"Perhaps if we could examine the manners of different nations with impartiality, we should find no people so rude as to be without rules of politeness; nor any so polite as not to have some remains of rudeness." These words appear in Benjamin Franklin's, 'Remarks on the Politeness of the Savages of North America'.

This is a satirical piece on perceptions of Native American culture and practices, written around 1783. We should feel constrained to find out where we fall on that continuum, or, more importantly, in which direction we are tending.

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