On civility

In the wake of a private business invoking its right to refuse service on moral grounds – a right recently upheld by the US Supreme Court in a slightly different context – there has been much chatter from some unusual sources about the need for civility in public discourse.

It’s as if some people just woke up from a 25-year coma last week. To the people who have suddenly noticed the lack of civility, I have this to say:

We TRIED civil discourse. We WANTED civil discourse.
You gave us chants of “Lock her up!” “Drain the swamp!” and “Build the wall!”
You gave us Steve Bannon, Kellyanne Conway, Alex Jones, Stephen Miller and Pepe memes.
You called us snowflakes (among many other names) when we dared to suggest this was not productive.
And you have the gall to ask for civility now?

One of the first refuges of a bully is to accuse his target of his own worst behaviour.

We are playing by your rules now.
If you can’t take the heat, allow me to show you the kitchen door. And I don’t care if it hits you in the ass on your way out.