Maybe we would be in a society where everyone's needs and deserts were roughly identical, as in the baseball bleachers or on a dance floor. Hierarchy clearly isn't what society relishes. Small matters, these could be called. Then we notice how fast little matters add up to big ones. Ain't as Good as They Used to Be is the mark of the aging crank.
Manners assume off the top that because one is breathing, one deserves a certain justice.
The Louisiana sir-ma'am law aims at preserving that assumption and thus at making schools work better. Respect for knowledge, respect for those who impart knowledge - it works together, as Louisiana's legislators appear, almost uniquely, to discern. William Murchison is a columnist for Viewpoints. This site is best viewed using Netscape 4.0 or IE 4.0.