I liked your commentary. You may be interested in what we are trying to do at Citizens for Civil Discourse.

http://www.stoppoliticalcalls.org

Shaun Dakin

There is no argument that ever swayed an audience that lost any of its impact because of the delicacy of its touch.

An interesting counterpoint is this: it is often easy to confuse incivility with disagreement or a point of view with which one does not agree.

In England, we have the concept of ‘Loyal Opposition.’ It would be nice to see more of that sort of approach in Carrboro - on both sides!

A willingness to welcome new thinkers and thinking on the one hand, and on the other, a desire to engage with those already in place, without necessarily bashing them on the head first.

Another aspect to a healthy democracy which is still civil is accountability. More often than not, that requires a media that is fearless about asking questions, without being uncivil and without tough questioning and commentary (or even some respectful satire) instantly being misinterpreted as being uncivil.

I’ll be honest, Kirk. I wasn’t sure that the Carrboro Citizen was going to perform that latter role too well. But you’re winning me over!

The best of luck to you!

I am still struggling with the dilemma of how to deal with bad behavior. If we’re polite and look the other way, some folks take than as an invitation to keep going. If we call it out, we risk sinking to their level, or seeming to.

Ultimately, I believe that transparency is the best approach. When people have all the facts, they can decide for themselves.

Civility, where art thou?