Have you noticed a lack of civility in American culture in recent years? Of course! You’d have to be comatose to miss the anger, bitterness and fury that’s going on. The changes didn’t occur overnight, and the violence is not going away anytime soon, despite demands from people saying, “This has got to stop.”
Individuals behaving with contempt for civil order are not about to abide by a common moral code since society has allowed them to run roughshod over those of us who continue to “play by the rules.”
I’ve probably frightened a few readers by simply using the term “morality” as they equate it to some zealous orthodoxy that deprives people of their individual expression regardless of destructive outcomes.
However, I’d like to appeal to rational individuals of all persuasions that civil order is necessary for communities to thrive, something that seems to be withering on the vine in our culture.
Successful businesses like Starbucks and Walgreens have been forced to shutter prosperous stores in areas taken over by violent crime as well as quality of life degradations. They will not be the last since businesses cannot operate under physical threats to employees or absorb the cost of unmitigated malevolence.
Incivility has been incrementally chipping away at societal norms for decades, but lately it appears to be on steroids.
“Power has transferred from rational citizens to radical activists.”
Although it began way before I was a young police officer in the early 80’s, we have witnessed three impactful hinge points in that timeframe, which has transferred power from rational citizens to radical activists. Moreover, the left-wing revolutionaries have been backstopped by woke politicians and corporations, helping shatter societal tranquility.
We saw radical activism change the institution of law enforcement after the Rodney King encounter in the 90s as it pushed police back on their heels a bit. Then Michael Brown and the subsequent Ferguson effect in 2014 had officers ducking for cover. Finally, the George Floyd riots of 2020 became a tsunami of terror across the nation and chased law enforcement organizations into full retreat.
Laws and processes in place were fully capable of handling each set of circumstances. But the end game isn’t social justice as BLM and Antifa rioters claim. Indeed their long term goals include completely upending capitalism, meritocracy, and personal liberties of anyone who disagrees with them, all while reshaping our Constitutional Republic into their image and likeness. i.e. Marxism anyone?
“’Re-imagining’ police work isn’t about improving the criminal justice system, it’s focused on neutering the institution of law enforcement and shifting power to the corrupt.”
“Re-imagining” police work isn’t about improving the criminal justice system, it’s focused on neutering the institution of law enforcement and shifting power to the corrupt. That is exactly why there are approximately 50 George Soros-funded prosecutors throughout the country … and their policies are destructive and deadly!
Radical activists generally cannot achieve these goals through public consent, so they need to terrify people into submission. And kudos to them since they’ve done a fantastic job of intimidating mainstream America into a meek whimper of resistance. If you dare speak out against their tactics and message, you’re branded with “white privilege,” “racist,” “bigot,” “Uncle Tom,” etc.
On occasion they’ll dox you, or get you fired because employers are scared to death of this intimidating crew. Their methods are a combination of organized crime and criminal street gangs. Either way, they play by a different set of rules than law abiding citizens.
But the more society acquiesces to their bully tactics, the more unstable we become. So let’s return to the issue morality as we focus on the goal of civility.
“The government cannot distribute a dose of morality to its citizens.”
The government cannot distribute a dose of morality to its citizens. Everyone has a moral compass based upon a worldview. Sadly, it’s been a marker that has moved significantly in my lifetime as we’ve crushed the traditional family structure and demanded that religious organizations keep their views within the walls of their churches, synagogues, and temples while all manner of vices and deprivation have been unleashed under the guise of personal freedoms.
Despite the occasional looney behavior of an unbalanced person associated with a religious organization, morality is derived from spiritual instruction, not government mandates. Yet one lawsuit after another continues to challenge its place in the public square. This is not helpful and it’s done with malice aimed at God. Furthermore, it’s not lost on me that so many of these civil actions are filed by people that say God doesn’t exist.
As communities cave to destructive demands, where has it gotten us? Violence is running amok as crime rates soar. Very few individuals seem truly happy in the current configuration of woke-embracing people.
“Freedom will not survive a society that cannot exercise self-control…”
Meanwhile, the masses suffer. And that includes inner-city minorities … BIG TIME … the very group of people that is supposed to matter. Somehow marginalized victims don’t seem to be a priority as the cons and charlatans increase their power and wealth.
I’m not going to preach about my personal moral compass despite my strong belief in it, but I simply want to leave you with this: Our country needs a moral foundation. Freedom will not survive a society that cannot exercise self-control, participate in a social contract of self-governance, and willingly yield to laws that facilitate order. Without a solid bedrock on which to stand, we are bound to self-destruct as a nation. At the present time, too many people are taking a jack hammer to our footing. Yes, I believe things have gotten that serious! People matter, and so does morality!
Read more editorials by Jim McNeff here.
