WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO CIVILITY?

Some people have always been rude and crude, but their behavior has become more widespread during recent years. Encouraged by the disgusting, cruel comments of Donald Trump during the recent presidential campaign, those who might once have held their tongues unleashed online garbage that  was simply sickening. President and Mrs. Obama were particularly targeted; it’s hard to understand how they managed to take the high road instead of responding in kind.

This is not entirely a new phenomenon, of course. Even during Thomas Jefferson’s time, political attacks were sordid, and politicians have been abused to some extent ever since. In general, though, people have maintained at least a veneer of politeness. That changed during the sixties, when many of us freed ourselves from a too-strict upbringing. In some respects that was a much-needed correction, but we also learned  to use obscene language in inappropriate environments, to tear down those who disagreed with us, to “let it all hang out“a bit too far.  Comedy, for example, has degenerated greatly. Stand-up comics who use little humor but much gutter talk are admiringly described as “edgy.”

It has happened at some surprising levels. For instance, the editors’ online discussion group I belong to has usually held to a high standard, with only the occasional genteel disagreement about the serial comma, proper use of the subjunctive, or other editorial concerns. Even there, I have noticed a shift in behavior. When I recently posted a simple question about “an historic” vs. “a historic,” the answers quickly degenerated into snide comments about undereducated high school English teachers, regional pronunciations, and other ad hominen attacks. I was both amused and appalled.

I fear there is no going back. When anonymous comments can be left on social media sites, when Muslims are openly disparaged, and when vulnerable teens can be made suicidal by online criticism, there may be nothing to brake the sickening remarks that are common now. It may be possible for Congress and voters to rein in Trump during the next few years, but his boorish behavior has infected a great many people and added to the general decline in civility.

There are some glimmers of light in this dark cesspool. On New Year’s Eve I happened to hear a dialogue on an NPR station. A white nationalist and a proud black man—both intelligent and articulate-- were having a calm talk about their enormous differences. Though at opposite ends of the political spectrum, they spoke respectfully and confined their statements to the issues. Perhaps their civil behavior, too, can be contagious.

Copyright © 2017 by Carol Leth Stone

 

 

WHAT NEXT, AMERICA?

We stand upon the brink of a precipice. We peer into the abyss—we grow sick and dizzy. Our first impulse is to shrink away from the danger. Unaccountably we remain.   

    --Edgar Allan Poe

 

Last week Hillary Clinton lost the election, to the horrified surprise of millions around the world. In two months Donald Trump will become the president of the United States. Though I’m tempted to cry “Not my president,” of course this is one reality show I can’t avoid. Thanks to the people H.L. Mencken called the “booboisie” long ago, we are stuck with Trump for a few years.

Better informed observers than I am will long debate how this atrocity happened. The consensus seems to be that Trump simply capitalized on the unemployment, expensive tuition, skyrocketing medical costs, and other national problems we are suffering, and persuaded millions of voters that he could somehow “make America great” again.

Perhaps some actually believed that the fifties were a golden age to which we should return. Certainly it was a good period financially for the low-skilled white male workers who could get good jobs on auto assembly lines, for instance. There were other high points, too. Thanks to Sputnik and the National Science Foundation, it was even a good time for science education. However, most women were still confined to traditional low-paying jobs as secretaries, nurses, and teachers. Black men and women, as always, suffered discrimination in housing and jobs. We were all polluting the environment and quickly using fossil fuels and other natural resources.

During the sixties and seventies, enormous progress was made in civil rights and environmental concerns. Many of those who had been left out of the postwar boom began to share in the wealth. Even teachers’ salaries began rising. The EPA was established, and the National Parks Service was expanded. Thanks to the Pill and to the Roe v. Wade decision, women were freed of what biologist Garrett Hardin called “mandatory motherhood.”  For the first time in history, they could have children if and when they wanted to.

Eventually, though, greed has won over benevolence. The income taxes that were never onerous in comparison with those in Europe have fallen steadily, and most of the country’s wealth is now held by a small percent of individuals and corporations. Our middle class has become a lower class, earning less while working harder, and paying  far too much for health care and other needs . Those at the bottom of the ladder are pushed even farther down in the struggle for survival.

As a citizen and voter, I have two major concerns that affect everything else: the environment and education. During his campaign, Trump pledged to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education or to cut its influence greatly, giving more power to the states. If he makes good on his campaign promises, the public schools will be greatly harmed, leading to an even less educated citizenry. As to the environment, he has made the ridiculous claim that human-caused climate change is a hoax. Under Trump environmental quality will decline, because the EPA will lose its capability to establish and enforce environmental protections. Our beloved national parks will be overrun by developers and ranchers.

In addition, women and minorities will lose their hard-won gains. Violence against immigrants and native-born minorities will increase. (Since the election even children are being targeted by bigots; some are afraid to venture out of their classrooms, or fear deportation.)

One group will come out well, though—Trump and his cronies, self-satisfied rich white guys. I can imagine them now, relaxing on their yachts and laughing gleefully at the stupid voters who were taken in by their promises. We can only hope that in 2020, the Republicans have not yet destroyed the planet, and can be voted out of office.

 

Text copyright © 2016 by Carol Stone