Lack of Civility Is Nothing New

When Representative Wilson shouted “You lie!” during a speech by President Obama a few years back, his bad behavior was quickly denounced. What most people did not comment on, because we forget our history, is that Representative Wilson was not the first congressman from South Carolina to behave badly on the floor of Congress.

When the Wilson story first broke what got my attention was the implication that this rude behavior was something new. In the back of my mind there is a U.S. News and World Report article from the 1980’s about America’s “epidemic of rudeness.” If you do a Google search on the phrase “epidemic of rudeness” you’ll find 354,000 web pages on the topic.

One editorial on Wilson’s behavior seemed to justify it by saying the Democrats did it, too, when they booed remarks by President Bush during a speech in 2005. Since when is my bad behavior justified because someone else behaved badly?

As we look at the Trump and Biden years, this kind of thing shows no signs of letting up. During Trump’s 2020 State of the Union address, Democrats interrupted when he discussed legislation  regarding prescription drug pricing, reacting vocally to his call for bipartisan support. This was noted as a breach of decorum, though not explicitly labeled as heckling.

Democrats’ protests during Trump’s addresses were often framed as reactions to his provocative rhetoric, but sources note these actions contributed to perceptions of a divided and undisciplined party response.

In a bit of tit-for-tat, Republicans repeatedly interrupted Joe Biden’s 2023 SOTU address with jeering and booing, particularly when he accused them of wanting to sunset Social Security and Medicare. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) shouted “Liar!” during this segment, echoing Rep. Joe Wilson’s 2009 outburst. Other Republicans also heckled, creating a raucous atmosphere. These interruptions were seen as part of a growing trend of heckling, with Biden responding ad-lib, engaging in a back-and-forth that some viewed as a rhetorical victory for him.

In return, during Trump’s return to Congress in 2025, House Democrats again engaged in disruptive protests. Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) heckled Trump early in the speech, questioning his claimed “mandate,” leading to his removal from the chamber by the House sergeant-at-arms after ignoring Speaker Mike Johnson’s warnings. Other Democrats, staged a walkout, displaying “Resist” on their shirts. These actions were described as an “extraordinary display of partisan scuffling,” with Democratic leaders appearing pained by the lack of decorum.

Both parties have contributed to the erosion of decorum in Congress, with heckling and protests becoming more common. The 2009 incident with Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) shouting at President Obama set a precedent, after which interruptions became less shocking. Democrats and Republicans alike have justified their behavior by pointing to the other side’s actions. However, historical incidents like the 1856 assault by Rep. Preston Brooks on Sen. Charles Sumner illustrate that extreme breaches of decorum are not new, though modern instances tend to involve verbal rather than physical confrontations.

In May 1856 South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks demonstrated less than model behavior by assaulting Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane while he sat in the Senate Chamber. The beating was so severe that Sumner was blinded by his own blood and passed out whereupon the South Carolina representative continued to beat him. It's clearly one of the more infamous moments in Congressional history. 

Brooks' brutal assault of Sumner after Sumner delivered a fiery antislavery speech, “The Crime Against Kansas.” In his address, Sumner mocked pro-slavery senators, including Andrew Butler, Brooks’ relative. Days later, Brooks entered the Senate chamber and struck Sumner repeatedly on the head and shoulders until the cane shattered, leaving Sumner bleeding and unconscious.

The attack shocked the nation, deepening the already fierce sectional divide. In the South, Brooks was celebrated as a defender of honor, receiving gifts of replacement canes. In the North, Sumner became a martyr for the antislavery cause, his lengthy recovery symbolizing the violence of slavery itself. The incident intensified hostilities between North and South, fueling the polarization that would soon ignite into the Civil War.

In short, civility in Congress has often been fragile, strained by deep divisions and personal animosities. While the tools of disruption have changed—from canes to shouted insults—these incidents reflect a recurring struggle to maintain decorum in the face of passionate disagreement.

We imagine that our nation has never been this polarized before, but guess what? It a bit of deja vu of sorts, isn't it? By remembering our history, we can better recognize that today’s challenges are not entirely new, but rather part of a long, complex narrative of conflict and confrontation in American governance. 

What do you think?

EdNote: The illustrations on this page are AI-altered versions of my original paintings.

An Epidemic of Rudeness in the Land

In stores, in offices, even in the White House, ordinary courtesy seems to be going out of style. For a look at what's going on and why…

In Atlanta, an angry woman shopper hurls a box of shoes at a clerk and stalks out of the store.

