Re: The Name-Calling, Slandering, and our sense of Morality
Personally, I think people should remain civil but not for the mere sake of politeness and most certainly not because the politicians deserve it. When people descend into name-calling, personal attacks, and slander, the focus turns to the back and forth barrage of insults and petty naming calling and shifts away from the important issues that affect the country and must be addressed.
An example of this is the tendency people have to bring the personal lives of politicians into political discussions when it has no bearing on the issue being discussed. When people do this, the dialogue shifts away from the discussing the issue itself and becomes about the maligned politician/party and their need to respond to the slander. In fact, I would think that this plays right into the hands of politicians. What better way to deflect attention away from your political wrongdoings than for the public to remain occupied arguing over irrelevant details of your private life?
It is understandable and logical to bring up the private lives of politicians when it is relevant and linked to the issue being discussed but when it isn’t, it only serves to derail any serious dialogue about the issue and hence, it would be wise to refrain from it.