Lack of Civility In Society

I am really tired of the lack of civility in American society, particularly when it comes to political discourse. Really, people seem to judge your character today by whether you are a "conservative" or a "liberal." I have people ask me straight up if I am a conservative, perhaps probing my worthiness as an American. Then they will proceed to tell me that they are a "conservative." What does that mean, exactly? If I tell them I am a "liberal", they will look at me like I am some sort of evil person. O.K., well, maybe a conservative is someone who is a "fan" of Glenn Beck or Rush Limbaugh. And, yes, a strong dislike for President Obama (excuse me, Barrack Hussein Obama), the right to guns, and hatred for abortion is essential!

Some of this has to do with where I live, here in the backwaters of Indiana, the cornfield that time forgot. Indiana is just a few states away from the Deep South...the real Deep South. Consequently, I think a great deal of the present hostility is just disguised racism. The n word is never used any more, but rest assured, it is never far from the surface in any discussion.

But look below the surface and you'll find that the devil is in the details. Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate for president in 1964 and an acknowledged conservative senator from Arizona, famously stated that the federal government had no business legislating abortion...which he viewed as personal decision. This is a libertarian point of view...which would seem to make sense to the anti-government types that fill the ranks of modern conservatives. This gives conservatives a lot of trouble rationalizing their agenda...they need government to enforce anti-abortion laws!

"Liberal" is just a word for being open-minded, which strikes me as just about right, given that conservatives seem to have closed minds. Listening to Beck and LImbaugh doesn't count, because those types are self-admitted entertainers, and the 20% or so of their audience that laps them up seems to go along for the ride, ignorant of what they're being conned into.