It pisses me off that we, as a society, are spending so much time debating “civility” when children are in concentration camps. It pisses me off that Sarah Huckabee Sanders getting kicked out of a Virginia restaurant is somehow “the death of civility,” but Donald Trump’s daily incitements of violence and his rising authoritarian and fascism is somehow a big shrug for many of the political intelligentsia. It’s perfectly fine with me if all Trump officials are verbally harassed, shunned and shamed every day for the rest of their lives. It’s fine with me if every restaurant in America refuses to serve these fascist f–kheads permanently. But we’re still being told to be civil, to be polite, to not be angry, to be respectful and respectable. F–k that noise. The NY Times actually ran a thoughtful op-ed saying just that:
This op-ed all day: "Faced with the unceasing cruelty of the Trump presidency, liberals have not taken to marching around in public with weapons and threatening civil war. They're using their cultural power because it’s the only power they have left." https://t.co/1nQaF3L8An
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) June 26, 2018
It’s a good piece. And in case you haven’t seen it, #civility is trending on Twitter this morning and people are actually saying some thoughtful things too. Some of my favorite tweets:
your right to #civility ended when you started taking away civil rights
— Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) June 26, 2018
One bodyslammed a reporter
One mocked a disabled reporter
One molested underage girls behind a dumpster
One laughed when a girl with Down Syndrome was taken from her parents….
But please GOP tell me more about #civility.
— Tony Posnanski (@tonyposnanski) June 26, 2018
Another one of @realDonaldTrump’s KKK-styled rallies is happening in Columbia, South Carolina tonight.
MAGA Cultists are seen getting in Journalists’ faces, threatening them including one yelling at @Acosta to "get the f*ck out!” of the venue.
Their version of #civility.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) June 25, 2018
Maybe the civility argument is a trap, a sideshow. But what I can’t help but think is that it’s all connected, just like the Trump-Russia treason is connected to the ethical violations which are connected to Stormy Daniels and Michael Cohen, and on and on. It’s all part of the same patchwork of the Trump authoritarian regime, where words don’t mean anything and lies don’t matter, where a free press is denigrated and maligned, and where and no one will give a sh-t if you said “please” and “thank you” when children are being kidnapped by the state and held for ransom. Cruelty is policy now and maybe “civility” was just something white people used to keep down women and minorities.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Agree with this whole post.
Civility doesn’t mean that Sarah Huckabee Sanders gets to insult journalists, lie in the press room every day, etc, and then face no repercussions for that after work. Democrats have few weapons left currently (hopefully that is not true after November 2018). Refusing service to SHS is one of those weapons.
Absolutely.
Congress has abdicated its duty to hold the executive branch accountable, which means it is is up to citizens to do so. Peaceful protest is our right and we need to use it every chance we get.
Yes, exactly. And then maybe we can go back to pointless gossip!
The issue with Sarah Huckabee Sanders is not that she was thrown out of a restaurant, it is that she broke the law by using her government account to admonish a private business.
On another point, why cover Trump rallies at all and then broadcast his lies? He needs constant media coverage to breathe. Deprive him of that air. The media needs to re-frame how they package him to the public.
Respectability politics. The bullies are in charge and if we ask nicely, maybe they’ll let some of us keep some of our civil rights.
Trump wants to be America’s abusive dad.
So that Americans will turn out like Don Jnr, Eric and Ivanka? Oh, dear…
And also just to point out – the people being treated “poorly” right now are the faces of the Trump administration.
I haven’t heard any reports of an actual low level staffer* in the White House or someone who delivers the mail to Scott Pruitt or whatever being harassed or kicked out of the nearest Starbucks or whatever. So the extent people are using their power to tell the SHS’s of this administration that they are not welcome, I’m all for that.
*Since SHS is not a low level staffer, no matter what someone said in the other post about this.
There have been stories of lower level republicans complaining that they cannot get laid. (Really!) So, there is that.
they’ve been complaining about that since the election. curious that they don’t seem to be interested in dating one another, isn’t it?
Yes I read that article. So they are basically either going to have to date each other (which they won’t for some reason) or they will be alone forever.
Maybe dating a fellow Trump staffer is considered incest and they’re worried about birth defects?
It’s not about civility. It’s about lies, every single day. And democracy not working as it should.
