Why is the nation becoming more uncivil?
by John Klar
The widening political divide in America is ripping apart the social fabric that has historically guided the nation. The country has experienced division before, as seen in the Civil War and the Vietnam War. The current rift threatens to worsen before healing and reconciliation can begin. A recent study reveals the disconnect between what Americans say they want and what they actually do.
We conservatives tend to perceive ourselves as victims of a barrage of slanders and stereotyping at odds with our values, launched in social justice volleys by a hypocritical far-left extremism that preaches tolerance and love while inflicting the opposite. Americans on the left feel they are the victims of labels of snowflake and soyboy, and that such pejorative monikers are undeserved.
A comprehensive poll of 3,000 U.S. adults titled “The Civility Paradox” reveals that both sides of the political aisle perceive themselves as civil and the other side as agitators. This reflects human nature, recalling the scriptural admonition to withdraw the log from one’s own eye rather than focus on the twig in another’s. (Matthew 7:5)
The landmark poll reflects a bitterly splintered American social landscape in which “…individuals overwhelmingly see themselves as civil and respectful, [but] only 26% believe society itself feels civil.” Two-thirds of respondents reported experiencing negative mental health impacts from incivility. How much are we sin-cursed humans our own worst enemies?
The survey’s findings are alarming, but hardly surprising – especially in view of the acrimonious national wrangling following the appalling murder of Charlie Kirk. The celebration of Kirk’s death by thousands of left-leaning Democrats was more visceral and appalling than the physical act itself. A moral/spiritual deterioration is afoot: the rage-hate witnessed is not merely one actor; it is a contagion spawned by Baal or Moloch.
The Civility Paradox poll revealed some interesting demographic disparities. Gen Z, whites, liberals, and LGBTQ+ respondents were more likely to say they experienced negative impacts on their mental health from incivility, whereas blacks and asian Americans reported greater resilience. Boomers were more likely to say that incivility has increased in the past year than Gen Z. Additionally, Boomers (71%) and Gen X (70%) are more likely to view the problem as one of individual responsibility than Gen Z (48%).
This latter disparity may reflect the penchant for today’s young to expect (Marxist?) government to solve all problems via increased state domination. Americans widely viewed the problem as common, but themselves as exempt: 90% said people are quick to judge others, 86% said people are focused on winning arguments, and 80% said people are more self-centered than they used to be. At the same time, 80% reported they can ask questions to clarify perspective, 77% say they can clearly express their point of view without disparaging others, and 66% say they employ collaboration or compromise to handle conflict.
This sociological paradox affirms the biblical admonition against hypocrisy couched in a metaphor of logs and sticks. However, I suggest that the problem is not reflected equally on both sides of the political aisle. Democrats demand obedience to their identity politics and tribalism on pain of cancellation, shaming, ending relationships, or labeling silence as violent. They wave rainbow flags on inclusion while stereotyping people based solely on skin color and excluding as fascists anyone who does not bow to their uniparty’s ideology.
Conservatives allow individuals to vote for whomever they wish, and do not tremble in irrepresible fury at the name of the president. They do not believe the “system” has denied them a fair shake, nor do they expect everything to be rosy in life. They understand that capitalism is indeed imperfect, but that communism is a far worse alternative.
This is a healthier – and more civil – worldview than the far-left extremism that applauds murder, rioting, shoplifting, and rampant physical assaults against those who dare express opinions that deviate from their deviance. The Civility Paradox survey found that 57% of Americans report they’ve held back their honest opinions in the past year to avoid conflict, and 35% said they don’t feel safe sharing their honest opinions on social media – that’s surely not a common restraint for social justice “warriors.”
The cause of America’s growing political divide must be laid squarely at the feet of those suffering most as a consequence – the self-immolating, Tylenol-gobbling, Tesla-keying, nose-ringed cadre of screaming meanies that complain that everyone else is mean to them. The log-eyed left howls at the twig-eyed right, but studies show consistently that it is the godless, Wiccan, Satanic crowd that is sacrificing itself on the altar of the social justice cult.
This sickness caused by left-wing extremism is statistically measurable:
“A March 2023 commentary by sociologist Musa al-Gharbi concluded that “it’s a scientific fact that conservatives tend to be happier and more well-adjusted than liberals, and ideological gaps in well-being have expanded since 2011.” …Thus, the root causes of TDS might not be political at all, but rather a side effect of the core worldview and mental state that leads to a leftist alignment.”
There is no civility paradox: the Left is simply more uncivil.
The author is a Brookfield best-selling author, lawyer, farmer and pastor.