Shame Is The Proper Reaction When One

Judith Martin

Shame is the proper reaction when one has purposefully violated the accepted behavior of society. inflicting it is etiquette's response when its rules are disobeyed. the law has all kinds of nasty ways of retaliating when it is disregarded, but etiquette has only a sense of social shame to deter people from treating others in ways they know are wrong. so naturally miss manners wants to maintain the sense of shame. some forms of discomfort are fully justified, and the person who feels shame ought to be dealing with removing its causes rather than seeking to relieve the symptoms.