Opinion: Why we are no longer civil

Dear Editor:

We often wonder why racism, religious intolerance, misogyny, and homophobia still exist in 21st-century America, in a culture that has supposedly evolved socially. We scratch our heads and ponder why our civil discourse is anything but civil. My answer will be an affront to those on the right as well as the left.

Why do conservatives fervently defend Rosanne Barr’s recent racist Tweet, although they condemned her when she shrieked the National Anthem on live television 18 years ago, followed by her spitting and grabbing her crotch? If Republican apologists now see Barr’s July 25, 1990 antic as an act of free speech, why do they condemn NFL players who take a knee when the same song is sung today?

Liberals aren’t much better. Many, such as Oscar-winning actress Sally Field, applaud comedian Samantha Bee, who recently called Ivanka Trump a name that has always been considered one of the most pejorative swear words you could ever use for a women. In fact, Field claims that Bee didn’t go far enough, that the word she used is “powerful, beautiful, nurturing, and honest.” Would Field have said the same thing if Laura Ingraham or Ann Coulter used that word in reference to Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, or Elizabeth Warren?

We cannot fathom why “kids these days” do not have the same respect for adults or each other that “we had when we were their age.” The blame lies with us. All of us.

Both sides of the political aisle fill social and traditional media outlets with language they find insulting when it is levied at them. Our news networks (Fox as well as CNN) have ceased to report objective news. They are simply extensions of partisan politics that saturate the airwaves with propaganda. It is not enough to stand behind the First Amendment when it comes to derogatory free speech, just as the solution to school shootings does not lie with rescinding the Second Amendment or insisting that it is infallible.

If we truly cherish virtues such as respect, tolerance, and compassion, and if we want to craft a society filled with open-minded, intellectual discourse — one in which we actually listen to each other and use reason to solve our problems — then we need to embrace the Golden Rule: an ethic that is fundamental to all of the world’s major religions.

Dr. Samuel Johnson once said, “When once the forms of civility are violated, there remains little hope of return to kindness or decency.” I hope he’s wrong.

Rev. Dr. John Tamilio III

Pastor, Congregational Church of Canton

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=39153

Posted by Canton Citizen on Jun 16 2018. Filed under Featured Content, From One Citizen to Another, Opinion. Both comments and pings are currently closed.