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There are moments when we want niceness to triumph, and the
Christmas season is one of them. That's why everyone gets a
gift and everyone gets a card, even people we don't particular
like or who don't particularly deserve our affection.
Holidays, like birthdays, represent the temporary and
necessary institutionalization of niceness. But the key word
is "temporary": the rest of the year we are free to
pursue worthier goals. These events are also personal rituals,
and in our personal relationships it is appropriate to leaven
what is right with what is nice. Governance is a different
matter. In the past two years, the White House has been
awfully nice to certain people, particularly those in the top
two tax brackets. This Administration's idea of economic
policy is to go from table to table at the Four Seasons
discreetly asking patrons if they need help with the check.
-- Malcolm
Gladwell, The New Yorker
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