{"550621":{"#nid":"550621","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Is Political Civility Dead?","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp class=\u0022p1\u0022\u003EThe 2016 presidential election is four months away. The candidates are not holding anything back, and neither are their supporters. A quick analysis of just about any political news story reveals name-calling, shouting, and accusations of too much \u201cpolitical correctness.\u201d What does this say about today\u2019s political climate?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cLike many people, I am dismayed by the quality of the political discourse in the current debate,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/colatrella\u0022\u003ECarol Colatrella\u003C\/a\u003E, professor and associate dean for graduate studies, Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. \u201cI think that, many times, the candidates fall into the trap of wanting to express passion, enthusiasm, and fervor, and they do so in a way that really crosses a line in terms of being respectful of human values and political rights.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EColatrella said that name-calling or personal attacks on someone\u2019s appearance do not add value. \u201cWe should be debating ideas, plans, and expertise,\u201d she said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.iac.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/larson\u0022\u003EBrian Larson\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor, School of Literature, Media, and Communication, elaborated on the concept of respect.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThere is an extent to which we all owe each other respect,\u201d Larson said. \u201cWhen I say civility is an obligation or duty, I mean it is an ethical one, and arguably a moral one,\u201d Larson said. \u201cThe obligation comes not from the law, but from our ethical and moral systems.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EChanges in the Political Landscape \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EColatrella said standards of common decorum have changed, but they\u2019re always changing in culture, and they\u2019re often linked to political issues. When teaching, she encourages students to express their ideas, but she asks them to be respectful of their classmates.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIf people have provocative ideas, that\u2019s fine,\u201d she said. \u201cBut there needs to be a certain sense of courtesy in listening to people and not just shutting people down. The term \u2018politically correct\u2019 is often flung at the Left as if liberals are imposing a straitjacket on speech or ideas [when they disagree with conservatives].\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAnother change is that many minority groups now feel empowered to speak up when they feel offended.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cAt different times and in different places, marginalized groups have had a very difficult time speaking out and have been repressed in certain ways, depending on the particular political system they were living under,\u201d Colatrella said. \u201cBut, recently, we have seen previously marginalized people feel compelled to become involved in the political system.\u201d \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAs an example, she cited recent elections in Ferguson, Missouri, where African-Americans \u2014 who make up a large part of the city\u2019s population \u2014 became politically active and elected other African-Americans to office.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ELarson said that as a group becomes more active, it is more likely to demand respect from the rest of society. He said it is a matter of respect not to refer to groups of people by terms that they consider denigrating or offensive.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThe easy example is that you don\u2019t refer to African-Americans using the n-word,\u201d he said. \u201cYou also don\u2019t refer to them as Negroes or colored, in the contemporary context. Women are entitled to say, \u2018I don\u2019t like being called a \u2018girl\u2019 at the office.\u2019 Those are just things that \u2014 if you are informed and are awake to modern culture \u2014 you know you shouldn\u2019t do because you know it\u2019s not respectful.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ELarson said that for everyone, it is cognitive work to remember how to say and do things.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIf you grew up with a lot of habits, such as using certain terms [to describe others] that are now considered not respectful by other groups, then you\u2019ve got more work ahead of you. And that takes effort,\u201d he said, adding that people don\u2019t like having to put forth that effort.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cEverybody likes things to be easy; that\u2019s how our brains are designed,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ELarson said that, looking at the current culture, one can feel as if there is both more respect and less respect. Because people are more conscious of groups asking others to use respectful terminology, people are more likely to notice more instances when respectful terminology is not used.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean our civility is decreasing; it may be going up,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just becoming more noticeable when it doesn\u2019t happen.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003ELarson said there is a continuum of what is considered good behavior and bad behavior, and people have to be more patient about the things that are less clear. But that doesn\u2019t mean that the responsibility to remain civil goes away.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch5 class=\u0022p6\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow to Address Challenges\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h5\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EOne particular challenge facing those who want to be civil is keeping up with the evolving language that groups use to identify themselves.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cOccasionally, you will find members of a group who are somewhat militant about the issue [of new terminology], and they will expect others to adopt new terms quickly,\u201d said Larson. \u201cOne way to address that is to say that we have to be a little patient with the rest of the community, and give them the benefit of the doubt until we know that they have been told what term to use. And, also give them the benefit of the doubt that they won\u2019t necessarily remember the new term the first or second time they hear it,\u201d he said.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EAnother challenge is how to disagree with someone or let them know they are using a term that is not appropriate \u2014 without shaming that person.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s almost a style issue, a taste issue, a courtesy issue,\u201d said Colatrella, who watches the television show \u003Cem\u003EReal Time with Bill Maher\u003C\/em\u003E. \u201cHe often says things I don\u2019t agree with. Sometimes he says things I agree with very much. But in those debates, he tries really hard to be respectful of letting people speak. He counters them, but he never just shuts somebody down by making an ad hoc criticism or by trying to censor someone\u2019s particular vocabulary.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003EIn the end, it all comes back to respect, according to Larson, who suggests that people should refer to the various groups and communities by the terms they prefer to be called.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u201cIf you don\u2019t want to refer to people by respectful terms, then you don\u2019t want to be civil,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s not political correctness.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022p5\u0022\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Professors Weigh in on What it Means to Be \u2018PC\u2019"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA quick analysis of just about any political news story reveals name-calling, shouting, and accusations of too much \u201cpolitical correctness.\u201d What does this say about today\u2019s political climate?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A quick analysis of just about any political news story reveals name-calling, shouting, and accusations of too much \u201cpolitical correctness.\u201d What does this say about today\u2019s political climate?"}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2016-07-05 11:07:06","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:22:04","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2016-07-05T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2016-07-05T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"550611":{"id":"550611","type":"image","title":"Political Civility","body":null,"created":"1467817200","gmt_created":"2016-07-06 15:00:00","changed":"1475895345","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:55:45","alt":"Political Civility","file":{"fid":"92757","name":"pc-3_0.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pc-3_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/pc-3_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":234702,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/pc-3_0.jpg?itok=9y_eVQSC"}}},"media_ids":["550611"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/lmc.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Literature, Media, and Communication"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2600","name":"civility"},{"id":"2603","name":"discourse"},{"id":"4123","name":"language"},{"id":"3177","name":"politics"},{"id":"167943","name":"School of Literature Media and Communication"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:victor.rogers@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EVictor Rogers\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}