Violence from Incivility

The breaking and entering to Paul and Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco is one of many signals that our national incivility toward one another has gone far beyond reasonable limits. Paul Pelosi was attacked, beaten and nearly killed. He still has a long recuperation from brain surgery caused by the attack.

The culprit was caught. His intent is not yet fully clear, but his words make it clear he wanted to hurt Nancy Pelosi. He wanted her to be home. She wasn’t so Mr. Pelosi received the violent attention.

Like the January 6th attack on the US Capitol, people went from complaining and insulting to physical and dangerous. They broke into the Capitol building. They smashed windows, doors and decorative items. They broke into private offices, stole government and private property, and beat anyone who stood in their way. Strangers or policemen, it did not matter. Brutally beaten. Some were admittedly scared to death. At least five of those police died from their injuries.

Moving beyond political activism to lethal attack mode is now their status. Guns make it easier to go beyond threatening to actual killing. Having attacked the Capitol, the protesters seem to be intent on continuing their physical attacks. And this all from political disagreement.

A crowd on the brink of violence is a dangerous thing. Once it breaches, the crowd is likely to become violent. We have seen it many times. Street violence by strangers acting as mob is prevalent in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Individual acts of violence are now common. School shootings, whether one or two victims or scores, does not lessen the reality that death and life-threatening injury is on tap. It takes very little, evidently, to loosen the cords of civil restraint.

How sad that is. “Let me get that door for you, that chair.” How are you this morning?” “So glad to see you.”  Are these empty words or intended to welcome, serve and be polite? In an age of incivility, gun violence and mob action, it is anyone’s guess what we can expect following disappointing election results, or losses or wins of favorite sports teams.

Where people get the idea, it is OK to act this way is a mystery to me. There are many causes people talk about without knowing for certain those theories are accurate. I think the issue is much more complex. Worse, I don’t know what the solutions are.

I keep going back to the thought that good manners mean something. If we all practiced them, good manners might just be the thing that quells the unrest and violence. Does this mean we have to turn to our aging parents and grandparents to relearn manners?

If so, let’s discuss this with them soon. Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Time to talk turkey.

November 2, 2022

 

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