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Has anyone ever pushed in front of you in a queue? Stolen your parking space? Talked on their mobile phone during a film at the cinema? In our everyday lives we all encounter rude and inconsiderate people. This unique book provides the first ever systematic investigation of typical encounters with rudeness. Through a meticulous analysis of over 500 events it maps out what people experience as rude, where and when this happens, and what takes place in the exchange between the participants. The inquiry further charts the emotional and social consequences of rudeness and victimization, with the results challenging the widespread assumption that bad behaviour is toxic to community life. In conclusion the study draws upon its findings and surveys a range of strategies for reducing the level of incivility in everyday life, identifying some simple and innovative solutions. Incivility will appeal to criminologists, sociologists and scholars of urban studies.
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Incivility
Has anyone ever pushed in front of you in a queue? Stolen your parking space? Talked on their mobile phone during a fi lm at the cinema? In our everyday lives we all encounter rude and inconsiderate people. This unique book provides the fi rst ever systematic investigation of typical encounters with rudeness. Through a meticulous analysis of over 500 events, it maps out what people experience as rude, where and when this happens and what takes place in the exchange between the participants. The inquiry further charts the emotional and social consequences of rudeness and victimization, with the results challenging the widespread assumption that bad behaviour is toxic to community life. In conclusion the study draws upon its fi ndings and surveys a range of strategies for reducing the level of incivility in everyday life, identifying some simple and innovative solutions. Incivility will appeal to criminologists, sociologists and scholars of urban studies. p h i l i p s m i t h is Professor in the Department of Sociology, and Co-Director of the Yale Center for Cultural Sociology at Yale University. t i mo t h y l . p h i l l i p s is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Tasmania. r ya n d. k i n g is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University at Albany, SUNY.
Incivility The Rude Stranger in Everyday Life
P H I L I P SM I T H T I MO T H Y L . P H I L L I P S RYA N D. K I NG
cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521719803 © Philip Smith, Timothy L. Phillips and Ryan D. King 2010 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2010 Printed in the United Kingdom at the University Press, Cambridge A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication data Smith, Philip (Philip Daniel), 1964– Incivility : the rude stranger in everyday life / Philip Smith, Timothy L. Phillips, Ryan D. King. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-521-89551-4 – ISBN 978-0-521-71980-3 (pbk.) 1. Courtesy. I. Phillips, Timothy L. II. King, Ryan D. III. Title. HF5389.3.U6S65 2010 177′.1–dc22 2010011225 ISBN 978-0-521-89551-4 Hardback ISBN 978-0-521-71980-3 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet web