there are so many flawed and defective legal systems in the world. The Bible not only provides the basis of all laws and sets high standard of morality. Uncivilized behavior can be defined as any conduct that violates the right of others or that harms the body and interest of another person. To harm the body or interest of another person is usually against the law and considered a crime, for example murder, rape, robbery, terrorism, fraud, assault, arson, kidnapping, drug or sex trafficking, etc. There are uncivilized acts which may or may not be violations of the law. In most civilized nations, smoking, spitting, littering, etc. are violations of the law. Some actions may be considered uncivilized because they create health hazards or environmental pollutions. The violators are usually punished by fine; the more violations the higher the penalty. Thus, there is a distinction between a criminal behavior and an uncivilized behavior because of its consequences. Usually a criminal behavior is a worse offense than an uncivilized behavior. A criminal behavior is immoral and illegal, while an uncivilized behavior is unrespectable and unacceptable. Broadly speaking, all crimes are uncivilized; and all criminals are uncivilized people.

Some uncivilized behavior is tied to an inferior culture. Once I caught a boy began to urinate on a subway train, approved by his shameless grandmother and relatives. Another time I witnessed a boy urinating near an elevator, approved by his grandmother. Some uncivilized conduct of the young is tied to their uneducated and foolish elders. Once I saw a grandmother pushing a shopping cart with her grandson on it on an escalator in a supermarket, the old woman played the feat jovially of lifting the front part of the shopping cart high up while climbing; this dumb behavior can easily cause an accident. Another time I saw a young couple from countryside, their daughter was vomiting on the subway train, and the vomits had a foul and sour smell. They just let the unsightly vomitus on the floor of the train, having no intention or sense of duty to do the cleanup. Uncultured parents and stupid elderly relatives are the promoters of the uncivilized conduct of members of their younger generation.

The parental influence on their children, for better or worse, is tremendous. Once I observed in Washington, D.C., some black women brought their children into a supermarket. The black children ran wild and took small spice bottles and emptied their contents on the floor, while their mothers watched and didn’t say a word. China has one child-policy in order to control poverty and starvation. As an unintended result, probably 95 percent of children are spoiled by their useless parents. These spoiled brats act as if they were little emperors and empresses, unruly and uncivilized and wild. In comparison to the lovely Danish children mentioned in my article  The Theory of Good Society  and cited above, these uneducated children are most unpleasant and undesirable. Unless these undisciplined children are reined in by their parents in time, they would grow up to become big liabilities to Chinese society. You see the man in a child. It would be wise for the government to recognize the problem and take corrective measures before the problem becomes out of control. This is for sure, uncivilized children will grow to be juvenile delinquents and then uncivilized adults.

Whether it is an impoverished or affluent school, the fact that bullies exist in school indicates the uncivilized culture and failure of the district management. No poverty can justify bullying school. No affluence can justify bullying school. Some fancy educators know how to create flowery words such as positive behavioral intervention and support, proactive strategies, etc. but have no ability to solve real problems. Tons of acronyms are not as good as one ounce of achievement. American elementary and high schools are immersed with false premises of useless psychology and social sciences that only enrich the administrators and professionals at public expense and the ruined lives of the juvenile delinquents. What is wrong is wrong, not just inappropriate, no need to be sugarcoated. What is bad is bad, no need to be decorated with flowers. You cannot use fancy words to cover up bad conduct. No perfume can sanitize the stinking behavior of violence and unethical conduct of any kind. Jostling in the hall, using a mean (but not crude) nickname that a kid hates, pressuring a kid to share homework answers, or a borderline sexual innuendo, taking another student’s property, coercing a student to hand over property, repeatedly and aggressively borrow lunch money or school supplies from a weaker student without ever intending to pay it back, verbal abuse, harassment of any kind, vandalism, predatory behavior, etc. all indicate an inferior culture on the borderline of criminality. The climate of a school which is like a war zone cannot be tolerated. It is important to make parents responsible and liable for the unruly behavior of their children. Discipline must spell out consequences such as suspension, dismissal, expulsion, etc. If law and order cannot be maintained at a school, no actual learning is possible. You wonder why the scores of American elementary and high school students are much lower than many other nations.

