Civility, a healthy hypocrisy

Every month, youtuber Ralph Müller delivers his scathing analysis of a typical contemporary phenomenon. This time on civility and its meaning.

When I criticized inclusive writing for its discriminating and divisive effect - due to its constant insistence on the distinction between the sexes - some people pointed out that the same applies when we say «Madame, Monsieur». But this is not true.

To say Madame, or Monsieur, is to give the person in question the credit of a certain dignity. It's not a question of identifying a gender; it's a question of offering one's opposite number the prestige of a certain grace. It's something to be a sieur, i.e. a lord; it's something to be a dame, i.e. a mistress. A gentleman is not just a man, a lady not just a woman. A monsieur is a