In considering politeness, one wonders what happened to the time when people weren't so damn adamant about being nice. It seems, when watching professional sports, or attending an art opening or literary event, or walking down the streets of New York or Toronto or Montreal, that everyone is so unequivocally nice. I appreciate the niceness of people. I like to be asked how I am, to be offered something that I might need or want. I like to have things liked on Facebook, and I understand it's good to have a lot of Twitter followers. But there are times I am suspicious of this behaviour - in myself and others. It's as though life has become one big popularity contest. We can blame the Internet. But we are its willing participants. Lack of privacy aside, there are days I feel like I'm in high school, permanently, a kind of purgatory. Other days I feel like I'm constantly trying to sell or buy something. Do you want my face? My post? My photograph? Do you like this brand of me? New and updated? (Sadly, though, not enough cash is involved. Maybe this 'liking' is in lieu of adequate payment. Or, as Allen Ginsberg once asked, When can I walk into the supermarket and buy what I need with my good looks?)