Wacky Wednesday--Civility Is Overrated

Note: Before reading the following arguments, please understand that they are not what I believe. On Wednesdays, I deliberately argue for wrong ideas, challenging my listeners to call and defend the obvious right answer, which is usually far harder than one would expect. This is a summary of what Wacky Andrew will be arguing, not a representation of what real Andrew believes.

~If you really hate someone, being decent is a form of lying.

~Honesty is always better, even if it’s mean honesty.

~You should be able to express yourself any way you want to. That’s what people have fought and died to protect in this country.

~It’s less effective than being rude.

~Humor and negative emotion are extremely powerful persuasive tools.

~Negative ads get run in campaigns for a reason. Because negative emotion works.

~Some people don’t deserve respect. To offer it to them is to legitimize them.

~Some ideas don’t’ deserve respect. To treat them with it is to legitimize them.

~Incivility at root is an attempt to make our opponents look bad, when they really are bad.

~Democracy presumes the ability and willingness to hear everyone’s point of view.

~Free speech presumes that anyone can communicate any idea in any way he is able. If he stutters, we should still listen. If he swears, well, some people swear a lot.

~All this talk about being nice to one another is a distraction from the real issues which are what inspired all the rude talk in the first place.

~Sometimes it takes rudeness to penetrate a closed mind. “Gosh why does everyone hate me and treat me so badly?”

~“Be more civil” is what the Baptist leadership told MLK jr.

~Civiltarians are more interested in losing well than winning badly.

~Rudeness is a form of power, and we should use power for good purposes.

~Polite protestors don’t get air time and genial guests don’t get invited on talk shows.

~Civility is just another way of marginalizing those who aren’t skilled at the rules of etiquette.

~Elijah was not particularly polite to the prophets of Baal, nor Jesus to the moneychangers or the Pharisees.