Civility is the new hot topic. Thanks to Jonathan Chait, Richard Cohen and Michelle Malkin (to name but a few of the liberal critics in the media and from the conservative side of the blogosphere who are obsessed with this issue) we have learned that those of us who choose to call ourselves liberals or progressives are simply filled with unreasoning rage, hatred and fanaticism which makes us unhinged, irrational and (here’s the killshot) uncivil. Left to our own devices we will sink the Democrats’ chances in the Fall, lose the war on terror and generally spread immorality, rudeness and profanity throughout the world.
Frankly, I’m not sure if these people understand the concept of incivility. So before they go any further with their frenzy of charges against the propriety and decorum of the “Left” (and I’m using that term loosely to include anyone who expresses an opinion counter to any part of the Republican Party’s political agenda) I have one word for them:
STOP*
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Stop calling me a defeatist and terrorist sympathizer for not supporting the War in Iraq.
Stop calling me a traitor or a fanatic for thinking that the NSA should have to get a warrant from the FISA court before eavesdropping on my telephone and email communications.
Stop calling me a “faggot lover” or immoral merely because I believe that any two people who love one another should have the same rights as the rest of us to enter into a legally sanctioned marriage.
Stop calling me a baby killer because I support a woman’s right to choose what she can do with her own body, even if I may disagree with her choices.
Stop suggesting that terrorists should be permitted to attack San Francisco because some of their citizens object to military recruiting at colleges and public high schools.
Stop calling me a whack job because I do not support President Bush or his policies.
Stop telling me it was inappropriate for Stephen Colbert to openly criticize the President and the White House Press Corps through the employment of a scathingly funny satirical comedy routine.
Stop booing anyone who has the guts to ask a legitimate question of President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld or any other administration official regarding the reasons why they chose to invade Iraq.
Stop kicking and roughing up protesters who appear at Republican functions like the woman who displayed an anti-Bush tee shirt at the Republican National Convention.
Stop claiming that Cindy Sheehan is exploiting her grief because she wants President Bush to answer one simple question: What noble cause did my sun die for in Iraq?
Stop calling me a commie because, like millions of Americans, I believe universal health care is a right to which all people should have access.
Stop making “jokes” which call for poisoning sitting Supreme Court Justices, bombing the New York Times, issuing shooting licenses to hunt liberals or otherwise suggesting that the “elimination” of progressives is a good idea.
Stop smearing the reputation of any person who dares to speak out against the Bush administration’s policies (eg., Joseph Wilson, Richard Clarke, Paul O’Neill, the former Generals who have criticized Donald Rumsfeld, former CIA and other former intelligence professionals, etc.).
Stop calling or implying that prominent female Democratic politicians and officeholders are lesbians, dykes or “feminazis” merely because you don’t like their politics.
Stop saying I don’t support the troops because I want to bring them home from Iraq safe and sound sooner rather than later.
Stop suggesting that liberal and Democrats may or will form a “fifth column” to support terrorists.
Stop suggesting I’m a lunatic or part of a radical fringe group because I oppose the use of torture, the indefinite detention of prisoners without being charged with any crime and the willful violation of the rule of law by the Bush administration.
Stop claiming I’d like to see America destroyed by terrorists because I don’t think it would be such a good idea to bomb Iran right now.
Stop calling me a terrorist because I believe in sensible handgun legislation.
Stop claiming I’m a godless secularist because I don’t believe in the same God that you do.
Stop claiming I’m persecuting you and your religion merely because I don’t think religion should be taught as science in the public school system.
Stop saying I’m a fool and a extremist because I believe President Bush and Vice President Cheney should be impeached for all the lies they have told and the illegal acts they have committed.
Stop calling me a dirty hippie because I attended a protest rally or march to exercise my 1st Amendment rights to free speech and peaceable assembly.
Basically, STOP complaining about the incivility of the “Left” until you have done something to curb the far more extensive (and publicly prominent) incivility of the Right.
* I haven’t provided links for each of the above statements, but finding examples of the hate speech directed at Democrats, liberals and progressives isn’t that difficult if you know how to use Google. Many of these examples I’ve cited should be readily recognizable. For those who do want to see examples of right wing incivility I refer you to this diary which I posted here last week. It has plenty of links to both major media sources and right wing blogs of the sort of impolitic behavior I have described above.
Cross-posted at Daily Kos.
I have to take my daughter to a routine dr. appt. so I won’t be around for a while to respond to your comments, but I promise to read them on my return.
I, too, have had it with this whole incivility meme being slung at anyone who dares express a contrary opinion. To my mind, it’s just another example of wingnut hypocrisy… they accuse their opponents of the very behavior in which they themselves are engaging. I sure don’t need to cite examples, because you have put together quite a comprehensive list. (No links needed, I could identify almost all of them.)
