In his article, "American Jerk," Todd Schwartz claims that Americans feign civility, but that society has limited civility to only speeches and books. Schwartz's claim is a fitting description of American society, but as much as his sentiment towards courtesy is appreciated, our problems as a society go much further than civility. "We're too far from our food and energy sources.  Schwartz explains in paragraph 12 and he is right. Americans are so self-absorbed that we don't know where our food comes from. We'd rather mindlessly eat, than know how our food is processed and what ingredients are used. In high school, my chemistry teacher started class by explaining what really was in peanut butter. As most Americans don't know and companies want to keep that way, is that the FDA allows a small percentage of rat droppings in food. So while peanut butter has peanuts in it, it also has rat droppings. In another example of how (overly) apathetic we've become, Schwartz writes, "We're all talking to someone all the time, but it's even more rarely to the people we are actually with.   Social networking sites, such as Instagram or Twitter, have supposedly provided us with all the "followers  that we need who we deem as friends. These sites encourage cyberbullying, cheating, and pseudo offline relationships. Individuals can now sit behind a screen and spout off hurtful words they wouldn't even dare say in public. It emboldens and strokes egos because individuals feel that everyone who clicks the follow button is their best friend. People are so comfortable with that sort of "companionship  that they don't take the time to talk to the person they are actually with. (This person is usually a close friend). In older times, before Facebook existed, people would wish their friends a happy birthday in person. Nowadays, all people do is send over a virtual cake, text the words happy birthday, and feel that they have accomplished so much. I