Connect with us

As I See It

Incivility doesn’t have to dominate politics

Published

on

Is this the way it is going to be from now on? Politics has always involved slinging mud, but it seems like candidates today are taking it to a new level. The campaigns have gotten nastier, the attacks on opponents more pointed. That has led to a growing polarization among voters and sometimes strained relations between family and friends. But it doesn’t have to be this way. According to one Pew Research Center Poll, seven in 10 Americans say our politicians should avoid heated language because it could lead to violence. We don’t like it, but it seems to be the new normal. Experts tell us negative campaigning can be effective. But at what cost? We shouldn’t let the current level of incivility in our political system be the new normal. It wasn’t always this way, and doesn’t have to be going forward. We should not condone the nastiness, and shouldn’t tolerate it. But we need our candidates for political office to lead the charge toward civility in our campaigns. In short, we need those who want us to hire them to represent us to start acting like adults again, instead of like children.
 

Scott Robert Shaw serves as WIZM Program Director and News Director, and delivers the morning news on WKTY, Z-93 and 95.7 The Rock. Scott has been at Mid-West Family La Crosse since 1989, and authors Wisconsin's only daily radio editorial, "As I See It" heard on WIZM each weekday morning and afternoon.

Continue Reading
2 Comments

2 Comments

  1. walden

    September 12, 2024 at 9:53 am

    Now, with the debate in the rear view mirror, reconsider the insults levied by Harris on Trump during the debate.

    Insults in lieu of policy discussion from the giggling one seeking to be president.

  2. Kevin

    September 13, 2024 at 6:48 am

    Seems the democrat party, yes, and even the chamber of commerce republicans consider telling the truth to be un-civil.
    1) Saying the border is open and works like sieve is considered racist and thus is uncivil
    2) Pointing out that there were enough voting anomalies and such lax control around voter id is considered uncivil and unpatriotic and labels you a denier. Calling someone a denier though is neither uncivil nor divisive
    3) Pointing out that life does begin at conception is considered uncivil and now worthy of jail time, particularly if you are caught praying for both the aborter and abortee and propagator of abortion. We can argue about the value of that life all day long, but if that unborn life does not have value, because it cannot, talk, be seen, breathe on it’s own, eat on it’s own, then there are tens of thousands of lives in extended care institutions that should now be up for elimination. Life seems to only have value if someone is caring for it perhaps. If no one cares, then life has no value. Thus the need for God, he cares, always!
    3) Pointing out that we are giving more of our tax dollars away to places that hate us, and want to kill us is considered xenophobic and thus uncivil. One should never point out that fact
    4) Pointing out that our current president is senile and physically impaired is considered divisive and ageist and thus is worthy of insult and anger.
    5) Pointing out that the democrat party and yes even our own representatives bailed out rioters that were burning down, looting and destroying other peoples private property earned you the label of racist and white supremacist from the very people that were doing the burning, looting and fund raising to promote this nonsense! and then the bleeding hearts of the world lacked courage to refute these accusations. Very uncivil.
    6) Pointing out that electric vehicles depend upon lithium that is dug out of the ground from yuge open pit mines in places that do not practice, nor demonstrate and understanding of workers rights earns you the right of being called a climate denier and uncivil treatment.

    I would love to go on with this, but running out of time and thinking about all of this just pisses me off, I for one am just damn sick and tired of the false nobility and outrage that the left foists upon us, the folks that ask why, what for, how come, and what gives you the right!

    Practice some intellectual honesty! then discuss incivility!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *