Civility is a conservative virtue
Online conservatives have too often eschewed civility and manners, important virtues which conservatives should embrace.
Written by Bo Winegard.
“The teaching of manners to children goes beyond just controlling their behavior. It also involves a kind of shaping, which lifts the human form above the level of animal life, so as to become fully human, fully sociable, and fully self-aware.”
—Roger Scruton
One fashionable message among rightwing populists is that conservatives need to stop being polite and start telling the truth—the harsh truth and the whole truth—in their battle against the stifling cultural hegemony of progressivism. Sure, the truth is often unpleasant, but it is better than empathy-fueled lies and fantasies.
In many ways this message is admirable. We all like the encouraging mother who tells us that we can grow up to be a famous concert pianist, but it’s also good to have a realist father who advises us to make different plans. The future of excessive compassion is a world in which all students get A’s; all athletes, trophies; and all employees, raises. It’s a world of equity in which excellence is submerged in a dull sea of uniformity, and it’s a world of euphemisms in which language is made insipid by platitudes and equivocations.