NPR recently ran a series entitled “The Civility Wars.” An intriguing story that’s part of the series notes that not everyone is in favor of restoring civility because “The calls for civility can feel like an effort to stifle people’s outrage over injustice or hate, because civility can be a tool to build or a weapon to silence” and concludes that “for some, now is a time to take a step back and be civil to each other. For others, it’s imperative to be uncivil in a way that has led to social justice in the past.”
It’s a valid point. But to be clear, we at EnCiv do not see these as mutually exclusive. When we call for civility, our intent is not to silence or exclude anyone, but rather to include everyone. As Stanley Crouch puts it in Ken Burns’ documentary Jazz, “Civilization in a certain sense can be reduced to the word ‘welcome’.” Much the same can be said of democracy. In democratic elections every citizen gets a vote; in democratic discussions, every citizen has a voice. It’s why our website begins with the words: “Respectul. Constructive. Open and Fair to All Views.”
