India, Nov. 10 -- Last month, this author wrote the obituary of politeness only to be forced to write this more qualified sequel, positing politeness to be a one-way street only a select few are entitled to access. The performance of politeness is the most perverse gesture of civilisation. When we demand politeness and when we think we are being nice, courteous, refined, we are at our most hypocritical, our most violent. Take, for example, the recent Miss Universe controversy in Thailand. The national director insulted Miss Mexico, who stood her ground, and in solidarity with her, all other contestants staged a walkout. Ironically, the national director shouted the word "polite".

Let us begin with an older source than our modern manuals ...