ABSTRACT
On this much the pundits agree: today’s social and political discourse has deteriorated to levels of discord that extend beyond rudeness to acts of intolerance and disrespect. Deborah Tannen speaks of the pervasive antagonistic atmosphere that infects public discourse. Likewise, Yale University law professor Stephen Carter argues that civility is disintegrating because we have forgotten the obligations we owe to each other, and are awash instead in a sea of self-indulgence. Clearly, the sin of incivility has risen to the top of our national consciousness, even if our behavior does not bear that out.
