Why Do Table Manners Exist?

I think table manners exist because mentally humans can't handle the concept that we are animals. When we are tearing through the dead meat of an animal's carcass are shoveling our mouths full of roots dug up out of the ground we need something to convince us that this act is somehow different then those of our lesser cousins, that our actions carry with them destinction, grace, civility, and most importantly reason. The ability of humans to reason has led us to accept that we are something special, that we are civlized rational beings with a greater purpose sent from on high. Unfortunately this assumption cannot be satisfied unless our most barbarous needs are covered up with a ritual of dignification and decorum. My guess is that it was this desire, the need to seperate human from animal, manifested in the desire to seperate citizen from barbarian, aristocrat from peasant, high society from working class, faithful follower from heretical dissident caused the development of table manners. They served to enforce the myth of OUR own civility.

-- RyRavenholt - 26 Feb 2015