A Modest Proposal for a Culture of Civility

[Manonthestreet]

If We Can’t Unite Against Rioting, We Can’t Unite at All

Read more at: If We Can’t Unite Against Rioting, We Can’t Unite at All

If We Can’t Unite Against Rioting, We Can’t Unite at All

 

[Iceweasel]

It sounds like you believe civility is weakness. I respectfully disagree. The strongest cases are often those made the most quietly, with conviction and reason.

Do you feel that way when you talk to your son or daughter? Do you require them to fight with you so that you don't see them as weak?

I'm not new to the game. You can't reason with liberals. If you disagree with a liberal you are not just wrong, you are evil. They define compromise as full agreement with them. If you give them 90% you are still being decisive.

We ONLY hear about compromise when they lose. When they win they prance around and tell us to suck on it. The fact is that liberals are rarely liberal these days, the leftists have taken over and they are totalitarian control freaks.

Rolling back oppressive job killing regulations mean that you favor contaminated drinking water and breathing poisonous air.

Any cut in taxation means you want to starve children. So no, I don't want to get along with liberals, I want to kick their asses until their noses bleed.

 

[Anathema]

That is absolute nonsense.

Is it now? Then how do you expect to impose civility on people like me? What's your game plan?

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I'm not new to the game. You can't reason with liberals. If you disagree with a liberal you are not just wrong, you are evil.

We ONLY hear about compromise when they lose. When they win they prance around and tell us to suck on it.

 

[Anathema]

Untrue. Being Civil means not taking offense at everything and not turning everything into a battle. If someone has a different political viewpoint, that doesn't justify letting a door slam in his face, or cutting him off at an intersection.

I'd like to see us return to cultural norm of politeness, and one in which the Loyal Opposition can be seen and heard without accusations. That, of course, entails the Loyal Opposition not treating the winners as illegitimate.

I take offense at the existence of people who believe differently than me. Not just their thoughts, words, or deeds.

A Loyal Opposition is NOT an Opposition at all. That's why I have no love for the Republicans who were elected in 2014. They ran on Resistance to Obama and turned into Co-conspirators instead.

 

[kaz]

No, I choose civility. If we all make the same choice in how we talk to each other, we can disagree, as Ronald Reagan said, without being disagreeable..

Then you, like Mr Reagan are not truly Conservative nor do you really believe in anything, as you are not willing to FIGHT for it. If you won't argue for it, you sure as Hell won't kill for it, and that's the determining factor in whether you truly believe in something or not.

You can argue he's not effective, but it's silly to say you can't be polite and be conservative

 

[kaz]

I'm a conservative and I yearn for the time when people treated each other with respect, even when they had major disagreements over policy.

The way I think of it, we all are creating the culture of the US every day, in every interaction, in every post, in every discussion. It isn't someone "other" than us, it is us. How we relate to each other creates a patchwork or mosaic of our total culture. Its starts on this micro, one on one level, and it is repeated everywhere in the country until we create an overall culture of dialogue. Right now it isn't terribly pretty.

So I ask myself before I engage in conversation, "What kind of a country do I want to live in?" Do I want to live in a country in which it's okay to question my opponents sanity and/or "Real American" status? Do I want to live in a country where some of the vitriol that people spout at each other creates the culture?

No, I choose civility. If we all make the same choice in how we talk to each other, we can disagree, as Ronald Reagan said, without being disagreeable.

It starts with every small discussion, every post, every interaction. It's up to us, not anyone else. And it isn't "their" fault, whoever "they" might be to you. "They" are Americans too.

i agree, 95 percent of life is local.

Unfortunately while life is happening to us locally, there is a profound effect on that local life from the decisions made in Washington

 

[BluesLegend]

Utopia blah blah, look you cannot negotiate with the left. The left have zero interest in negotiation, common ground, or anything other than their extreme world view and forcing it down everyone's throats whether they like it or not.

The left are convinced they are the enlightened few who should rule, everyone else is a stupid moron and the left need to force them to live and think as they do.

 

[kaz]

A Modest Proposal for a Culture of Civility

So we should eat the children of our enemies if they screw with us?

 

[Anathema]

You can argue he's not effective, but it's silly to say you can't be polite and be conservative

I disagree. Conservatism is literally about knowing Right from Wrong and refusing to accept Wrong under any circumstances.

 

[kaz]

You can argue he's not effective, but it's silly to say you can't be polite and be conservative

I disagree. Conservatism is literally about knowing Right from Wrong and refusing to accept Wrong under any circumstances.

There's a difference between knowing right and wrong and forcing your values on others, which is wrong

 

[TyroneSlothrop]

I'm a conservative and I yearn for the time when people treated each other with respect,.

Do you know who the Leader of Conservatives is Dude seriously...Its Donald J Trump.... His stock in Trade is "In your face Intolerance of You and Your Views"

 

[Anathema]

There's a difference between knowing right and wrong and forcing your values on others, which is wrong

Right and Wrong exist as Universal concepts. It is the Universe that forces those concepts on humanity, not a choice by any of us.

 

[Dim Bulb]

That is absolute nonsense.

Is it now? Then how do you expect to impose civility on people like me? What's your game plan?

It is, of course, your right to take a firm and unshakable stand against civility. It is also my right to try (and often fail) to live up to the teachings of Jesus when dealing with you. What's great about America is that we both belong to the same citizen group!

 

[Ray From Cleveland]

I'm a conservative and I yearn for the time when people treated each other with respect,.

Do you know who the Leader of Conservatives is Dude seriously...Its Donald J Trump.... His stock in Trade is "In your face Intolerance of You and Your Views"

Yeah, it's a good thing the left doesn't have that "In your face" intolerance you speak of.

 

[LoneLaugher]

I'm a conservative and I yearn for the time when people treated each other with respect, even when they had major disagreements over policy.

The way I think of it, we all are creating the culture of the US every day, in every interaction, in every post, in every discussion. It isn't someone "other" than us, it is us. How we relate to each other creates a patchwork or mosaic of our total culture. Its starts on this micro, one on one level, and it is repeated everywhere in the country until we create an overall culture of dialogue. Right now it isn't terribly pretty.

So I ask myself before I engage in conversation, "What kind of a country do I want to live in?" Do I want to live in a country in which it's okay to question my opponents sanity and/or "Real American" status? Do I want to live in a country where some of the vitriol that people spout at each other creates the culture?

No, I choose civility. If we all make the same choice in how we talk to each other, we can disagree, as Ronald Reagan said, without being disagreeable.

It starts with every small discussion, every post, every interaction. It's up to us, not anyone else. And it isn't "their" fault, whoever "they" might be to you. "They" are Americans too.

Bravo.

Looking at this problem from a cultural perspective, my guess is that it won't happen unless and until (1) "leaders" in our society - from all walks of life, from politics to religion to sports to pop culture - bravely lead the way, and throw down the gauntlet and challenge their supporters to behave more civilly, and (2) the more hateful and divisive voices on both ends of the spectrum are culturally marginalized as a result.

I may be naive here, but I think that could happen. It would just take a few brave souls to start the momentum. And the reason I think it will take "leaders", specifically, is because our culture is so quick to idolize and follow. We make "celebrities" out of nearly anyone, and their "endorsement" has tangible value.
.

Obama was civil and tried to bring civility to Washington. He was that leader. True story.

 

[dblack]

Civility cannot exist when people have heartfelt philosophical differences with each other. It's just that simple.

Of course it can. But that's not what we have.

 

[kaz]

There's a difference between knowing right and wrong and forcing your values on others, which is wrong

Right and Wrong exist as Universal concepts. It is the Universe that forces those concepts on humanity, not a choice by any of us.

There are a lot of things that go into right and wrong, including culture. Few things are black and white in life, including morality

 

[Dim Bulb]

There's a difference between knowing right and wrong and forcing your values on others, which is wrong

Right and Wrong exist as Universal concepts. It is the Universe that forces those concepts on humanity, not a choice by any of us.

There are a lot of things that go into right and wrong, including culture. Few things are black and white in life, including morality

I think I understand from him that he believes that civility is Wrong. Universally. He's entitled to his opinion. Jesus and Gandhi were entitled to their opinion as well.

 

[Eloy]

I'm a conservative and I yearn for the time when people treated each other with respect, even when they had major disagreements over policy.

The way I think of it, we all are creating the culture of the US every day, in every interaction, in every post, in every discussion. It isn't someone "other" than us, it is us. How we relate to each other creates a patchwork or mosaic of our total culture. Its starts on this micro, one on one level, and it is repeated everywhere in the country until we create an overall culture of dialogue. Right now it isn't terribly pretty.

So I ask myself before I engage in conversation, "What kind of a country do I want to live in?" Do I want to live in a country in which it's okay to question my opponents sanity and/or "Real American" status? Do I want to live in a country where some of the vitriol that people spout at each other creates the culture?

No, I choose civility. If we all make the same choice in how we talk to each other, we can disagree, as Ronald Reagan said, without being disagreeable.

It starts with every small discussion, every post, every interaction. It's up to us, not anyone else. And it isn't "their" fault, whoever "they" might be to you. "They" are Americans too.

Everyone on my 'ignore' list is there because of rudeness.