Norbert Elias in "The Civilizing Process", translated by Edmund Jephcott: "Even people and families who have accomplished nothing 'kulturell' can be 'kultiviert'."
The distinction Elias makes between "civilized", "kulturell" and "kultiviert" is still enlightening, regardless of the objections we may have to Elias and his methods.
More and more the words "civilized" and "civilisation" have become synonyms for different kinds of "nationalism".
Once, "we" wanted to civilize the others, often with less than pleasant methods.
Now we just want the other to rot away, because life is a pastime for the civilized only.