A teenager recently greeted French President Enmanuel Macron at a public event in a disrespectful manner and received a reprimand from him. The news, which has gone around the world, seems to me a good occasion to talk about three interrelated characteristics of today's society that particularly affect teenagers: the mythification of spontaneous behavior, the undervaluing of good manners and "coleguismo" in the family and at school.

Spontaneous behavior is now seen as "sincere" and "natural", to the detriment of reflexive behavior, which is branded as insincere and artificial. In the name of spontaneity, the aim is to justify the most primitive behavior. Is it the return of the myth of the "good savage"? Rousseau imagined man in his primordial state as a just and peaceful being, until life in society corrupted him.

Forgetting the myth has not prevented its message from being fashionable for many parents today who presume to be "liberal" in the Education of their children. For them, if the child is "good" by nature, it makes no sense to ask him/her to act agreement with pedagogical rules designed to prevent hypothetical behavioral problems. This "liberalism" is, in reality, a permissiveness educational.

Experience tells us that children are not, spontaneously, what they should be; it is necessary to intervene in their lives. Without such intervention by educators - in the form of good example, demand, guidance and committee- children would remain lazy, capricious and selfish. Pampered children - those whose "spontaneous" movements have been respected and flattered - are the ones who later become, lacking consistency and judgment, passive playthings of opinion and fashion.

The expressions "courtesy, civility and good manners" are almost out of use today, because they are often associated with hypocrisy and pharisaism, thus ignoring their important social function. What would happen if we had the same opinion about traffic regulations?

The crisis of good manners is due, in large part, to the fact that they are considered mere conventions established at each historical moment. It is true that the notion of good manners has evolved over time, but that does not mean that what is essential has been lost or that it can be modified capriciously. We have all commented at one time or another "what a well-behaved child!" referring to the same thing: manners that express a quality staff linked to ethical values.

 Macron, attended an official event commemorating General De Gaulle's call for resistance during World War II, which is celebrated every June 18. He was shaking hands with some teenage students when one of them, Eduard (assumed name), addressed the president with, "How are you, Manu?"

 Outraged by the boy's abuse of trust and disrespect, Macron responded with a strong tone: "No, no, no! You are at an official ceremony, behave as you should, with decorum. You can fool around another day, but today it's the Marseillaise and the Partisans' Song. Call me Mr. President of the Republic or Sir." With a serious gesture, Eduard replied, "Yes, sir."

Someone posted what happened on social networks. From that moment on, Eduard's classmates at class subjected him to cruel bullying. As a result of all this, the boy is sunk and does not dare to leave home.

In my opinion Eduard paid an excessive price for his mistake. His abuse of trust probably stemmed from the fact that in his high school the relationship between teachers and students was as it usually is now: "colleague to colleague". He was disrespectful, but I think he didn't mean it; he just wanted to be close and friendly, as he usually did with people of any age.

The president had the gallantry to go against the current social permissiveness in the topic of manners, at the risk of paying for it at the polls; but he judged Eduard with prejudice, attributing to him an intention he did not have. Had he allowed him to explain himself, he would have been less severe and imperative and more understanding. His was more the authority of command than moral authority or educational authority.

I advise Macron that, in the future, instead of directly scolding adolescents who are not supposed to be on a first-name basis, he should correct those who promote egalitarianism between educators and students. This is what J. R. Pablos calls Coleguismo or Colleague Syndrome, which leads to the Withdrawal to exercise authority, which is one of the two pillars of the Education; the other is love.