Pardon me for making an analogy which may sound offensive, but it is true if you think deeply about it: Incivility is like a dirty toilet, civility is a beautiful garden. A nation or an individual has a choice what to be. 

3.  An important factor in considering what is uncivilized or civilized behavior is whether an act is done in private or in public. 

For example, for you to be nude at home is not uncivilized, but it is uncivilized to be nude in public. There is nothing immoral or indecent for a husband and wife to have sex in their own home, but it is definitely uncivilized and criminal in some nations, to have sex in public. Although you can smoke in your own home, but it is bad for your children. Presumably you have a right to let your pet urinate and defecate in your own home, however, if the foul air and bad smell affects the neighborhood, you become a public liability and nuisance. For the same reason you are not allowed to let weeds grow tall around your house, first it may cause fire hazard, second it lowers the value of the houses around your house.

You may wear athletic shirt at home; in fact you may wear nothing at home. It is proper to wear athletic shirt when and where you engage in sport activities. It is uncivilized to wear athletic shirt in the public, people have no obligation to see you display your flesh. It is uncivilized to walk in the public displaying your potbelly.

4.    Based on the principle that an uncivilized behavior consists of any conduct that violates the right of others or that harms the body or interest of another person.

It is acceptable and rational to consider the following behavior as uncivilized:

(A).smoking

(B). spitting

(C). shouting (in public without cause)

(D). sneezing (without cover)

(E). sitting with leg crossing to block passage on subway train or bus

(F). unyielding to the elderly on subway or bus

(G). littering

(H). playing loud music

(I). dog barking to disturb neighbors

(J). walking dog or cat to defecate or urinate in public

(K). walking through red light (traffic violation)

(L). drive honking excessively (traffic violation)

(M). driving or riding on sidewalk (traffic violation)

(N). driving through red light (major traffic violation)

(O). reckless driving (major traffic violation)

(P). drink and drive (major traffic violation)

(Q). driving under influence (major traffic violation)

(R). cursing

(S). pushing

(T). breaking lineup

(U). demanding begging

(V). forced selling

(W). smelling bad (due to uncleanliness)

(X). giving out misinformation or misdirection

(Y). staring at people

(Z). graffiti (public offense)

The examples of uncivilized behavior cited above are neither comprehensive nor exhaustive. Civility is a relative construct, only truth is absolute. There are many attitudes, degrees and shades of civility; from the most positive to the negative attitudes, form the highest to the lowest degrees, from clearest to the grayest areas. This little story may illustrate the point. At a subway station I met a 7-year old little girl. There are steps for pedestrians to walk up or down. There are also bicycle slides on both sides for people to slide down or move up their bikes. The little girl ran up on the slippery bike path, I noticed her feet sliding back and told her she might slip and fall down. The little girl rudely and strongly replied when she reached the level floor: "You see I did not slip or fall!"  When a person was concerned about her safety and wellbeing, not only she was not polite and grateful, she treated it as an insult. This speaks a lot about the culture of her family. The self-willed and strong-willed and sour seven-year old may have her personality and character fixed already. It is very unlikely she will grow up to be a pleasant and civilized person. Parents, how you bring up your children influences the personality and character of your children more than anything else.

Here are a few examples to illustrate the difference between an uncivilized person, normal person and civilized person. When you see someone who smokes in a prohibitive area like an elevator, rest room, subway train, restaurant, store, etc., a normal person will cooperate and apologize and put out his cigarette right away. However, an uncivilized person instead will fight with you and declare it is none of your business and continue his smoking defiantly. A civilized person does not do whatever is forbidden. Now the line between a normal person and uncivilized person becomes gray. It is almost universal knowledge that smoking is prohibitive in many public places. An uncivilized person will stop his car in places which he must not stop for it may endanger others and cause traffic obstruction. Uncivilized persons will park their cars illegally and deliberately. If you challenge them, they will engage in a fight or squabble with you. The same is applicable to persons who litter. I met a young woman on a subway train who insisted she had the right to throw away used drinking bottle on the train, she would not take it out when she existed the train.

