The Effects of Uncivil Political Theatre

The recent debate in Washington over increasing the national debt ceiling has brought the issue of civility front and center again. Although Congress was able to hammer out an eleventh-hour legislative compromise, the process was anything but civil. Noticeably lacking in the debate was any semblance of mutual respect for diverse ideas or meaningful consensus. Instead competing factions used the political process to vilify each other and try to score political points.  

According to a Washington Post/Pew Research Center poll released on Monday, 75 percent of the people polled were disturbed by the behavior of politicians during the budget negotiation process. The top five words used to describe the process were ridiculous, disgust, stupid, frustrating, and poor. Other adjectives included terrible, disappointing, and childish. Interestingly, the dissatisfaction expressed in the poll was consistent among people of all political persuasions. Michael Muskal of the Los Angeles Times noted that “the only good thing about this poll was that the battle seems to have brought people together.”

What affect does political incivility have on people? Bryan Gervais argues that political incivility “breeds distrust” and “substantially lower views of opposing sides” (see The Effects of Incivility in News Media on Political Deliberation) According to Gervais people exposed to uncivil media tend to “mirror that incivility.” When uncivil political discourse receives extensive media coverage, as was the case for the debt ceiling debates, it essentially “legitimizes the use of uncivil language and behavior.” 

Perhaps the incivility in Washington contributes to our own civility struggles. Are we mirroring the behavior of our elected leaders and political pundits? With so many American outraged by the dysfunctional political conduct in Washington, this is a good time to reflect on what it means to be civil, especially in high-pressure situations. Can meaningful consensus be achieved when people with drastically different ideologies work together? Clearly the model of leadership we witnessed over the past weeks has left many wanting to see less mudslinging and more civility. 

Kent M. Weeks  

Cheating, Plagiarism, and Civility

Incivility often manifests itself on campus in the form of cheating and plagiarism. According to an extensive four-year survey of 14,000 undergraduate students conducted by Donald McCabe, two-thirds of students admitted to cheating on tests, homework, and assignments. Research shows that while cheating occurs among students of all levels, students at the top and bottom tend to cheat the most. According to McCabe, “The top’s cheating to thrive, the bottom’s cheating to survive.”

Researchers believe that students are seduced into cheating for a number of different reasons. One of the main drivers is the intense academic pressure some students put on themselves to succeed. Competition to get into good colleges and universities is fierce. Admission into top schools is often seen as a ticket to future success, and many highly motivated students will do whatever it takes to get in—even if it means bending the rules. 

Another factor contributing to cheating is peer acceptance of the practice. According to David Rettinger, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Mary Washington, even when students know cheating is against the rules “most still look to their peers for cues as to what behaviors and attitudes are acceptable.” The belief that everyone is cheating creates a social norm among students that academic dishonesty is just a part of college life. This social norm of cheating may encourage students who might not otherwise cheat to do so just to stay competitive, especially when so many cheaters seem to get away with it.

Others cheat simply because they are not aware their conduct offends academic norms. This often occurs in the context of plagiarism when a student does not completely understand what is required for proper reference and citation. However, psychological research suggests that students that habitually cheat stop viewing their conduct as immoral.    

Students typically just don’t start cheating when they arrive on campus. Most cheating begins in high school. A study by the Josephson Institute of Ethics of 40,000 high school students released earlier this year found that more than half of teenaged students cheated on a test during the last school year and one in three admitted to using the Internet to plagiarize an assignment. Likewise, cheating does not typically stop when students leave academia. There is research that suggests that academic cheating continues with other forms of dishonesty later in life, such as breaking workplace rules, cheating on spouses, or lying to a customer. Accordingly, curbing academic dishonesty and creating new community norms about cheating is crucial to educating responsible and civil adults.

Kent M. Weeks

Incivility in the Library

Everyone knows that the library is a place of quiet study. Students and teachers alike can retreat to the library to research, study, and perhaps find a quiet table to catch a quick nap. In mid-March, however, two incidents burst into national headlines regarding student incivility in libraries. Yes libraries!

The first involved a dispute over a library study room at George Mason University.  According to the Washington Post, the study room was first occupied by Abdirashid Dahir, a Muslim student from Somalia. Dahir had left the room momentarily to get his laptop charger. When he returned, he found all of his belongings placed in the hallway and a female student occupying the room.  Both students claimed dibs on the room and during a heated exchange of words, the female student allegedly warned Dahir that if he did not leave she would get him in a lot of trouble. The female student made good on her promise, because within hours Dahir was arrested for felony abduction.

The second library incident occurred when Alexandra Wallace, a student at UCLA, posted a three-minute video on YouTube ranting on how Asian students were constantly disrupting others in the library by engaging in loud cell phone conversations. The video went on to make other disparaging and offensive comments about Asians. According to Wallace, the “hordes of Asian people that UCLA accepts” should use “American manners.”

Both of these incidents drew national attention and demonstrated how incivility can get out of control. The common thread of racial tension underscores the challenges students often encounter when living, learning, and working in a diverse global community.

So what eventually happened to Dahir and Wallace? The felony abduction charges were dropped against Dahir and the abduction allegations are currently being reviewed through an internal university process.  As for Wallace, she removed her video and issued a public apology in the UCLA student newspaper.  

Incivility, or the lack of regard for others in the community, can escalate into offenses that can be far reaching. While we may rightfully disagree with another’s conduct, uncivil responses rarely lead to productive outcomes.

Kent M. Weeks

Does Civility Matter?

Common civility is becoming a lost art. In our busy and complex lives, simple gestures of politeness, such as smiling or saying “thank you” have become uncommon. We have come to expect some level of disrespect in just about every facet of our lives. People drive recklessly and without regard to others. Many engage in loud and obnoxious cell phones conversations in restaurants, buses, and movie theaters. Others deliberately litter. 

Chances are that there will always be rude, disrespectful people. So why should we be concerned about increased incivility?  Isn’t incivility an inherent byproduct of a democratic society? After all, there is this thing called the First Amendment. Why does civility matter?

A clue to these questions can be found by probing deeper into the definition of civility. While civility is technically defined as politeness and associated with good manners, the etymology of the word hints at a more expansive meaning.

The modern English word “civility” comes from the Latin word “civitas”, referring to the city or civic community. In this context, civility refers to civilized conduct of citizens. More than just politeness, the civitas element of civility calls for an individual commitment to strengthening the community, as opposed to focusing exclusively on one’s own wishes and desires.  Translated to a modern context, civitas includes acts of community service, such as helping a sick neighbor or serving with a volunteer organization aiding others in the community. 

Whether the community is a neighborhood, college campus, state, or country, civitas requires people to behave in a way that recognizes and respects the needs of others in the community. This more expansive application of civility is reminiscent of the Golden Rule, which encourages people to treat others in the same manner as they would want to be treated. 

As civil people, our conduct toward others should be guided by mutual respect. Conduct such as driving while intoxicated, plagiarism, and bullying would all be examples of uncivil behavior. Such conduct does not take into consideration the needs of others, and may be harmful to the community.

The growing culture of incivility is critically important because it represents more than just poor manners, but rather a lack of consideration for others. This lack of respect, left unchecked, can perpetuate incivility and can lead to even more dangerous uncivil conduct. Consider the string of Columbine-style shootings that have occurred in the high schools, colleges, and shopping malls over the last decade, including the latest in Tucson, Arizona, where a U.S. Representative was critically injured and six victims died.

Civility has once again become part of the national conversation.  Citizens, politicians, college students and scholars are opening a new dialogue, saying civility does matter.  The many voices don’t agree on all the details of civil conduct, but the fact that they’re having the conversation in the first place is a start. 

Kent M. Weeks