What Happened to Civility?
You’ve seen me periodically question and lament the seeming loss of statesmanship in our leaders.
I rarely see anybody in government exercise the ability, qualifications, wisdom, and skill in the management of public affairs and in dealing with those who disagree with them – foreign or domestic.
Respect for others – civility – has sunk like a rock.
This lack of civility has spilled over into our culture. People are now encouraged to look for differences in the people they encounter or talk about or write about.
Everyone supposedly fits some predetermined, defined mold of some other people. “They’re all the same” is the foregone conclusion as everyone is put into a silo as defined by gender, sexual preference, skin color or ethnic group.
Most of the identities – the silos – people are put into are there because they are victims of some perceived injustice that happened in our history. Others are categorized as oppressors with Caucasians – especially male Caucasians – are the worst villains in the scenario.
When some encounter people with whom they disagree or disagree with them – it seems no holds are barred anymore. They can call these ‘villains’ deplorables a racist, Nazi, fascist, buffoon, Hitler, etc. without hesitation. There is seemingly no negative consequence for name calling. Quite the opposite. The expectation is to be celebrated, quoted, and referenced for calling someone a bad name.
Everyone has heard the saying: “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” The problem is, that statement is not the least bit true.
Name-calling is abusive, derogatory language meant to insult. Let’s call it what it is – bullying.
And what happens in this type of silo environment where there’s simply victims and villains? Answer: people don’t talk to each other anymore. There is no incentive to listen, to give the respect and decency to others one would expect of themselves. There’s no room for any common ground. You’re liberal or conservative, victim or oppressor, Republican or Democrat. It’s all black and white with no room for cooperation. When someone disagrees, they’re considered ‘evil’ and there’s justifiably no respect for or tolerance of evil, is there? You can’t negotiate with evil.
This path to non-civility has been marked with ‘safe spaces’ – physical or cyber spaces where those allowed to enter are only the like-minded. Where certain words like pronouns are neutralized.
In this enlightened ethos, everyone is supposed to be the same in the way we think and in the language we use to express ourselves.
There is no room for consideration of everyone as an individual. It’s one of the reasons our Constitution tends to be a statement of oppression because it’s based on the individual and the rights we enjoy as individuals. Individuality doesn’t work when the objective is to re-write our history as a story of old, white and white-haired, slave owning men bent on perpetuating oppression.
Sticking with that thought for a moment, the non-civil in our society choose to ignore the histories of this and so many other countries from cultures where minorities and women were not considered equal, and the progress this country has made to right those unequal ships.
The United States has made giant strides in correcting those inequities while being the most racially and culturally diverse nation on the planet.
The saddest thing about ‘woke-ism’ is its divisiveness. History will likely relate a period when America got lost in its silos of things good and evil. It’s also sad that the major media outlets have bought the Kool Aid and report most everything as either in-step or out with their adoption of group think.
The 4th of July this year was marked with so-called controversy because it’s a holiday to celebrate the founding of the country. When you believe the country’s founding is flawed, you’re a fool to feel good about it – or so I understand.
Despite all this stuff manufactured to divide us, I still believe the majority of people in the country are proud to be Americans. Unfortunately, there are fewer places where that happens in public these days. So far, most of us are silent in our disagreement and discontent with the silo builders of victims and oppressors – demanding ‘social justice.’
Celebrating our ancestries and their practices and cultures elsewhere is A-OK. For example, Greek Festivals can be fun for all of us and help us understand more about Greece and Greeks.
But it’s time we stop the train that would have us hate each other and start celebrating those things we have in common – like being lucky to be US citizens.
Civility, decency, and respect for every individual is what is expected of all in America.
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Have a great and prosperous week.
Hug somebody.
References:
SPIDER Bites
Forgot to mention previously, the July Jobs Report finally showed employment numbers higher than February 2020 pre-pandemic shutdown.
Not so trivia. Last Thursday, August 18 marked the 102nd anniversary of the 19th Amendment being ratified – giving women the right to vote. Tennessee was the 36th State to ratify. It was a 41-year national pursuit by suffragettes. Wyoming adopted the right in 1869, the first of 20 states granting that right before 1920. New Zealand was the 1st country granting the right in 1893.
It’s begun. As Jill Biden gets COVID, health care workers who were fired by NorthShore University Health System for not getting a COVID vaccine shot and not being allowed a religious exemption – 473 of them – will receive $20K each as part of a $10M settlement. The Illinois Northern District Court has approved, agreeing the mandate violated Title VII of The Civil Rights Act. This is only the beginning as I can see the lawyers lining up.
63,000 home purchase contracts were canceled in July, according to Redfin. That’s 16% of the homes under contract and a 2 year high as buyers are worried about recession and plummeting values.
NASA moved its Artemis I rocket to the launch pad last week. It’s scheduled to blast off August 29 for a 43-day trip around the moon and back. In addition to other commemorative and research items aboard, it will carry 3 test dummies – called Moonikins. The male dummied torso, Commander Campos – named for the Mexican American electrical engineer who played a key role in the return of Apollo 13 in 1970, will sit in the pilot’s seat and be a major communications link. The two dummy females, Zohar and Helga – named by the Israeli Space Agency and the German Aerospace Center – will be testing the AstroRad radiation protection belt. Zohar will be wearing the vest while Helga will not.
Let’s see. There’s still a lot that’s unknown about the raid on former president Trump’s FL home recently, but the way this was handled by the DOJ and FBI looks like overreach, with possible violations of the Fourth Amendment and the Katz v. United States 1967 decision by the Supreme Court – making ‘privacy’ the expectation of that Amendment.
Like good corporate doobies, Twitter has announced another fact checking scheme called “Civic Integrity Policy.” Twitter says it will “prebunk” misinformation or misleading claims regarding the mid-term elections. How did we survive without Big Brother? BTW, is the title “Inflation Reduction Act” misinformation or just a flat out lie? Hmmm. I’m guessing, but Twitter will likely see it as fact.
From a political perspective, Gov. Abbott’s busing of illegal immigrants to NYC and D.C. must be considered brilliant. It’s easy to be a ‘sanctuary’ city when most illegals are somewhere else.
President Biden canceled another $3.9B in student loans last week. 208,000 college graduates are thrilled. No wonder he’s so popular. What a wonderful thing that you and I are now paying even more of the exorbitant costs charged by colleges/universities for people who are making more money than we are. The President alone just added $4B to our debt. Now that’s autocratic social justice!