There are differences between an uncivilized person and a bad person. An uncivilized person usually knowingly or unknowingly violates the right of others or harms public interest or does something improper in public. A bad person harms others or public interest on purpose. For example, a man walks through a swing door but he does not hold the door and the door swings back and hits the other person. The man is basically bad. A man smokes in an elevator or rest room, when reminded, not only he does not apologize, he hostilely responds and wants to engage in a fight. The man is both uncivilized and bad. All who drive at high beam on city streets or two-way high ways at night to blind drivers from opposite direction are basically bad persons, not only uncivilized. A driver sees pedestrians crossing the street, not only he does not slow down, he speeds up intending to bypass pedestrians. The driver is an evil man because his conduct may injure or kill others. There are infinite examples of uncivilized and bad behavior.

Incivility is related to a defective culture, but it is not about culture. Incivility is related to crime, but it is not about a flawed legal system. Incivility is related to problem personality, but it is not about personality. Incivility is a product of a bad society, but it is not about society. Incivility is related to immorality, but it is not about morality. In summary, I find that the root cause of incivility is a complex composite of personal irresponsibility, bad upbringing, negative attitude, inferior culture, poor taste, character flaw, selfish ego, and bad habit. This may offend many, but I have to tell the truth: bull fight is an uncivilized sport, so is boxing.

Among the most uncivilized behavior, the following violations rank the highest:

(A). Smoking. Smoking harms people, especially the young and the old who have asthma or respiratory ailments. I am not here to debate whether you have a right to harm yourself or not; you certainly do not have a right to harm others, it may turn from incivility to criminality. It is a crime to smoke in elevator, restroom, restaurant, office, and all public places and public transportation (including taxi) and even when you line up with others for something. Smoking violates the breathing space and living space of others. Smokers are among the most obnoxious people in the world, the cigarette buds everywhere testify against them. Smokers pollute the air, the land, the environment, food, water, etc. through their smoke and cigarette buds and packages thrown on the ground.

(B). Spitting. Spitting is one of the most disgusting habits because it violates public sanitation and makes the environment unsightly. In addition, spitting spreads diseases. It is not only uncivilized, it should be a crime.

(C). Littering. Littering is a habit of defective culture. Littering pollutes the environment and it creates trash. The mindset of a litterbug is to give what he does not want to others. A litterbug relinquishes his responsibility and dumps his trash on others. Littering should be made a misdemeanor punishable by a fine.

(D). Honking driving. A driver who honks incessantly is an arrogant little fellow by honking he tells people to get out of his way. Even in a traffic jam, you hear uncivilized drivers honk loudly and constantly. Honking creates noise pollution and a disturbed environment. Unnecessary honking should be made a crime punishable by a fine.

(E). Dog walking. It is most distasteful and disgusting to watch uncivilized and irresponsible people to walk their dogs in order to defecate in public places. Animal waste is a threat to public health, harmful to public sanitation and pollution to the environment. In some civilized countries it is already a crime punishable by a fine and required clean up. It is suggested a pollution tax be levied on pet owners plus their annual licensing. It is also a crime to abandon your dogs and cats and let them run wild on the streets.

(F). Not flushing toilet after use. Some despicable people hide themselves behind toilet door and smoke, intentionally violating the rule of no smoking. After dropping their dirty bombs into the fixture, these shameless and worthless people deliberately not to flush the toilets.

People are uncivilized simply because they do not obey or respect rules and regulations. For example, those who smoke, spit, litter, drive through red light, walking dog to defecate on other’s or public property, not flushing toilet after use, etc. they do so deliberately in violation of rules and regulations they do not want to conform or observe. Although there are some uncivilized people who act ignorantly, most uncivilized acts are deliberate acts. Uncivilized people tend to disrespect law and order. For that reason, uncivilized people are more likely to become crooks and criminals. Civilized people have a sense of responsibility which uncivilized people do not.

