Freedom of Speech, Liberal Democracy, and Emerging Evidence on Civility and Effective Democratic Engagement (original) (raw)

2012

On January 8, 2011, a mentally disturbed man opened fire on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at her “Congress on Your Corner” event. Six people died and several others, including the Congresswoman, were seriously wounded. In the aftermath of the tragedy, a renewed call to more civil political discourse arose, followed immediately by strenuous objections to this call on constitutional, political, and practical grounds. In this Article, we address these objections and conclude that none is sufficiently compelling to derail a civil political-discourse project. We argue that the more important issues are whether, and how, incivility in political discourse poses a problem for democracy. Facts matter in the debate about what consequences may flow from how we “talk politics.” This Article analyzes the emerging data about the nature, causes, and consequences of incivility in modern political discourse. As we explain, the currently available empirical evidence is inconclusive on many specifi...

A Crisis of Civility? Political Discourse and Its Discontents. New York: Routledge, 2019. (Preview)

2019

The state of political discourse in the United States today has been a subject of concern for many Americans. Political incivility is not merely a problem for political elites; political conversations between American citizens have also become more difficult and tense. The 2016 presidential elections featured campaign rhetoric designed to inflame the general public. Yet the 2016 election was certainly not the only cause of incivility among citizens. There have been many instances in recent years where reasoned discourse in our universities and other public venues has been threatened. This book was undertaken as a response to these problems. It presents and develops a more robust discussion of what civility is, why it matters, what factors might contribute to it, and what its consequences are for democratic life. The authors included here pursue three major questions: Is the state of American political discourse today really that bad, compared to prior eras; what lessons about civility can we draw from the 2016 election; and how have changes in technology such as the development of online news and other means of mediated communication changed the nature of our discourse? This book seeks to develop a coherent, civil conversation between divergent contemporary perspectives in political science, communications, history, sociology, and philosophy. This multidisciplinary approach helps to reflect on challenges to civil discourse, define civility, and identify its consequences for democratic life in a digital age. In this accessible text, an all-star cast of contributors tills the earth in which future discussion on civility will be planted.

Searching for the Dimensions of Today's Political Incivility

Social Media + Society, 2022

Incivility in public discourse is a central concern for scholars and citizens alike. However, the definitions of the concept offered by scholars are dissimilar and difficult to compare. This research, which adopts an approach based on citizens' perceptions of incivility, addresses this issue by empirically testing a three-dimensional model of political incivility. The findings of a survey of 797 students to track differences in perceptions of specific types of uncivil speech show that political incivility consists of a three-dimensional concept, that is, incivility as "impoliteness," as "individual delegitimization," and as "institutional delegitimization." Future studies can use this model to corroborate these results and verify whether this composition of the concept holds up in other contexts.

Learning from Our Enemies: Human Nature, Democratic Conflict, and the Risks of Dialogue

Philosophy of Education Archive, 2017

Watching the presidential debates in 2017, you may have sighed wearily – or gasped in agitation – over the inability of our political candidates to hold a substantive and respectful conversation. You may have reflected, moreover, that this absence of reasoned exchange is not limited to those who speak with Donald Trump. From online news outlets that cater to the converted, to university campuses where students protest offensive speech, the need to reinvigorate substantive discussion seems to loom large.

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Against Civility: A Feminist Perspective

“Against Civility: A Feminist Perspective,” Civility, Legality, and Justice in America, ed. 4 Austin Sarat (Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press, 2014), 107-131., 2014