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(Enlarge) Staff photo by ed bunyan

The words have become an unofficial motto for Howard County, delighting those who have one of the ubiquitous green-and-white bumper magnets on their cars and frustrating those who vent about those same "civil" drivers cutting them off in traffic.

But are you ready for "Choose Civility in America"?

What started as a few bumper magnets could spread to the rest of the state and perhaps even the nation if the backers of Choose Civility in Howard County accomplish their latest goals. The local campaign is expanding, and officials have high hopes that one day it could become part of a larger phenomenon.

"We get comments all the time -- 'This should be a national movement,' " said Valerie Gross, CEO of Howard County Library, which is leading the civility effort, at a Jan. 26 news conference where the expanded campaign was announced.

"It's been absolutely inspiring to be part of this grass roots initiative."

Choose Civility in Howard County began in 2006 as an internal library campaign inspired by P.M. Forni, the Johns Hopkins University professor who co-founded the Civility Project at the school in 1997 and wrote "Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct" in 2002 to expound on his views.

In his book, Forni lays out principles designed to increase civility, such as "speak kindly," "respect others' opinions" and "refrain from idle complaints."

His book defines civility broadly to include good manners, ethical behavior, respect for neighbors and a general awareness of the needs of other people.

Launched in 2007

The library kicked off the countywide movement in February 2007, buying 2,000 copies of Forni's book and 60,000 car magnets that read "Choose Civility in Howard County." Ultimately more than 50 Howard County businesses and organizations signed on to the initiative and donated money.

"It was received with so much enthusiasm (in Howard County)," Forni said. "Initiatives like Choose Civility in Howard County help give a stage to civility."

About 40,000 of the magnets have been handed out, and they've been spotted not only in Howard but around the state and in other parts of the country.

Moreover, the Wall Street Journal, the Christian Science Monitor and the Sunday Times in London all have written about the program, with the Times dubbing Howard County "America's capital of considerate conduct."

"It really shows people have embraced this," County Executive Kenneth Ulman said. "We do hold ourselves to a higher standard and are proud of that."

New initiatives

Choose Civility, which has been paid for entirely through private donations, has not had any kind of organizing mission before now, Gross said.

Among the new initiatives announced were:

* a Choose Civility Week in October that coincides with a civility symposium and civility awards;

* a business education module to train companies, nonprofits and other agencies in how to have civil workplaces;

* an expanded Web site with blogs and more information about the civility drive; and

* "Faces of Civility" posters that advertise 15 principles of civility, with pictures of local residents and community leaders.

Other ideas also are in the works, including civility screen savers and rear-view mirror decals to remind drivers to be civil, according to the program's strategic plan.

To attempt to gauge whether the program is working, the library will collect data on how many people attend its civility events, visit the Web site, become partners and donate money to the cause. Eventually, library officials plan to do an annual survey to gauge the impact of civil behavior.

As even backers acknowledge, the campaign's high-minded tone lends itself to mockery. Plays on the slogan, such as "Choose Senility" and "Embrace Hostility," have become popular, even leading to an Embrace Hostility Web site created by Ryan Ballengee, a 25-year-old Columbia resident and blogger.

Ballengee noted early on that many of the people he saw with civility bumper stickers on their cars actually drove poorly, undermining the message.

"I thought it seemed very funny," he said. "The Choose Civility campaign almost turned into a 'Don't Drive Poorly' campaign."

His self-described "parody blog" includes links to local news stories and anecdotes about the campaign, including a photo of a vehicle with a Choose Civility bumper magnet taking up four parking spaces.

Most people who have visited the site seem to understand the joke, Ballengee said, and those who want to discuss civility with him have been, well, civil.

"It's not intended to promote anarchy or criminal behavior," he said of his Web site. "It's intended to poke some fun at ourselves and the library."

Ballengee said he has nothing against civility, but thinks it's a rather low standard to set. He applauded a recent conflict resolution forum sponsored by the library as a more concrete way to improve people's behavior.

Criticism prompts changes

Gross said criticism of the campaign has led to some of the planned changes. The old magnets made it seem like people only needed to be civil when they were in Howard County, Gross noted, leading the library to change the slogan to "Choose Civility, Howard County, MD," dropping the "in."

The new magnets also will have a logo, a circle of people celebrating that resembles a snowflake or a star.

Among the program's supporters is Jessie Newburn, 45, a Columbia resident who has blogged on the subject and helped launch a Facebook page devoted to civility in the county. The page has attracted more than 100 members.

"I think it's been really nice for creating identity in the surrounding communities," Newburn said. "One of the things that Maryland struggles with as a state is that we're a bunch of counties. What (Choose Civility) did was give Howard County some identity in and around the region."

Newburn said she thinks the program should place more emphasis on encouraging civil behavior rather than on telling people what not to do. Tips for online behavior would be an excellent place to start, as more and more people use the Internet as a virtual public space, she said.

user comments (2)

user mdl7 says...

Before spreading the rhetoric. Maybe, people should be forced to sign a contract laying out specific driving do's and don'ts. Then they can place one of those stickers on their minivan or Suburban assault vehicles. In the mean time - choose to hang up the phone and drive.

Posted 8:27 AM, 02.02.09 | Permalink

user choseto says...

Note the sticker tells you to "Choose Civility" not that the driver has chosen to be civil. An important difference. People have "embraced" putting stickers on their cars. Is there data to show people are more civil? I have not seen a difference. Attending a meeting does not make you civil. Watch the free-for-all in the parking lot after the meeting. Show me a reduction in crime, accidents, disputes, littering, etc.

Posted 2:11 PM, 02.09.09 | Permalink