All uncivilized acts burden and threaten a civilized person. Singapore used to be a bad place; by law the culture was transformed to a more genteel society. The small city state is a good model of law and order for many big and bad countries. The most wearisome excuse is civil right and freedom. There is no civil right for uncivilized behavior. There is no freedom to do harm and hurt. The right we need is the right not to be killed, not to be raped, not to be harmed, not to be robbed, not to be discriminated, not to be defrauded, not to be blackmailed, and not to be violated, etc. I am convinced all uncivilized behavior can be controlled or eventually eliminated if good laws are enacted and enforced with severe penalties.

If you want to be a civilized person, the following principles are to be followed and observed. It does not matter you do a thousand and one good things, doing just one bad thing can ruin you.

(1).    Do not violate the rights of others.

Just give you an illustration how to apply this principle. When you smoke, you violate the right of others. When you walk your dog to defecate on public or other people property, you violate the right of others. When you pollute the environment, you violate the rights of others. Breaking the line or queue is a violation of the rights of others. There are a thousand and one ways you can violate the rights of others. If you do not flush toilet after use, not only you violate the rights of others, you disgrace yourself. Remember whatever you do, do not violate the rights of others.

(2).    Do not hurt or harm others.

(3).    Do not insult others.

(4).    Do not create problems or cause troubles.

(5).    Do not speak arrogantly before people.

(6).    Do not take advantage of others.

(7).    Do not defraud or deceive people.

(8).    Do not show violence or aggression.

(9).    Do not disturb others.

(10). Do not display disgraceful or shameful behavior.

(11). Do not interrupt others.

(12). Do not shout or sing in public.

(13). Do not touch the opposite sex.

(14). Do not damage property of others.

These 14 principles will help anyone to become a civilized person.

In a certain city there are full of nasty women, from twenty somethings to sixty somethings they are tigresses. On a subway train, once I saw a young mother with a 3-year old girl standing on the train; since on a bench can sit six adults, if they are not fat people, it is no problem to squeeze a little girl in. But the woman in her thirty on my right showed her temper and said it was ridiculous. In fact she was the ridiculous and uncivilized woman; the subway rule is to yield seat to the elderly and the very young. This nasty tigress in human form was not willing to make a little room for a little girl. The world is getting worse and worse everyday; the wicked, the evil and the uncivilized and the undesirable multiply like weeds. I have to reassess all the millions of people I have met in the world and conclude with the following findings:

75 percent of people are uninteresting and boring.

20 percent of people cover a wide range from uncivilized, undesirable to the wicked and evildoers.

5 percent of people vary from decent people, nice, cultured to most desirable and respectable.

The more bad people (uncivilized, uncultured, crude, rude, rough, raw, impolite, uncouth, harsh, mean, etc.) there are in the world, the worse the world becomes.

Rev 14:13,“And I heard a voice from heaven, saying: Write, Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on! Yes, says the Spirit, so that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow with them.”

Psa 37:10,“Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; and you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.”

Pro 10:25,“When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous has an everlasting foundation.”

