Politeness as coercion

Smiling for the status quo

Anyway, you know the story: Australian of the Year, Grace Tame, attended a public meeting with the PM as part of her official duties, and she didn’t smile at him, or for him, and a particular sort of media hell was loosed upon her.

A very important journalist explained to everyone, on his multiple national platforms, how unacceptable this was and said Tame should’ve just stayed at home.

Why be rude? he wondered, with a breath-taking surge of willed ignorance.

Then the prime minister’s wife expressed her disappointment with Tame’s “lack of manners”.

Pretty soon, there were earnest discussions about the nature of politeness, about who is and who isn’t behaving well, and who was and wasn’t disappointed.