"Incivility" in the U.S.A. - by TPO (aka J J Sefton)

Incivility in the U.S.A
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by TPO (aka J J Sefton)

In Response to Gordon Stewart's article in MinnPost
(http://www.minnpost.com/community_voices/2010/09/21/21600)...

Thank you, Rev. Stewart, for this refreshing, thoughtful, and timely assessment of the times we are living in. I am sorry I was not aboard as soon as you posted it, and I apologize for the slight delay in my response. But perhaps this is not a bad thing altogether. I think that maybe, for me, it is better that I haven't rushed in to post my two-cent worth of comments (reactions.)

Let me venture now to give the points you brought up the gravitas they deserve. I promise not be flippant, and not to show my colors (my party affiliation or political persuasion.) But, I will confess my heroes are Sinclair Lewis and George Orwell.

So to begin .... Civility, that precious social virtue, seems to be a thing of the past in this country, unfortunately. The media have cynically opted for the low road, which apparently they have also found to be profitable. The big icons of the day are the shock jocks and the false prophets whose ravings and rantings are greedily and invisibly slurped up by many people. Shame is thrown out the window, and any sensible approach to problems or issues of the day are dismissed as naive, or high-brow elitism. For example, you mention the word "race", and you are immediately and preemptively labeled a "racist" for even bringing it up.

Another issue to which you have alluded and that I find does not get addressed enough is: Ignorance.

And today, ignorance combined with anger has given birth to the latest developments in the political arena. I am not very sure about their lasting power or even if they would amount to anything huge. But of one thing I am sure: they appeal more to an individual's selfish (almost greedy) instincts than to feelings for the community and the nation as a whole. To be sure, all kindly sentiments one may have for others would be labeled socialist, communist, or some such nonsense.

To conclude, I will leave you with this thought. Where, oh where, is our sense of humor these days? The other day, right here on MinnPost, I was joshing a regular commenter who happens to be present on this page. We were both at another posting; and I was mocking myself, using his favorite catch-phrases in a satirical fashion, to get my point across. Lo and behold, another commenter took serious exception to that and started to get more than personal in his response. Very sad. So much anger, so much ignorance, and so little patience and understanding for our fellow citizens.

Thank you again, Reverend. And maybe, sometime, I may take you up on that chat over a cup of coffee!