Character and online civility are both very important, yet many in our society forget how each play a huge role in our lives. The increased use of social media has opened up the flood gates to personal interaction and connectivity, but it has also opened up the gates to those who forget the importance of treating one and other with respect.
Last week the Character Counts in Iowa organization launched a new activity called Reveal Your Character, an activity centered on educating individuals about online civility. Their efforts will focus on teaching online civility, but mostly remind the masses of the importance for civility. They have coined the term e-integrity, which means having the same values online as you do in real life.
Worldwide, per second, there are approximately 28 million text messages, 700 status updates to Facebook, 600 tweets on Twitter; 1 million videos watched onto YouTube and 285 million emails.* We have the wonderful, yet dangerous ability to spread ideas and information around the world quickly.
Basically, they will focus on online bullies or those people who feel the need to incite conversation by stating gregarious or demeaning comments. — Think Des Moines Register Comment section. I stopped reading comments on the Register platform because no one used their real contact information or common sense. I know they have made changes to “police” the comments, but it got to a point that it was a bigger waste of time to even consider reading the comments.
But, the issue is much larger than just some bully leaving a comment on the Des Moines Register. There have been instances where online bullies have pushed people to commit suicide or harm themselves, which is obviously very serious.
We want Iowa to be one of the first states to take online civility seriously, thus the efforts to start the Reveal Your Character website. If you are interested in joining the charge, click on the link above to add your name to the list. You can also get an E-Intergrity badge or graphic (like the pic above) to put on your blog should you feel the need to fight the cause as well. Also, next time you leave a comment on a friends Facebook wall or on a Blog, think about what you are saying first to see if it is in your character. It’s time people stop hiding behind false persona’s and own up to their actions both online and in-person.
** For the record, after writing this post I was “called out” for a choice of wording I used in the post. The individual was completely right, my choice of words was not civil, yet I have changes the text accordingly. **
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The Des Moines Register comments section is pretty nuts. Somehow any article can turn into argument about gun control, immigration and of course personal attacks. Those commenters have a gift, really. It’s a crappy gift, but a gift none the less. Excellent post!
I agree Kasey. Thanks for commenting.
Are you saying that it was a waste of your time to read the opinions of those posting on the Des Moines Register? What if some of them are reading this blog?
Yep, Neil, I sure am. There is so much BS included with the Des Moines Register comments it was a waste of time digging through the BS to find the one or two good comments. If I am off base I would hope someone with that opinion would feel inclined to leave a comment here to open a line of discussion. As long as that person is civil in their tone and identify’s themselves, I have no problem posting the comment.
I just didn’t feel that calling them idiots would help fix the problem of civility on the Des Moines Register comments.
Well, that is a great point Neil, and it is also not very civil of me. I was referring to those individuals who use the comments section as their own play area, leaving comments just to incite and bully. Hopefully, none of the other people who leave constructive comments were not offended.
