“Can you believe some jerk told me it was rude to talk on my cellphone inside the movie theater?”

“Well, sir, he did have a point. In the era of cellphones and social media, too many people are so consumed with their own needs, they’re trampling civil society.”

“Ah, put a cork in it.”

“Look, there have been times in human history when barbarians ruled and manners didn’t. But what really ruled during these periods were selfishness and impulsiv...