5. Civility and crime.

Crime is the number one indicator of incivility. The nation that has the highest crime rate and highest prison population is the most uncivilized nation on earth. The race which commits the most crimes is the most uncivilized race. The people who commit the most crimes are the most uncivilized people. The so-called link of low IQ and conservative beliefs to prejudice research finding is flawed. People who give in to racism and prejudice is not simply dumb, it is culturally-and-value-determined. Imperialists, colonialists, hegemonists, militarists and warmongers are not people of low IQ and they are most conservative and want to maintain status quo. According to the 2010 census of the US Census Bureau blacks (including Hispanic blacks) comprised 12.6% of the US population. The data is complicated by dividing blacks into Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic blacks; not knowing whether the definition is valid and applicable or not. According to the US Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) non-Hispanic blacks accounted for 39.4% of the total prison and jail population in 2009. Midyear 2009 incarceration rates for inmates held in custody in prisons or jails differed by race and gender. Black males, with an incarceration rate of 4,749 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents, were incarcerated at a rate more than six times higher than white males (708 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents) and 2.6 times higher than Hispanic males (1,822 inmates per 100,000 U.S. residents). Black females (with an incarceration rate of 333 per 100,000) were more than two times as likely as Hispanic females (142 per 100,000) and over 3.6 times more likely than white females (91 per 100,000) to have been in prison or jail on June 30, 2009. If you put the black population of state, county and municipal jails together with the federal black jail population, the total picture is very clear and convincing. It is true that people of low IQ commit most of the violent crimes such as murder, rape, and robbery. The crooks and criminals of Wall Street, Washington and Hollywood are not people of low IQ; they are graduates of American most prestigious universities and they are conservative and ego-centric and biased; and yet they commit most of the financial and war crimes in the world. The link of crime to liberal or conservative as a variable is unsettled. For example, liberals tend to support homosexuality or same-sex marriage and oppose death penalty. Low IQ people tend to commit low IQ crime (such as homicide) while high IQ people tend to commit high IQ crime (such as fraud). Low IQ people are crude while high IQ people are sophisticated. High IQ people such as Wall Street, Washington and Hollywood executives, doctors and hospital owners and lawyers use monopolistic and predatory practices to commit the greatest robberies in the world. World domination is certainly not a socially conservative ideology. Aggressive people want to change the world in their favor because they want to be masters of the universe. Supremacists and hegemonists and militarists are the most arrogant and prejudicial people on earth and yet they have high IQ.

The eleventh element that characterizes an uncivilized person is the fear he puts to people.

In my research and studies I have discovered the most prominent element that characterizes an uncivilized person is that he puts people in fear the same way you would automatically react to a ferocious animal like tiger or cobra in front you. I recall years ago a black political preacher made a statement that he was afraid of being around with young black males. Some years ago when I unknowingly drove into a black area in Los Angeles looking for a cheap dentist, and when hundreds of pairs of black eyes focused and zoomed on me, the first time and immediately I sensed danger that made me afraid. Whether by the evil eye, body language, words or behavior a man/woman who can put people in fear earns the highest order of incivility. It is always a pleasant feeling when you are around with civilized and genteel people. The opposite is also true. When Jesus Christ was on the earth, children flocked to Him and He blessed them. If children are afraid of you, obviously there is something wrong with you. It appears children can intuitively sense good or bad people.

There are many things in America that will scare you; all because of guns and violent way of life, and countless of crooks and criminals. Black gangs, Latino gangs, White gangs and Asian gangs scare you. One day I was driving in an alley, it happened the time when Jr. and Sr. high schools letting their pupils out and they were going home. Suddenly a bunch of black female students blocked my car and shouted and screamed at me for no reason at all, I didn’t even honk them. The way strangers show their overt hostility to you even you have done nothing wrong would scare anyone. Once I was doing management consulting that I had to go to airport flying around often. I had to drive to airport from home and from airport going home often at night. The way to airport had to go through a black neighborhood. My colleagues would say: pray that your car would not go wrong in that neighborhood or the black people would eat you alive! In fact the son of a well-known black actor was killed at night while he was changing the tire of his Mercedes on a freeway. The American way of life is the scary way of life. American people live in fear everyday!

Michael B. Sauter（May 22, 2012）reported the Happiest Countries in the World. In 1975-76 I had conducted critical analysis and assessment of the six most advanced civilizations on earth including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. See The Theory of Good Society. I know these nations, the study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s report on life satisfaction has some validity. The United States of America despite of all the boasting and bragging of supremacists is not among the list. That is no surprise. How can Americans be happy when 1 percent of population owns most of the wealth and power and rule over the 99 percent. The nation with the largest deficits and big national debt of almost $16 trillion is sinking deeper and deeper, faster and faster. The sole superpower is either preparing or making wars, doing nothing productive or positive in the world. Americans live in fear daily, fear of crooks and criminals and corrupt officials and terrorists. Although I am not a psychiatrist, I believe if you live in a violent and corrupt society, hear and watch bad news on TV day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year – for many years, that will negatively affect your mind and may cause mental illness of various kinds. If you are serious about the American problems, please read America Is Committing Suicide. To be frank, I thought Norway was the best nation on earth if the climate is not considered. I would not survive in a cold country like Norway. The recent event of massacre in Norway and the government policy of accepting Islamic immigrants would make me very unhappy if I were a Norwegian citizen. Yesterday I met a beautiful young Norwegian girl and man. I explained to them, the Norwegian government is wrong in abolishing death penalty and accepting Islamic immigrants. For Islam is completely not compatible with Christianity. See  A Response to the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Happiness is a relative concept, no one can be fully happy in this world. You may be surprised but it is true, China is improving and getting better every day and I have witnessed the tremendous changes in China since 1985. Some nations are much better than other nations. Many nations are the worst in the world. It would be offensive to mention those rat and rogue nations.

