Albert B Fernandez
The Critical Open Mind
October 2022
A decade ago, when discussion of civility was at its height, Hillary Clinton was asked for her opinion on the subject. She said that “. . . you cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you care about and stand for,” presumably meaning the Republican party. What Clinton, like many people, did not understand is that being civil is not the same as being nice. It may be true that you cannot be nice to those who want to destroy what you care about, but civility is intended for those very people, for dealing with those who strongly disagree with you, who might be considered your enemies, while continuing to be their fellow citizen. Another commentator on television decried exhortations to civility—of which this essay would be an example–on the grounds that civility is not enough, remarking that if we were to say about a husband and wife that they are civil with each other, it would be damning them with faint praise. The point being missed here is that a married couple is one thing, and a community of citizens is quite another.
The Critical Open Mind 