In New York, two elderly women are spun out of a revolving door and thrown across the lobby of an apartment building by young people who whirl the door around too rapidly.

In Los Angeles, a woman waits in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles for 45 minutes, only to have a clerk slam the window in her face.

At the White House, consumer representatives complain so harshly to the President about fuel prices that the President's consumer adviser feels compelled to apologize in writing for their conduct.

Are Americans behaving more rudely toward each other these days?

Many insist that discourtesy is on the increase, and they blame it on all sorts of causes-pressures of an uncertain economy, overcrowding, lack of training in home and schools, a growth of self-centeredness. In fact, many Americans feel that rudeness has reached epidemic proportions.

* * * 

Would it surprise you if I said that the president referred to in the White House paragraph was Jimmy Carter? Though I left his name out, as well as the name of his consumer advisor, everything else that you read is verbatim. It's the introduction to a longer article that appeared in U.S. News & World Report on June 25, 1979. 

The subheads, if you were to keep reading, tell the story.

--Selfishness is on the rise.

--Well-mannered young?

--Gasoline frenzy.

--Regional rudeness.

Across the page is an interview with Jonathan Freedman, a professor of psychology at Columbia University. That story is titled, "Why All the Discourtesy? People Are Angry"

With the megaphone of social media, the impression I had when I read this is that things were pretty tame back then compared to what we're seeing now. What do you think?

Lack of Civility Gives Us Something To Talk About

Anyone with an ear half open to D.C. politics is aware that Representative Wilson behaved badly when he shouted “You lie!” during a recent speech by President Obama earlier this month. What most people do not comment on, because we forget our history, is that Representative Wilson was not the first congressman from South Carolina to behave badly on the floor of Congress.

In May 1856 South Carolina Rep. Preston Brooks demonstrated less than model behavior by assaulting Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane while he sat in the Senate Chamber. The beating was so severe that Sumner was blinded by his own blood and passed out whereupon the South Carolina representative continued to beat him.

When the Wilson story first broke what got my attention was the implication that this, rude behavior, was something new. In the back of my mind there is a U.S. News and World Report article from the 1980’s about America’s “epidemic of rudeness.” If you do a Google search on the phrase “epidemic of rudeness” you’ll find 354,000 web pages on the topic.

One editorial on Wilson’s behavior seemed to justify it by saying the Democrats did it, too, when they booed remarks by President Bush during a speech in 2005. Since when is my bad behavior justified because someone else behaved badly?

There were so many good articles on this topic that I wanted to cite, but will limit it to two. The first is from a website assembled by the Rude Busters.

Let’s face it: the Golden Rule is tarnished...
Common courtesy doesn’t exist anymore. Civility, manners, and politeness are nostalgic memories. We’re more mean-spirited than ever.

At concerts, in the air, in supermarkets, in business dealings, at sporting events, everywhere, people are selfish, angry, rude and crude (doctors are even being cited for rudeness in malpractice suits). And former President Clinton convened the National Commission on Civic Renewal, after citing a “toxic atmosphere of cynicism" back in 1997.

The media has been taking notice of our bad manners and bad attitudes and some of the statistics, insights and suggestions are politely offered here for you to access:

In a July 18, 2000 report, researchers confirm we’re in the midst of an anger and rudeness epidemic. “Going postal” – there’s even a catchphrase for our hostility and uncivil behavior. This USA Today piece by Karen S. Peterson helps us understand what contributes to today’s short tempers....

Reuben Navarette, Jr. in a CNN commentary wrote:

There are many people out there, in all walks of life, who think they're more significant than they really are. Plagued with an exaggerated sense of self-importance, they feel entitled to do whatever they want, whenever they want to do it no matter whom it hurts.

The self-centered rarely think about the consequences because they're too busy claiming what they see as their rightful place in the spotlight. And when they're criticized for letting their narcissism get the best of them and face the wrath of their colleagues or the disapproval of their fans, they might apologize. But, even then, they often don't do a very good job of it because their heart's not in it.

Dylan's lines from his song License to Kill (Infidels, 1983) reference this pervasive narcissism.

"Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool
And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled
Oh, man is opposed to fair play
He wants it all and he wants it his way."

And his later Oh Mercy album likewise reiterates the theme with a song titled "The Disease of Conceit." This is at the root of our bad behavior.

What I like about the Rude Busters article cited above is that instead of just pointing fingers at culprits out in the public square they bring it back down to our own level. I can't change what Joe Wilson did or even how he behaves tomorrow, but I can own what I say and do today in my own sphere.

Rudeness takes many forms. And many people practice downright rudeness daily. So here’s something to keep in mind: a rude encounter is remembered for a lifetime. Let’s think about how we want to be remembered -- and maybe try to be worth remembering.

I agree.

Black Friday Mayhem Symptom of Larger Problem

By now, nearly all of us have heard about it. People were talking about it over drinks on Spirit Mountain at the AMSOIL Duluth Nationals Snocross event here last night. People are going to be talking about it over breakfast tables this morning.

A Fox News version of the story begins like this: “Black Friday took a grim turn when a New York Wal-Mart employee died after bargain hunters broke down the doors to the store, pushing him to the ground.” One man was killed and four others sent to the hospital in the madness. Evidently the mob turned even uglier when the store had the audacity to announce they would close briefly to tend to the dead and wounded.

In an unrelated West Coast event, two people were shot to death at a Toys R Us. Probably not gang related.

So the question is, how badly do you need that 52 inch flat panel television set or GPS device that was on sale?

No, that is not what we should be asking. The real question we should ask is how did it come to this that people are so self-centered and rude that they would be this out of control.

A fellow I was talking with at the snocross event actually went shopping yesterday morning. He said it was unplanned, but since he and his wife were lying awake, why not get up and go to the store to see the madness and take advantage of some bargains. At one store, there was congestion due to the crowd just inside the door. He said a group of women huddled together in the parking lot, then, ran toward the doors, forming a wedge of blockers like in a football kickoff return, and crashed into the store through the bulk of shoppers blocking their way. He’d never seen anything like it.

Oprah, in her magazine O, addressed the issue of rudeness earlier this year. She asked Jerry Seinfeld his biggest pet peeve and he said “a lack of civility.” The article, Are you rude? Maybe you should think again highlighted the following points:
Eighty percent of Americans think rudeness is a serious national problem
Ninety-nine percent of same people say that they themselves are not rude
Going through life rude and angry can make you sick, author says
To see rudeness in action, look in the restaurants of America

I was struck by the second point here, that the majority think they are not rude. Reason being, I am rude sometimes and know that I am. And I know it's wrong. And, I really am trying to change. How can you change if you don't think you are doing anything wrong? How can 99% of Americans see that rudeness is a problem, but only one percent see themselves as being rude?

The answer is that a lot people believe they have a right to be rude sometimes but don’t call it rudeness. Impatience is one way we demonstrate uncivil behavior and justify it. And yes, the Oprah article is correct, restaurants do give you a fairly accurate reflection of how rude we are. Restaurant waitresses have to routinely deal with rude people who are impatient when their food is not served immediately after it is ordered. It is our right to be so served, is it not? We tend to demand fast service, AND service with a smile, no matter how badly we treat those who are serving us.

In an article titled The Social Epidemic of Rudeness V.C. Higuera writes, “It amazes me how rude people are today. I am sure that this type of behavior has always existed. Maybe I was raised different. Growing up I noticed that my parents always showed consideration for those around them. If we were driving in the parking lot of the grocery store, they would always stop the car to allow pedestrians to walk. If they walked into a store, they always briefly held the door for the person behind them. The strangers who receive my parent’s kind gesture were always appreciative and demonstrated this with a hand wave or a thank you. I grew up thinking that this was the proper way to interact with others while in public.”

There it is. People were once trained to be polite as part of their upbringing. At least some were so trained.

But then, isn’t it our nature to want everything our own way? Today’s rudeness may be directly related to the “Me Generation” coming of age. It is my right to be treated with respect, like a god. We drive down the highway this way: Everyone out of my way. I am coming down the road. Get out of my way. And we consider it an insult when someone cuts us off, even if unintentionally.

I used to think a “high-powered executive” was one who gets results. Maybe it is someone who excels in rudeness, in pushing people to get them to do what he needs to get done so he achieves those results. I never saw it that way until I read this article about hospitals trying to reign in rude doctors.

“High-powered physicians, some with bad tempers, are not new. But increasingly, hospitals… are attempting to curb the reputations of rude or arrogant surgeons and doctors by instituting policies that hold all employees accountable for their behavior.” ~ E.B. Solomont, Hospitals Try To Rein in Doctors' Rudeness, N.Y. Sun

Hmmm. The same can probably be said for high-powered executives.

And the mobs yesterday at Wal-Mart stores across America? It was only a matter of time before something like this would happen. I don’t think we need more laws to fix this problem. We just need to practice day to day what we all know is a good and true maxim for life: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Making the world a better place begins with me.