What happened to civility at public meetings?

Generally, civility is an act of politeness or courtesy. At public meetings, it was thought unprofessional to act in a disruptive manner, make personal criticisms, or act disrespectful in any manner.

Public meetings used to be conducted with disagreements expressed in a respectful manner. Not so, apparently, in today's society fueled by both headline grabbing statements and social media's impersonal nature.

Although politics has always been filled with innuendo, outrageous claims, and general boastfulness; generally civility was practiced at most public meetings between elected officials and the public.

Ralph could not hold back his distain. Every comment he made was critical. The surprising part to me was that his comments were not based on all the facts or a full knowledge of all the background needed to fully understand the present situation.

It didn't seem to matter. Making a public spectacle seemed more important to him than holding a public discussion to attain all the facts. It made good theater in my mind, but didn't really accomplish anything to solve the issue.

I've always been taught that personal attacks, rudeness, disrespectful comments, and aggressive behavior lead to unproductive conclusions. We are human, capable of mistakes, so a few minor incidents of incivility are not in themselves a major concern. However, a pattern of incivility should be unacceptable, especially in public meetings.

Was Ralph trying to be a cad? Probably not, but his actions appeared caddish on the surface.

Outlandish statements, foolish questions, and unprofessional attacks on character and intelligence have no place in public meetings in my opinion. I wasn't taught to be like that, as my parents insisted that I act with civility.

I'm sure that Ralph's parents taught him civility too. Perhaps modern politics may have shaded his inner virtue of how to conduct himself in public.

All of us should act with civility while in public. Free to disagree with views we oppose, but in a manner that is respectful. We demand respect for our views. Giving respect is no less required.

It's my lesson learned this time. Because I didn't like what I saw in Ralph, I knew what to do and look for in myself.

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