Page 8 - Division, Intolerance, and Conflict: Can Public Civility Ever Be Restored?
P. 8
CHAPTER ONE
What Is Civility,
and Why Does
It Matter?
Talk of incivility is everywhere. Judging by the number of cur-
rent articles on the subject, the loss of civility seems like a
new problem. But incivility has been a topic of concern in the
United States since the country’s inception. George Washing-
ton, for example, wrote an essay called Rules of Civility and
Decent Behaviour in Company and Conversation in 1744 to
defi ne how a respectable person in the new nation should act.
Etiquette guides remained in fashion for decades as incivility
seemed to be threatened by infl uxes of immigrants in urban
centers, the growth of an industrial working class, and even
the rising independence of women. In the modern era, dis-
cussions of public rudeness and vulgarity center on politics,
talk radio, cable news, rap music, video games, violent mov-
ies, social media, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
While almost everyone seems to think that rudeness is ris-
ing to ever higher levels in the twenty-fi rst century, not everyone
agrees on what constitutes civility or its decline. For Washing-
ton, it was a list of maxims on how to behave “in company
and conversation.” Today, though, some see the loss of civility
through the political lens of two opposing sides insulting each
other as they squabble over issues. Others view incivility as the
8