Alexandra Hudson, author of The Soul of Civility
Changing public policy involves politics, and our politics are not healthy. Large majorities of Republicans and Democrats think members of the other party are immoral, dishonest and close-minded, according to the Pew Research Center, which also notes that two-thirds of Americans are exhausted by politics. National and state governments alike have failed to tackle large problems such as deficit spending or overregulation. Political polarization stands in the way of the Mackinac Center’s goal of public policy that frees people to realize their potential. According to an authority who spoke at a recent Mackinac Center gathering, the solution is both simple and hard: Be better humans.
Alexandra Hudson, author of The Soul of Civility, believes that making successful policy requires respecting the dignity of all. She brought this insight to The H Hotel in Midland, Michigan, for a November event titled “Good Manners and Good Policy.”
Civility is not the same as politeness, Hudson told the lunchtime audience. Politeness can be weaponized to silence dissent. Civility shows respect for friends and enemies alike. Civility demands that we treat others as equals. It requires us to discuss disagreements, not to pretend they don’t exist. It promotes effective policymaking as people come together to address problems.
New technologies, including social media, can promote a toxic atmosphere that makes cooperative efforts difficult, Hudson said. But effective policymaking is not impossible. Hudson offered ideas for mitigating and even overcoming the damage of incivility and rudeness. Civility is the key to a civil society, she argued. Without it, leaders in political society will be tempted to fix problems for us.
Drawing on ancient and contemporary sources, Hudson touched on accountability, truth-telling, forgiveness, and using one’s words to bring out the best rather than the worst in others.
