Thank you for sharing this article. The only antidote I know for this epidemic of boorishness is simply, in Buddhist terms, to “flash bodhichitta.” This Sanskrit term means “awakened mind” or an attitude of unconditional compassion for everyone you encounter. One technique is what Pema Chodron (an American teacher in the Tibetan tradition) calls “Tonglen on the spot.”
Here’s how it works: When someone’s rude or pissy behavior annoys you, take a deep breath, imagining that you are drawing the venom out of them by identifying with the inner suffering that causes their rude or ugly behavior. Then on the exhale, imagine sending them relief from whatever is making them so rude. They don’t even need to know that you are doing this for them. A good analogy here is a patient mother calming down a squalling child…It takes some practice, but it is useful.