He’s a carnival barker who is a useful distraction as pre-existing conditions, SocSec, Medicare and Medicaid are on the road to be gutted.
@Christin. Agree with you 100%
I live in NYC. My partner was on the subway recently and a family of Cult45 members got on the train, proudly sporting their MAGA gear. Nobody said anything. Slowly everyone in the car moved away from them like they were rotting trash and they were left alone.
This is how all supporters of this administration should be treated.
Beautiful! This subtle response is much more effective than Maxine Waters screaming, playing right into Trump’s hands. Sister Wife Sarah was quietly and politely asked to leave. SHS chose to make it a public issue. React but react smartly.
Rep. Waters wasn’t “screaming”. She is a forceful speaker. Her approach is just as appropriate as others. Many paths to the same goal.
Just because you find some protest tactics more uncomfortable doesn’t mean that those who feel led to use them are wrong. We don’t know what will make the final difference, so we have to let people follow their own hearts.
Phewwwwww, pls no dog whistles this morning. I’m tired and my commute was terrible.
I love New York so much
This debate over civility is just a gaslighting tactic. Do not fall for it! If someone tries to come at you for civility hit them with hard facts about what this administration is doing to people in this country. Honestly, there’s a lot to choose from.
The debate over civility is a distraction from the fact that Sarah Huckabee Sanders flagrantly broke the ethics laws.
And the press is playing right into it.
We seem to have gotten away from facts being the story and not our reactions to the facts. Noted it”s all about personalities as news anchors and panel debates. We’re looking at whichever representative has been sent out for each side and reacting to their reactions.
The press, especially the DC based press is complicit. That WaPo editorial was disturbing to say the least. The press needs to be more worried about calling out brazen liars instead of whether or not they can avoid awkward chats at DC parties. They won’t be a free press shortly if this keeps up.
Sarah can deal with some shame being thrown her way since she has done much to harm the lives of the powerless.
Major news outlets have revived their circulation and ratings, thanks to playing along with this reality show administration.
If things actually settled down to cooperation, civility and common sense, they would not know what to do.
The answer may well be $$..it’s been suggested that, since those southern folks hate imports so much, that the foreign car factories should relocate..if bmw closed in that so carolina city, it would be decimated ..if there were lists of trump supporters who give him big $ and their business connections, we could choose not to spend there. Attempting to reach them with reason, facts or civility will never work.
The thing is, it doesn’t stop at verbal harassment, shaming and shunning. The evolution of the alt-right is an example of this. Thus our descent into a war of all against all accelerates.
Civility is the tone argument. We want you to be polite in your oppression, not loud where we can hear you.
SCOTUS just voted to uphold the Muslim ban….I just can’t anymore…
That’s horrid. Trump and his supporters started gloating about it right away. Let’s hope this falls through somehow
It can be changed when the new regime moves in. All of it can be changed.
Yes. Debating “civility” is just letting the Trumpkins set the topic. We should assume that much of this is being pushed by online bots and by collaborators who are “controlled opposition.” Drop the town square squabbles and focus on getting votes for November. Their crimes are catching up to them.
Read this thread. A gentleman on Twitter found a newspaper article from the 30s where a Quaker lectured rabbis about being civil to Hitler and the Nazis.
History is repeating itself.
https://twitter.com/studentactivism/status/1007301941540655106
We are utterly screwed now. The Supreme Court belongs to Trump now. Congress belongs to Trump – the cowardly Republicans. There are no checks and balances now. Trump can do almost anything now unless someone with the authority prevents him.
I am furious. I am disturbed. I am terrified.
I am placing so much faith in Mueller and his team. That is a man who frightens Fat Nazi, as he should. I hope that at least some of the report comes out before November, even if it’s just a week before the election. Let the Republicans scream about it, we know how it feels. Then I hope the complete report is devastating and that it exposes FN and his cabal to the world. I don’t want them treated with civility, I want them to be treated with the law. I want them all in jail and ruined financially. Let FN live out his days in a tiny apartment with a view of an alley, wondering if he can afford cable.
I think the Red Hen woman did it the right way. She was civil even as she asked Sarah Huckabee Goebbels to leave.
But speak up. Talk. Correct your idiot relatives.
Mike Huckabee is saying his daughter and SIL left after the refusal, but that the Red Hen owner continued to harass the rest of SHS’s party as they went to another restaurant. I suspect this is lies. How can we be civil to a party that always lies about everything?
