The Right-Wing Knows What Liberal Guilt Doesn't: Look Sincere or Lose
The whole discussion these days of the need to return to civility in political discourse is a nice idea. Civility is better than incivility – going high when they go low is a really, really, really nice thought. And it’s a discussion tied to privilege. The meanness of the Trump cult and the Republican politicians who can’t quit the guy demeans, damages, and destroys those without the privilege of the “civil” talking people, and the open, disgusting talk and actions of those right-wingers who prefer to win economically and socially means nothing is off their table. From the top down, racism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, able-bodyism are public. From tee shirts to TV, it’s all there in the open, displayed shamelessly as if proud of ones bigotry and meanness. Certainly, I’d rather have nice. I’d pick nice people as friends any day. But media and popular expectations, sadly, have changed. The right wing itself has seen to that. The words “civility” and ...