Return to civility? When were we ever civil?
The mayor of Tucson, Arizona, some preachers, an array of political commentators and President Obama are all urging a “return to civility” in America.
Their call for a more well-mannered nation follows the shooting attack that left six dead and 13 wounded, including a member of congress who clings to life.
Despite it being a noble goal, what exactly does this “return to civility” have to do with a conniving young man carrying a pistol and clips of extra ammo? Are we really willing to attribute a well-planned attack by someone with apparent mental problems merely to bad manners, anti-social behavior or a lack of civility?
The shooter in Tucson committed crimes. He didn't just have dirty fingernails and speak with a discourteous tone.
Nevertheless, we are being told that the national response to what happened outside the Tucson grocery store should be a return to civility. A similar reaction to the John Wayne Gacy killings would have been to board up the nation's crawl spaces.
President Obama made his view clear last week:
“At a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized — at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who think differently than we do — it's important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we are talking with each other in a way that heals, not a way that wounds.”
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley also chimed in.
“How can we have civility today when anyone in America has a right to a gun in their home, in their street? Any place in America? We're missing the point. All the sudden we have to talk about a tragedy, about civility,” Daley said.
Of course, there is nothing to suggest that the shooter was motivated by a sharp-tongued talk radio host, some uncivilized tea party politician or former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
That didn't stop Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup from tying things into a neat package.
“The return to civility is what people are praying for,” Walkup said.
While having good manners is a laudable goal, exactly when was the era of civility to which we are supposed to return?
It certainly wasn't at any time in the history of the United States. As far back as 1746, a teenage George Washington was so concerned about moral decline that he developed 110 “Rules of Civility and Decent Behavior.” The future general and president's rules of conduct included treating everyone with respect, being respectful of others and not embarrassing them.
American Revolution civil? Hardly.Civil war? Low degree of civility.
Depression? Gangster era? World War II? JFK assassination?
#8220;Return to Civility#8221; was the theme of President George W. Bush's inaugural address in 2001.
#8220;Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment,#8221; said Mr. Bush. #8220;It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos. And this commitment, if we keep it, is a way to shared accomplishment.#8221;
The civility issue is not new to President Obama, either. Nearly a year ago at the National Prayer Breakfast Mr. Obama said, #8220;At times, it seems like we're unable to listen to one another, to have at once a serious and civil debate. And this erosion of civility in the public square sows division and distrust among our citizens.#8221;
Even the civil rights leader honored today, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was not fully vested in the idea of civility #8212; despite King's reputation as nonviolent, a peacemaker and conciliator.
#8220;When you have seen vicious mobs lynch your mothers and fathers at will and drown your sisters and brothers at whim; when you have seen hate filled policemen curse, kick and even kill your black brothers and sisters; when you see the vast majority of your 20 million Negro brothers smothering in an airtight cage of poverty in the midst of an affluent society; when you suddenly find your tongue twisted and your speech stammering as you seek to explain to your 6-year old-daughter why she can't go to the public amusement park that has just been advertised on television, and see tears welling up in her eyes when she is told that Funtown is closed to colored children, and see ominous clouds of inferiority beginning to form in her little mental sky, and see her beginning to distort her personality by developing an unconscious bitterness toward white people,#8221; Dr. King wrote in his lengthy #8220;Letter from a Birmingham Jail#8221; in 1963.
#8220;There comes a time when the cup of endurance runs over, and men are no longer willing to be plunged into the abyss of despair#8221; King wrote.
King said often that he was not afraid of the word #8220;tension.#8221;
#8220;I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive, nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth.#8221;
In the case of the Tucson slaughter, it is just opportunistic to redirect public attention toward the loud and angry voices of political disagreement than to focus on what actually happened: A disturbed young man with a gun opened fire.
bull; Chuck Goudie, whose column appears each Monday, is the chief investigative reporter at ABC 7 News in Chicago. The views in this column are his own and not those of WLS-TV. He can be reached by email at chuckgoudie@gmail.com and followed at twitter.com/ChuckGoudie.