Academic

Civility

By Tim Zinnecker

Know anyone who could use a lesson or two in civility?  How about a politician?  Maybe a professional athlete?  Perhaps an awards presenter?  Your boss or co-worker?  Possibly even a blogger, or a comment writer?

If someone comes to mind, have I got a suggestion for you!

Introduce them to The Civility Project -- "a collection of liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans, blacks and whites, and people of various faith -- or no faith -- who agree that even in sharp disagreement we should not be disagreeable."  The Project even comes with a pledge:

I will be civil in my public discourse and behavior.
I will be respectful of others whether or not I agree with them.
I will stand against incivility when I see it.

In his online commentary yesterday, Charles Colson applauds the effort.  In part, he writes:

Three cheers for them!  Too many Americans think that it?s OK to simply shout down their opponents, malign their motives, or, when all else fails, make vicious personal attacks.  I lived through this in Watergate, being spit upon by angry mobs. . . .  But civility is a precondition for democratic dialogue.  And civility is mandatory for Christians; Jesus told us to love our enemies, which would exclude us from making vicious verbal attacks against them.

Here's hoping the idea catches on.   I'll try to do my part.  How about you?

Pictured:  Mark DeMoss, founder of The Civility Project.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on September 17, 2009 (boomark / email).