Such attitudes don't stop at the Hudson River. Everywhere, people bemoan the decline of good, old-fashioned American civility. Colo. Look at the newspaper's letters to the editor. Listen to radio call-in shows. Strike up a conversation about manners in a supermarket line.
Angry drivers engage in motorized terrorism.
Surly waiters ignore restaurant customers. Restaurant customers display all the manners of feral animals. Businesses don't return calls or help their customers. Yes, the signs look bleak. Yale law professor Stephen Carter probably would say yes.