Civility? Whoopi!
Whoopi Goldberg has written a book warning of our society's decline in civility. Yes, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Oh, Klavan, you lovable rapscallion, always a ready jest, ever the gamboling ludic mindplay!" But no, no, this is serious! The woman who clutched her crotch because the President was named Bush and told protesters she disagreed with to "Kiss my butt!" is lecturing us on civility. And what's more, this, really, is par for the lefty course. If my memory serves, it was Bill Clinton who first made this an issue when Rush Limbaugh began to eat into his support. Suddenly there was a problem with civility in American discourse. Right. For forty years, whites were called racist, men were called pigs, ordinary Americans were called stupid, bigoted rednecks... and then Rush argued back and suddenly it was: "Whoa! Whoa! Civility! Civility!" Why? Because incivility is just one more leftist code word for "Shut up if you disagree." My response? Kiss my Whoopi.
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Jun '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
Andrew, has any one (other than your mother) ever told you? You have a gift!!
Edited on Oct 13, 2010 at 8:19amOct '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
When the time comes for the American Left to take a serious run at openly** criminalizing speech with which they don't agree, Americans will be less inclined to rebel if it is has aleady been well established that such speech is uniformly uncivil and unfair.
Americans have traditionally been plain-spoken. Rudeness- when the occasion calls for it- can be tolerated. But we are also a fair-minded people, and incivility is not viewed as "fair." That is why "incivility" is the talking point, not "rudeness."
**The Left is, of course, already doing so in corners such as colleges and workplaces. (Also: both incivility and uncivility are correct- I just looked them up.)
May '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
She said a lot of uncivil, gross, and dishonest things about Ronald Reagan too.
May '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
Jun '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
It's back to the FIRST RULE. Civil discourse only applies when discussing a Democratic President, politician, or policy. If conservative, all bets are off, Katy bar the door, hide the children.
Jun '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
Whoopi on civility. Wow!! What next? Biden on dignity. Obama on humility. Spitzer on fidelity. Pelosi on fiscal restraint. Reid on public speaking.
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
The desire for civility seems to come and go as White House occupants do the same.
Aug '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
Is she for "civil civility" like she's against "rape rape"?what a fraud!
Oct '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
I shall on my inaugural post of Ricochet channel my "inner Leftist:"
"Oh, puh-lease! Civility Schmivility--why put all that time and effort into even-toned, cogent arguments when a good string of unhinged profanity will snap some people back into the desired intellectual Gleichschaltung?
"If that fails, wash 'em over with the same jackbooted verbage, rinse with a liberal dose of Godwin's law (or its 21st century counterpart, Heidefelder's Law--the longer one argues with a lefty, the greater the chance of being labeled a racist), and repeat. Dissidents will either move away or silently submit themselves to ever avoid arguing with you again.
"And you never had to do an ounce of research in the process. Ahhhh, isn't progressivism lovely?"
Now I shall give myself the intellectual equivalent of a capful of mouthwash...
Oct '10
Re: Civility? Whoopi!
Whoopi is about as civil as Bill Maher is intelligent.