Good morning and please allow me to pipe up re the question of civility, since it is one of society’s greatest concerns and President Obama has been talking about restoring it to our public discourse since before his election (not that we need to take his word for it but since he is the president his word on that matter carries some weight, I believe). I have two points to make: The first is that civility (whether online or elsewhere) reveals the state of one’s cultural heritage and upbringing as much as it does one’s character (a word whose Greek etymology is worth looking into), and by culture I mean the culture that exists all around us and that we inhabit, this being our mode of dress, how we work and play, what we eat and how we speak, what we read and listen to, etc.—I am trying to differentiate between our actual culture as opposed to “high” culture, which one would find in a museum, for instance. The way we interact with our families, the rights that we accord others by keeping the golden rule front and center, by being able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes to give the world a look from his or her perspective, that is civility. Civility does not entail suffering fools gladly (I don’t know who coined that expression, probably Julius Caesar or someone of considerable insight and influence) but it does mean being concerned, straightforward, honest and rejecting of falsity when engaging others, from mere “hello, neighbor” to “good morning, Mr. or Ms. Boss.” Civility also means being ready to stand up for someone whose rights are being trampled or taken for granted—lending a hand when necessary or at least offering one. Second, re anonymous letters to the editor or whatever it is that the Des Moines Register countenances (full disclosure: I am not a DMR reader), I think that the editors there ought to implement an engaged policy of letting everyone know that unsigned letters will not be published. Period. If someone is not willing to acknowledge him- or herself as the voice behind a letter the letter ought to go straight into “file 13″ or the nearest wastebasket. Otherwise someone could say the most outlandish things with impunity but where does that leave the rest of us? Does that help our social situation, further our discourse, improve our thought or commitment level? I don’t think so. My mother had a curious thought (after which I will sign off, and thanks for reading along this far): She did not think we needed to pass a law outlawing flag burning since she thought that the Founders had pretty much nailed things; however she insisted that if anyone wanted to burn our Stars and Stripes he ought to do it in full daylight so that the rest of us could see what he was doing (and who it was who was doing it). Ciao, Tom Claire
Tom – Thank you very much for your thoughts, I couldn’t agree more. Civility is part of our culture and it is something we learn throughout our lives. I just hope the trend of bashing people anonymously online goes away as fast as it can.
You are welcome, Pete. Please tell me, how do i tie Clemen Wilcox in so that she sees our back-and-forth? Do I just alert her to look here? It is owing to her that I was pointed your way.
Yes, I would just send her the link. Thanks again.
Yes Pete, I published a link to your post in our internal tool, and also at my Facebook wall. I was very pleased to learn that I wasn’t alone. (Full disclosure: I found the link in Sara Brown’s LinkedIn wall). I agree with yours and Tom’s comments too.
I believe that my property would be destroyed if someone could come and damage it, without being seen (or without repercussion), because he/she doesn’t agree with my way of thinking. If everyone who makes a bullying comment can be identify, than I am pretty sure society would push them out very fast. Public life should make us more civilized, not the other way around.
It is important to remember that some sites are measured by traffic not by the intellectual and civilized comments. If these measurements don’t change, those sites are going to continue condoning and even encouraging bullies to do more damage, all under the premise that “traffic is King”.
I totally agree with Clemen Wilcox on all counts and suggest that if anyone gets a chance (say at the bookstore or library), he or she might find David Bromwich’s “The Rebel Germ” (the lead article in the current New York Review of Books—Nov. 25, 2010, issue) of special interest. I would be happy to learn your take on it vis-a-vis civility . . . It takes but 10 minutes or so to read. Ciao, Tom
Wow, that was a great read.
It is very sad though, that these talk show masters don’t think of consequences before they open their mouths. I don’t think civility is one word I would use to refer to them. I wish more people could read these kinds of articles, and could make their minds with enough information, and not just repeat what was said in their favorite talk show. I wish people could have the self control President Obama has before they say or write their opinions about issues.
I remember my mother asking me, do you know why you were giving two ears and one mouth? Her answer was: So you can listen to, double, and speak just half.
Clemen: Again, I couldn’t agree with you more and ask only that you recall that the first thing that Sen. Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday morning, following the midterm elections, was that his highest priority is seeing that President Obama is not reelected. That’s stating it rather obviously—he cares nothing for the state of the country, or for much else, besides preventing the reelection of Obama. It will be hard to work with a man like this and personally I think that President Obama did not realize soon enough what he was getting into when he said that he wanted to restore civility to the political dialogue. Easy for him, since he is naturally well spoken and thoughtful (in fact, genius in my estimation), but how wise did that prove when the other side refuses to go beyond the word “no”?
Tom & Clemen – Thank you for the ongoing conversation, I have been reading and enjoying!
Pete,
This was a great article to read. I really think you have got something going here. I’ll have to check into Reveal your Character when I have time.
This topic has been on my mind recently. People used to read the paper and go to coffee shops, work, etc. to and talk about what they read. These days people can fire off their rants without any context to the article.
Thanks for your post, and your sincere interest in human interaction.
Brian
Thank you, although I cannot take any credit for the concept, I just wrote about it.