What Happened to Civil Discourse?

By Beth Ann Rosica

Earlier this month, I reported on threatening letters sent to people with Trump signs in their yard. One mailing included this statement, “Your vote for this guy is seen as treading on my rights. You tread on me at your peril, motherf*****.” [edited for inappropriate language]

Following publication of the story, many people reached out to me with similar situations where they felt attacked because of their political affiliations or support of specific candidates. One person said they stopped putting up yard signs because people drove onto their property to run over the signs and knock them down.

Driving through southern Chester County, I found this sign that had been vandalized. Presumably the person who put up the sign left a note for the vandals, “Dear vandal …..(with TDS) Leave our signs alone!”

Taken in isolation, these events may not be significant — yet, when considered in the aggregate, they are alarming. And it caused me to wonder, when did civil society come to an end?

When did we cross the line and move from ardent support for a candidate or position to unhinged behavior? I used to blame these actions on Trump. As someone who dislikes his rhetoric and brashness, I thought that he created this hostile environment. But on reflection, I don’t think that is a fair analysis. Harris and her campaign are as guilty of this as Trump. Previously, Biden and Hilary Clinton spoke similarly.

As a southeastern Pennsylvania resident, I have been inundated with mailers and streaming ads for both Republican and Democratic candidates. My teenage son asked me why none of the ads actually talk about their candidate’s position on a policy, rather they just attack the other side. You would think if my teenager could figure this out, that an overpaid political strategist could as well.

Or maybe, that is the point. Perhaps, the political consultants who design the messaging are responsible for the devolution of campaigns and ultimately society as a whole. Or possibly it is the mainstream media with biased reporting on both sides that is creating the problem. Regardless of who or what is causing the issue, our country is witnessing the end of civil discourse.

I encountered this personally a few years ago when I ran for mayor in my small town of West Chester. As a Libertarian, I knew that my views on local issues would not resonate with a lot of voters, as West Chester is not only a majority Democratic borough, but a heavily progressive area. I did not run to win because that was almost impossible, but I wanted to at least provide an option for voters rather than an unopposed race.

The street where I live has always been a tight knit community. Everyone knows each other and prior to the Covid lockdowns, we would all get together on a somewhat regular basis. I hosted at least one party a year at my home and all the neighbors attended and enjoyed food and drinks.

When I decided to run for mayor, I anticipated that at least some of the neighbors would not vote for me. I even invited a few over to share my platform with them in advance. And as expected, they did not support my views, and we politely agreed to disagree, and I made it clear that we would still be friends and neighbors. I thought that was the end of it.

Unfortunately, it was just the beginning. I was surprised a few weeks later when several of the neighbors, including the ones I met with, put up signs in their yard for my opponent. While I knew that they wouldn’t vote for me, I didn’t think it was necessary to put up a sign for my opponent. Had the roles been reversed, I would never have put up a sign against one of my neighbors, regardless of who I was voting for.

While their actions bothered me, I tried not to take it personally and continued to be cordial when we saw each other. However, it was not enough for them to put up the signs. On Halloween, which is a very big deal on our block with up to 300 trick-or-treaters, my opponent showed up on my neighbor’s sidewalk and started giving out candy and asking people to vote for her. She literally stood across the street from me while I was sitting on my porch giving out candy. My neighbors who had her sign posted in their yard saw what she was doing and never asked her to stop.

That incident was followed by another neighbor posting inflammatory and untrue comments about me and my husband on social media. These are people who had known me for twenty years and had spent countless hours in my home.

The point of sharing these stories is not to complain, but rather to highlight what is happening in our communities. These examples are a microcosm of what is happening across the region and the rest of the country. Common courtesy and civil discourse appear to be lost.

Whether in the form of threatening letters, defacing signs, or disrespect for years of friendship, these actions are all unacceptable. And they are unacceptable regardless of political affiliation. It is still not known where the letter campaign originated. Maybe it is an anti-Trump individual or group or maybe it is a group trying to make the Democratic Party look bad. Ultimately, we do not know and may not ever find out, but the point is that this is not ok.

Civility, respect, and decency are essential for our constitutional republic to survive. And perhaps, more importantly, they are imperative for our children to grow up with a sense of hope for the future. Meanwhile, campaigns continue to push negative and attacking messaging, and people become more aggressive towards the other side. This is the environment where someone thinks it is acceptable to send threatening letters or disregard 20 years of friendship.

Perhaps it is naive to hope for change, but it feels like we have reached a tipping point or a point of no return. If we cannot engage in civil discourse and disagree with one another in a non-threatening manner, Benjamin Franklin’s statement in 1787 may come to fruition. When asked whether we had a republic or a monarchy, he replied, “a republic, if you can keep it.”

Beth Ann Rosica resides in West Chester, has a Ph.D. in Education, and has dedicated her career to advocating on behalf of at-risk children and families. She covers education issues for Broad + Liberty. Contact her at [email protected].