Of course they are lying. If that was true they’d rebut right away, not wait several days afterwards. There’s a special place in hell for the Suckabees.
Preach, Kaiser.
The leader of the GOP, Trump, just accused a Democratic senator of being drunk with no evidence. He goes around calling other Democratic senators names like “cryin’ Chuck”. The GOP is forfeited any right to demand civility. This sh*t is just an attempt to silence the left.
I’ve been reading about the latest tour through the Texas facility and I just want to cry. I’ve tried to stay away from drawing comparisons to Hitler and the Nazis but it’s undeniable. With notice, they let the media into one camp that they were able to dress up and make presentable. They have a little sign that says “when you work hard good things happen’.”
Nobody knows where the girls are. The children’s IDs have their name and picture on them, but they’ve been given a number to go by. The house rules end with the bullshit exclamation that they REALLY DO CARE because it’s not obvious by their actions. It just makes me so sad. I can’t think too deeply about it because it makes me feel like we’re witnessing what Hitler did all over again, just in a new era. All that separates them from the death camps is the absence of Zyklon-B and, and (one can hope), the unbridled cruelty they are infamous for. Otherwise… History has been allowed to repeat itself. 🙁
Civility stopped us from rioting in the streets when Mitch McConnell stole Obama’s SCOTUS seat. With all the 5-4 decisions upholding the Muslim Ban, withholding medical information for pregnant women and gerrymandering districts to ensure Republican victories. In my opinion, that was treason.
The Deplorables flout the rules at every turn, then lecture us on civility and the rule of law. They set the agenda every time and Democrats, out of love for country, allow it, then get trounced at the ballot box.
The people that write op-eds and tweets about civility only mean it as civility to powerful people and interests. It’s amazing how much of the media is devoted to entrenching existing power rather than to producing a more just society where everyone is safe from abuse.
Also, the slave owners were very genteel at the cotillions. It’s hardly the true measure of a society. But it’s all about which violence victims you consider human like you.
Screw civility. Nancy’s way is how Merrick Garland got screwed. You can’t play by the old rules anymore. Do I say that they should be physically harmed? No. However I’m all for shunning and these people getting denied service. They can shop at Deplorable Mall. What? They don’t want to do that because the deplorables represent the uneducated lower class? WEll that’s too darn bad.
I wanted to feel sorry for the Harley D workers, but NPR just interviewed some of them and they all supported Assh0le-in-Chief. “He must know what he’s doing,” “He’s a smart businessman,” these fools say.
Oh, well, my father had an Indian in the 30s, so screw HD and its workers.
It is being reported that the owner of Red Hen resigned and that the Red Hen has closed it’s doors. This is another example of why Nancy’s civility approach is useless and stupid. Sarah is just as vindictive as the Dotard. She didn’t like the push back she received so she set out on a quest to destroy the Red Hen and it’s owner using her position of power and used the bots/trolls to amplify her message just like she did to Michelle Wolf. After finding out that she committed an ethics violation by using her WH twitter account to cause harm to the Red Hen, Sarah used her kids for cover, claiming that they were the victims of threats and therefore need Secret Service protection. Sarah is lying. No one threatened her kids, but the bots and Trump supporters did write threats to Red Hen, the owner of Red Hen, Maxine Waters, and immigrants. This isn’t American anymore, we are officially a fascist country. Sarah can not be allowed get away with what she did to the Red Hen and it’s owner. Sarah tells lies and there is absolutely no consequences for her actions. Which is why she is on this pity play/revenge tour.
Didn’t Kellyann Conway claim the need for Secret Service protection early on?
If Sarah didn’t report the threat to the FBI, it didn’t happen.
If she makes a false report to the FBI, let her deal with that. We’ll wait.
It is very likely that no one actually opposed to Trump’s human rights violations threatened her kids. So it is likely either a complete falsehood or a false flag operation.
Alternatively, Sarah may have escalated a question “How would you feel if your kids were kidnapped and you didn’t know where they were?” from an attempt to elicit empathy (and realization of the magnitude of the situation) to a threat.
This is a woman who thought nothing about using her office to trash a restaurant for refusing her service because she is a child kidnapping-supporting liar. When is her ethics hearing about that, by the way?
Regardless, Sarah, give all the details to the FBI and let them sort it out.