Only in a good society can people be happy. In a bad society no one can be happy. No one can be happy in an uncivilized nation. The most miserable people live in an oppressive, greedy, corrupt, unjust, unfair and violent society.

If you have carefully read this article, you will realize the complexity and difficulty in defining an uncivilized behavior. To describe and define an uncivilized behavior, you have to define an uncivilized person. An uncivilized person does whatever he/she wants without considering the harmful or negative impact on others. For example, an uncivilized driver in a traffic jam keeps honking. The ignorant driver does not seem to know in a traffic jam other cars cannot get out of your way, and continuous and useless honking is disturbing public peace. The same principle applies to those ignorant or wicked drivers who use high beams when driving at night which blind other drivers and pedestrians.

There is a conflict of behavior produced by incompatible cultural difference or indifference which maybe viewed by one side as uncivilized behavior while on the other side as perfectly normal. For example, table manner. Some people eat with their hands and lick their fingers as primitive people do. Some eat with sucking and ugly sound as a standard norm of behavior. Some use their personal chopsticks to take food from a common plate and put right into their mouth. The passing of one’s saliva into the common plate which serves others is offensive to another cultural norm. Some people eat by spitting fish and meat bones right on the floor. A person of a subjectively more refined culture would feel being tortured in a noisy and disorderly environment and dinning with such crude individuals. The other side may view your displeasure and disapproval as snobbish and arrogant. Although I am not arrogant or snobbish, I must confess I cannot bear the taste of most food prepared by people in remote undeveloped area or countryside. It is a matter of taste. What is civilized in one culture may be uncivilized in other. This may be an illustration of the old town vs. country conflict. This may be a subtle class and cultural phenomenon of incompatibility which is difficult to define civility or incivility. Another example, my ears reject all dialects and some languages as ugly and unpleasant sound. It will be a torture if I had to listen to those unpleasant noises just as I reject the senseless and noisy bang and bang of rock and roll. I have no pleasure in African American rap music; it is no music to me. Sound of Music, Phantom of the Opera, and  My Fair Lady, etc. represent good music to me. Handel’s Messiah, composed in 1741, probably is the most majestic kind of music.

The twelveth element that characterizes incivility is the lack of refinement.

Once I had a most uncomfortable and embarrassing experience at a town in Mississippi where the best establishment had a most primitive toilet facility. Men went into a small square rest room where they urinated to ditches by the wall and in the middle was a toilet seat for defecation like a central stage of public spectacle. I was brought up to urinate or defecate in private without anyone around or looking. I was not able to do anything in such an environment. I would rather to go to the woods.

Refinement or cultured environment may be a key characteristic that differentiates a civilized person from a beast of the jungle. Refinement does not have to be an opulence, extravagance or luxury.

Only in a good society can people be happy. In a bad society no one can be happy. No one can be happy in an uncivilized nation. The most miserable people live in an oppressive, greedy, corrupt, unjust, unfair and violent society.

Note: This generation is a wicked generation no matter where you live. The foundation is not the so-called non-profit but crooked foundation. The most comforting thought is that in the Kingdom of heaven, no evildoers, no wicked people, no uncivilized people will annoy and afflict a saint anymore. The saints who die in the Lord will rest until the Kingdom comes; rise again and reign with Christ for eternity.

May 3, 2013

Willie Wong

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