called the public discourse in Bermuda.

A group called the Bermuda Leadership Forum held a round-table meeting -- to be televised at a later date -- to discuss what it called the decline in civility and cordiality in Bermuda and what could be done about it.

Members of the Forum make the argument that the decline in civility can be turned around if opinion makers and leaders in the community accept codes for conduct for their behaviour and are, thus, better examples.

These leaders include the media, politicians, businesses and sports organisations.

Most people would agree, if asked, that people are less polite than they used to be. This in part is caused by nostalgia and in part by the widely held concept that every generation is worse behaved than the one which preceded it.

Then too, there is a perception, which was touched on in the forum, that black Bermudians in particular feel less need to be polite because they no longer fear retribution from white Bermudians.

Stuart Hayward, the moderator, stated Bermuda's cordiality and civility was once legendary and one of the bedrocks of the tourism industry. In that sense, being civil isn't just the right thing to do, it is an economic imperative.

One cannot deny that certain aspects of behaviour are worse. Certainly, there is little courtesy on the roads these days and bad manners pack a punch when they are backed up by tons of metal and plenty of horsepower.

Still, there is at least a germ of truth in the idea that Bermuda is a less cordial and welcoming place than it once was.

It is also inarguable that if Bermuda's leaders and opinion makers set a higher tone of discourse and behaviour, then they would set a better example to others.

But it is hard to escape the feeling that the Forum's members are looking down the wrong end of the telescope at these issues.

Lack of civility and poor manners must be symptoms of greater problems, not their cause.

Restoring good manners starts with building better families who take the time to pay attention to their children and to teach them good manners, better study habits and so on.

Then too, better schools with clearly stated and enforced standards of discipline will teach better manners as well. And better schools and better education will lead to better job opportunities as well.

This is a generalisation with plenty of exceptions, but people who are well educated and in good jobs will tend to be more polite than a poorly educated person who is dissatisfied with his or her place in society.