Reply #8: There is a lot of frustration [View All]

[Az]

On all sides.

The problem with civil discourse is it is so easy to disrupt. Two people can engage in a conversation civilly only to be drawn into a spitting match because someone not interested in a civil conversation enters the fray.

The trick to avoiding this pitfall is to not look for insults to take issue with. Instead stick to the issue being discussed. If someone obviously is not interested in civil discourse there is no reason you have to respond to them.

I fear the heated discussions that are more about how angry people are drive away many people that would like to enjoy a difficult but civil discussion of these matters. It really is a choice. You can choose to allow the disparaging words to affect you or you can choose to focus on conversing with those that wish to be civil. Also too remember that comments may not be meant as uncivil. They merely be reflective of a different view of a matter. And that is part of the gap we are trying to bridge through conversation.