Being civil may seem like the bare minimum of what we owe each other. But studies are finding that from home and the workplace to the political realm and the halls of Congress, incivility is on the rise. A 2019 Pew Research survey found that 68% of those surveyed wanted elected officials to exhibit a tone of civility and respect in politics. In Michigan, journalists Stephen Henderson and Nolan Finley, longtime friends with deeply opposing views, founded the Civility Project in 2020.
Nolan Finley: “Steve’s a progressive. I’m a conservative. People have remarked that, well, you two are friends despite your political differences. And I was thinking about it is maybe that we’re friends because of our political differences, because it’s those differences that’s sort of forced us to engage and to learn to engage in a productive civil manner.” –
Stephen Henderson: “Everything in our culture right now seems to encourage the idea of winning in politics or culture or any of these things that we want to talk about. Right. You’ve got to vanquish the other side. And so Nolan has this great phrase he uses all the time. Conversations aren’t competitions.”
Traveling the state through appearances and workshops they seek to help people with stark differences adopt principles for interacting with others, using a formula of healthy disagreement and mutual respect. On a rainy day in Dearborn, Michigan at Henry Ford College they hosted “Civility Night.”
According to the book, “The Bill of Obligations: Ten Habits of Good Citizens,” by author and diplomat Richard Haass, “Civility and being civil to others are essential to the workings of democracy. Civility is closely aligned with manners. With respect. With courtesy. With politeness. To paraphrase the Golden Rule, civility is about treating others as you would like others to treat you.”
This is episode 3 in the 11-part digital series, A Citizen’s Guide to Preserving Democracy, a production of The WNET Group’s Preserving Democracy multiplatform initiative. The series is based on the book, “The Bill of Obligations: Ten Habits of Good Citizens,” by author and diplomat Richard Haass.
