Whether on the nation's roadways, over social media or even just in person, it seems civility is a lost art. With a presidential campaign that is has been branded as one of the most uncivil of all time, it's not surprising that the vitriol flows down the ranks.
But it's not just the presidential campaign. People insult each other over twitter, Facebook and on chatboards, seemingly just for the sheer pleasure of it. Gone are the days where elders were respected and people were civil to strangers. Remember the old adage, a "stranger is just a friend you don't yet know." That sure went out of date with the onset of the age of Internet anonymity. Now a stranger is just someone who can be torn to shreds, whether it be for his or her opinion, intellect, education, or just simple command of the English language.
So what happened? Is civility really dead or is it just another fad we're going through and, like the bell bottoms, it's destined to come back into fashion again at some point in time?
This story is such a load of crap. Do not tell me that people were once civil and times have changed. It sounds like your world changed and you are seeing what many of us have seen our entire lives. Someone wrote this story from a personal perspective without considering the lack of civility that has always existed. This is offensive and should be taken down or either written by someone with a thicker skin. Is civility really dead? How am I to gauge civility?
I experience it every day here on the Patch. Because I offer a somewhat different viewpoint I get called every name in the book. I've even had my appearance questioned. I see the same thing happen to George. People throw words around like communist and socialist without stopping to think what they're accusing their neighbor of. The other day someone here even suggested taking up arms against their neighbor if Obama gets reelected. I blame talk radio and the cable news shows, folks like Limbaugh, Hannity and Beck for encouraging the boorish behavior that has become common place in our political discussion. Yes there are also those on the left who are guilty as well but nothing anywhere close to an equivalency.
The next chants will most likely be “ We must keep the house!” or “We must take the house!”. We can’t address anything that would jeopardize the election! It's become multi - year long "March Madness" meets WWF and the NFL.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- @athens mama- its not a convenience, its a reality in comparison of times. I swept nothing under the rug and am sorry you choose to misread my point and repackage it as such. I am an eternal optimist and will always choose to find the positive in the negative. I am aware thank you, of those "debacles" and any aftershocks that may still exist. I choose to look ahead at progress and solution rather than "live" in the past. A victim mentality will never ever move forward, regardless of how tragic the event or events. It in no way minimizes the horror of such event. It really wasn't "that long ago" BACK then in time comparison to the Holocaust. That occurred within just a short time to when the civil rights movement began. In today's times, the Holocaust was a long time ago and people have since moved hugely past that. It doesn't change the horrors of those peoples lives back then and some til today. My point wasn't to minimize anything but to look to the progression and change, as to so it can continue to move forward and create new history.
A big problem on the Patch is the lack of enforcement of basic net etiquette rules.In particular,off -topic posting and hijacking a discussion thread.Perhaps the Patch should publish them.
No not when you look at all the rules of net etiquette.
The Fairness Doctrine worked just fine and didn't require any excessive government .It was repealed in the late eighties and then we started to see the rise of radical and extremist talk shows. These talk shows have contributed to the coarseness of public debate and the lack of civility. This rule was basically self governing by the radio and TV stations under the watchful eyes of The Federal Communications Commission. Let's not forget that the air waves belong to the public not to the companies that we let use (and now abuse) them.