PS…take another look at the phrasing of your second “stop” point… I think you might want to re-cast that slightly to reflect what I suspect you really want to say.
Thanks. Done. Now I really have to run.
;0)
You’re welcome. Just didn’t want anybody flamin ya due to a misinterpretation. 🙂 Glad I could help.
Basically, this points out the playground bully mentality so common among those in power and their friends in the punditoisie these days. They hit and hit and hit and hit and hit, and then when we dare to stand up for ourselves they run to Mommy and cry about how they’re being picked on.
I would like to see this as an op-ed somewhere countering the counterclockwise spin. They’ll cluck their tongues at you and call you uncivil. So what — they’re doing that already, so you haven’t lost anything. If anything maybe you’ll make a few people go “hmmmmmm, maybe that D guy has a point there, don’tcha know.”
This is just the latest fashion from the so-called right wing noise machine. Previously, if one disagreed with right wing positions, one was not patriotic. Now, one is uncivil. (in addition to being < gasp > radical.) Let’s see. Republicans currently control 3 branches of government. As such, they’ve brought us unending war, thousands being killed in the process. They’ve overseen institutionalized torture, undocumented prisoners, inept operation of FEMA, staggering increases in national debt, rescinding of many bankruptcy protections, the rollback of air pollution standards, decreases in medicaid funding, advocacy for the dissolving of the separation of church and state as well as rampant corruption. They’ve initiated actions that threaten national security. And now, after all of this, those on the left are accused of being < gasp > uncivil. Because being uncivil truly is the real evil here.
and I might add,
STOP obsessing over Bill Clinton’s penis and using it to obscure all of the good things he did while he was President…like the Family Leave Act, for example.
Eeeeeuuuuw!
at the Orange Empire… 🙂
‘Stop’?
How and why?
Without this type of patented attack, they got nothin’.
Demonizing the opposition being par for the course; ’tis only pure noise, suitable to any historic period, given appropriate catch-words for the time.
‘Uncivil’? Ask Mr. Cheney & his statesmanlike conversation with Senator Leahy on the Senate floor — the most appropriate place for it, after all.
Ask his erstwhile employee Mr. Bush, who exhibits the same sophistication & openness to dialogue with a single gesture for the domestic press.
Ask them no questions & they’ll tell you no lies.
My ultimate point being: give their spokespuppets no solid target for these particular darts & watch them dissipate like flatulence in the wind.
Attention is energy; response lends weight.
‘Tis only of themselves they speak, as if to a mirror. Know what it is you’re seeing & then turn it off. It doesn’t matter.
Of course it’s annoying. It’s supposed to be.
Demonizing the opposition being par for the course, COMMA.
Ask Mr. Cheney ABOUT his statesman like (etc.)
(Further point: ideally, we’re thoughtful, diligent & consistent in our responses to their hooey — not as purely reactive, peevish & downright sloppy as I was in prior post.)
Wow, this diary is GREAT! I just don’t understand why with all of their smear campaigns to destroy individuals and all of the name calling and “liberal phobia” they have all attempted to create why when anybody stands toe to toe with them to have an honest open discussion or debate, that act alone makes that person UNCIVIL! I haven’t even begun to add that only 31% of the population of this country even agrees with them and a whopping record breaking 65% completely disagrees with them and their Bush worship. Are we going to have to start new 12 step groups for recovering fanatical Bush lovers because Denial isn’t a river in Egypt and they seem to have a whole lot of denial going on here. It’s like they suffer from hysterical blindness and that’s scary as hell to witness! It isn’t just me with my left wing beliefs who is frightened by them and wants them out of power, it is also a vast majority of citizens who insist on never swearing allegiance with either the right or left. They vote what they believe in their own hearts and souls is best for this nation every single election they vote in, those weirdos known as Independents who just about always really decide most of our elections and who runs this country!
My response is still “Fuck You”. Your response is much better than mine. I agree that it would make a great editorial.
Really they CAN KISS MY ASS. When they stop stealing money from my kid with their deficits and stop killing other peoples kids with their war then I’ll be civil. In the meantime I’m with you Shalimar a big FUCK YOU to chait and cohen…..and bush and cheney and the rest of the violent dimwitted assholes that come up with this shit. Many a red-faced redneck was in my face about Clinton (Peace Be Upon Him) when all he did was balance the budget and give a damn unlike these goofballs.
I believe that civility is a great thing — in most instances. I have tried to tone down my use of f*ing, a*hole, douche bag etc. — mainly because I don’t think such language is persuasive.
But just as a mother tiger’s behavior is anything but “civil” when protecting her young, I believe the situation in this country is dangerous to people I love. As long as the poor, workers, women, gays, foreigners are under attack and as long as our rights, our economy, our safety and our standing in the world are undermined by the policies of this government, expect more mother tiger and less Emily Post from me. GRRRRRRR.