Letter: Society enabling today's incivility

Will Smith isn't the problem, he's only the symptom of a larger problem. Sound familiar? We've been saying that about Donald Trump since 2016. At some point, assuming that you agree there's a civility shortage in America, how do we reverse it?

It's not just Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars. It's the flurry of profanity that followed: one "S" word and two F-bombs by my count. Remember when a celebrity unknowingly swearing into a hot microphone was shocking? Now, they shrug it off and for the most part, so do we. Let the censors worry about it. Grown-ups spewing an errant swear word is treated like a toddler pushing his cream corn onto the restaurant floor. Too often, the deed goes unpunished.

It doesn't matter how much video there is of once-President Trump considering bleach for COVID protection or extolling what he considers the manly art of woman-groping. This is, to a troubling degree, what entertainment is selling and too many of us are buying.

Incivility will thrive as long as we give it an audience.

Jim Newton

Itasca