by jpitney | Jan 24, 2021 | civic virtue, Civility, Democracy, Polarization, Religion
David French: On January 15, Hunter Baker, the dean of arts and sciences at Union University—a Baptist college not far from me in Jackson, Tennessee—did something exceedingly rare in our highly polarized time. He published an apology. In an essay in Public Discourse,...
by jpitney | Jan 23, 2021 | Biden, Bipartisanship, Civility
Aaron Rhodes at The Hill: According to University of Chicago sociologist Edward Shils, who died in 1995, civility is “a belief which affirms the possibility of the common good … a virtue expressed in action on behalf of the whole society.” Shils wrote that civility is...
by jpitney | Jan 22, 2021 | civic virtue, Lincoln, Presidency
Mitt Romney at Deseret News: My reading of history suggests what can heal social sickness. First, a great leader who “calls upon our better angels” can bring us together. Churchill rallied his nation to resist and defeat Nazism. Roosevelt elicited the endurance that...
by jpitney | Jan 21, 2021 | civic virtue, Congress, Constitution, Democracy, Elections, Electoral College, History, Polarization, US Constitution
The national anthem has seldom resonated as much as it did when Lady Gaga emphasized the words “our flag was still there” and pointed to the flag on the capitol which had been attacked just a fortnight earlier. It was all balm for America’s wounded soul....
by jpitney | Jan 20, 2021 | Journalism
Sara Fischer at Axios Media Trends: The Capitol attack on January 6th resulted in at least 9 physical assaults against journalists and at least 5 arrests, per the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker’s top editor. Why it matters: President Trump’s harsh rhetoric...
