We have become an uncivil society. Politicians hurl personal insults at opponents in nationally televised debates. Reality stars dish out juicy gossip about other stars behind their backs. Competition participants sabotage their competitors and openly brag about it.
Often, this incivility is justified as simply “telling it like it is.” But since when has telling it like it is been a virtue? Well, since about 1791, when the First Amendment and the rest of the Bill of Rights were passed by Congress and ratified by the states.
