embarrassment & civility

Over the past couple of years, I've heard the term "civility" with some consistency and have occasionally done some brief reading about what exactly the term means to different groups and organizations.  Based on my limited observations, civility typically calls for standards of behavior that are respectful of others (certainly something I agree with).  To me, civility seems to be the non-religious, ecumenical term used to describe standards/norms that most world religions have valued and pursued for a long time already.  One thing I find fascinating is one of the root ideas of civility: that every human being is worthy of respect, which screams to me of the Imago Dei - the fact that we are all image-bearers of our Creator.

I read a very interesting article that connects to civility via the topic of embarrassment: The Death of Embarrassment, by Christine Rosen.  It's not all that long and I found it pretty applicable to my everyday experiences - after all, is there even a day that goes by when I'm not exposed to some kind of information that I wish had been kept private?  Rosen talks about our "TMI culture" and the voyeuristic nature of some kinds of technology.  Here's a brief excerpt to get you interested :)

"Many people see the decline of embarrassment as a good thing. "Why shouldn't I be able to do X?" people often say after having done something outrageous or transgressive.  But this misunderstands the distinction between embarrassment - a mild but necessary correction of inappropriate behavior - and shame, which is a stronger emotional response usually involving feelings of guilt about more serious breaches of conduct."

The article reminds me of some of the observations and themes in a book I read a number of years ago called A Return to Modesty: Discovering the Lost Virtue, by Wendy Shalit.  The book examines the concept of modesty from a number of angles: historical, cultural, religious, sociological.  I loved how it sought to give the reader a deeper understanding of modesty (ie - that it is about far more than what you wear.) 

I would love to know about any other articles, books, or organizations that deal with these topics (civility, modesty, embarrassment) - so feel free to pass along any suggestions!