ABSTRACT
This chapter is about internal conflicts in which impoliteness and use of insults serve as the catalysts to strengthen polarization. The argument is that insults by participants in the dialogue contribute to shaping patterns of social interaction, which reflect the ideological struggle between those in government and its opponents. Also, that offensive language affects the people’s self-esteem, deepens division and discrimination, and puts obstacles to democratic dialogue. Theoretical information on politeness and impoliteness in political discourse is given, but the focus is on insults and their cognitive, social and political functions. Criteria for analyzing conflictive patterns of social interaction are presented and also for collecting the insults that people remember most. The patterns of social interaction show the confrontation of the government with the church, the media and the civil society. The patterns unveiled show the gradual increase of physical violence, power abuse and the alignment of the press and civil society against the government. The chapter calls attention to the institutionalization of verbal violence and to the fact that the words of those in government are better engrained in the collective memory.
