Fully two-thirds of Americans believe incivility to be a major problem, according to the Christian Science Monitor’s 3/5/12 edition; and half expect it to become the norm. 72% of those questioned say they’ve tuned out politics because of the incivility there. 80% think it’s wrong to be uncivil, even in pursuit of an end they think is right. Studies show that after watching political fighting on cable TV, a person is less likely to talk politics with friends. Cool. So how come we get so much of it in the media? It wouldn’t be there if it weren’t profitable. Somebody must like it.
P.M. Forni, director of the Johns Hopkins University Civility Initiative says that many of the 1.8 million incidents of workplace violence that have been reported, many more go unreported, from a push to a shooting, often originate in incivility and a lack of respect and consideration for others. “When you are on the receiving end of an act of incivility, of a slight, ore when someone treats you rudely, in 40% of cases you will think about changing jobs, and in 13% people will change jobs,” Forni says.
The cover story of the 3/12/12 Monitor headlines, “Inside America’s gun culture.” Could the lack of civility contribute to the perceived need for weapons? The lead says, “For a complex blend of reasons – including concerns about safety and defiance of what’s seen as antigun pushiness – guns appear to be looming in the public consciousness and in the American political spotlight. As Patrik Jonsson reports, a combination of favorable court rulings, grass-roots activism and anxieties about government has led to what may be a tipping point on an issue that just a few years ago was one of America’s most contentious. Gun rights have expanded. Licensing is up. God bless America! Are you wearing your American flag pin?
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