Incivility and F-bombs
A friend of mine sent me an article on incivility the other day and asked for my opinion. In this article, I provide just that.
I think the “incivility” that appears to be deeper these days than in the past is primarily due to mistrust of authority figures. It is no longer about “liking” or “disliking” or “tolerating” those in power.
I know for a fact that the information we are getting in Canada concerning COVID-19 (for example) is incomplete and one-sided. I listen to Croatian news channels, and they provide all sides of the COVID debate — information is aplenty for people to decide a course of action suitable for themselves. People aren’t stupid. If people feel they aren’t getting the complete picture, they start to look for answers elsewhere. When they find those answers (or what they believe to be the answers), this generates even more mistrust because now they know their government has been withholding information.
Add to this mistrust, as Boston Globe’s columnist writer Jeff Jacoby says in “F-bombing the president,” emotions are running deep. He states that we should not dehumanize anyone with opposing views. However, today’s world is different. We no longer have the freedom to oppose opinions in certain areas (I return to the subject of COVID). If we do, we are labelled as “anti” this or that. Dehumanizing is rampant at all levels.
Those doing the labelling are aghast that the anti-people would fight governments and disturb our peaceful society. However, during this pandemic, we are witnesses to many lies or, at least, half-truths, all originating from our government. For example, in British Columbia, our Public Health Officer stated that masks don’t work. Then she brought in mask mandates. She said that she would never mandate vaccinations. Then the government mandated vaccinations providing a “choice” between the COVID vaccine and keeping your job. She also said that B.C. would never bring in vaccine passports. That is now a reality, too. This IMHO has drastically eroded the essence of our democracy. Add to this the rampant censorship of medical experts only serves to build mistrust.
I believe that before the pandemic started, we were already seeing a wave of incivility. For example, toppling statues across the country was an attempt at erasing history. The cancel culture engaged in such actions clearly do not grasp the importance of history, but we — all of us — need to understand the rage driving those actions. I disagree with destroying property or physically harming people, no matter your anger. Destruction of any kind is wrong.
Now, the f-bomb hurled at the president: as Jacoby indicates, this isn’t the first time. Several presidents were recipients of this expletive. What makes this current “attack” stand out is the undercurrent that has been building over the years. I think people are just mentally depleted of irrelevant pandemic measures and have found an outlet for expression. And add to this the commercialization of “Let’s Go, Brandon,” well, you can see how technology has enabled trends and consumerism. Someone always gets rich on the backs of others, sadly.
Jacoby writes that we must have a “capacity for civil disagreement,” but he misses the backstory. Indeed, if we lose our capacity for civil disagreement, unrest in extreme forms will ensue. The government needs to reflect on its part in uncivil disagreements. When government after government is unable to — or won’t — fix longstanding societal problems (e.g., homelessness, drug addiction, joblessness, poverty) and now pursues dividing society even more with unscientific mandates, we cannot but reach a breaking point. Have we reached that point? Time will tell.
That said, displaying incivility with f-bombs at presidents is likely a tolerable mild show of protest. As with everything, though, once an action gains acceptance and takes root, it is hard to change course. For my part, I used to give those expletives a wide berth. However, I confess that these past two years have seen the f-bomb a fairly consistent visitor in my speech.
