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Civility: Manners, Morals and the Etiquette of Democracy. By Stephen L. Carter. Basic Books (1998). Stephen Carter's CIVILITY interfaces with so much that is characteristic of this turn-of-the-century era that it warrants a review by this journal. Stephen Carter is an African American scholar who writes in the post Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill era. The Thomas-Hill affair marks the point at which the wall of solidarity in African American politics was severed. As Toni Morrison put it:
[It] is . . . clear that the time for undiscriminating racial unity has passed. A conversation, serious exchange between black men and women, has begun in a new arena, and the constraints defy the mold. Nor is it as easy as it used to be to split along racial lines, as the alliances and the coalitions between white and black women, and many black men, during the intense debates regarding Anita Hill's testimony against Clarence Thomas's appointment prove.l
The post Thomas-Hill era has been marked by a strident discourse of opposition between liberal and conservative black voices covering a broad array of issues ranging from affirmative action to the urban black underclass.2 Throughout these debates, Stephen Carter has remained outspoken in his critiques of affirmative action and in his opposition to the politics of identity.3
In his recent books, Carter has begun to address issues that affect all Americans. Because his chatty home-spun tales and arguments are easy to read and to understand, his books are read widely. He has argued that liberals treat religion as a "hobby" and that the American legal system trivializes religion by excluding it from public discourse.4 Carter posits that Americans are undergoing a crisis of "integrity" in that we "care far more about winning than about playing by the rules."5
Stephen Carter's most recent book, CIVILITY, is a plea to Americans to join in the task of constructing a civil society, one that is based on mutual respect and decency. Carter's optimism about the ability of the nation to overcome the rise of disrespect, indecency, rudeness, and selfishness is a product of his strong belief that his "etiquette of democracy" is a set of easy steps that lead to civility.6 Carter's belief that civility is a moral good is grounded in...