Celebrity and Power Trump Civility

We have entered what columnist Kathleen Parker calls "a political era of uninhibited belligerence," that is finding expression in sermons, at town hall meetings, on radio talk shows, even on the floor of Congress -- especially when we differ. Why are people so angry and belligerent, and so willing to express their anger publicly? Why has our civil discourse become so uncivil? What does this public anger say about our private faith? What should we do about it?

There are various aspects of the society of the past that we have moved beyond. While this has been beneficial in many regards, it has been negative in others. The contemporary devaluation of humility, civility, truthfulness, and responsibility has been particularly detrimental to us both collectively and individually. It is difficult to know if there was ever a time when our politicians were truthful, our news media unbiased and responsible, and a civil society our collective goal, but these are clearly not prevalent today, and the main reason is that as a society, we do not expect them to be. We no longer demand honesty or civility from our leaders, our media, or ourselves.

As we have moved away from these values, we have become focused instead on individual freedom, fame, and fortune at almost any cost. After all, traditional values require personal restraint and put limitations on our actions, and these run counter to contemporary desires for celebrity and power. We seem to care less and less about who gets hurt in the process, so long as we get what we want. We have become mesmerized by power, seduced by those who possess it, and increasingly willing to attack those who appear to stand in our way to obtain it or maintain it.

Like us, the leaders we choose and the celebrities we deify are also enamored by power. Once in positions of power, they will do whatever they can to remain there. Politicians regularly lie to us, yet we reelect them to office. Celebrities become pretentiousness and arrogant, and not only do we accept it, we often expect it. We allow the powerful and famous to get away with much, while we castigate and even condemn the same actions by the powerless and unknown. A good example is Serena Williams' uncontrolled flare up and aggressive threat of physical violence directed at a line judge at the recent U.S. Open tennis tournament. The result was little more than a slap on the wrist fine (roughly equivalent to 2 days worth of earnings for Williams). If the tables had been turned and the unknown line judge had similarly threatened Williams, she would have been immediately fired and maybe even arrested. Because so many of us secretly envy power and celebrity, we seek to identify with those who possess them while ignoring the powerless.

With regard to Barack Obama, he is not just our President, he is also a celebrity. For many, he is the quintessential expression of power and fame. Thus, the media and much of the populace seem to be enamored, even entranced, by him. Some have gone so far as to apply divine attributes to him. As a consequence, he is given broad liberties with what he says and does, and those who criticize him do so at their own risk. When George Bush was President, his detractors were labeled un-American. Now, thanks to powerful celebrities like Maureen Dowd and former President Jimmy Carter, those who disagree with Obama are labeled racist. Apparently, Dowd, Carter, and others can read the hearts and thoughts of those who protest. The easiest way to stifle dissent is to denigrate the integrity of the dissenter, and the accusation of racism is a powerful tool these days to accomplish this.

When alternate views and disagreement are silenced, there is no external incentive for those in positions of power to be truthful or civil. The only remaining incentive for such virtues comes from within and is based on personal ethics and values. But even these may be let go of when they can be traded for fame and fortune. At the same time, those who choose to maintain a strong set of values and morals tend to be depicted as weak, out of touch, old fashioned, or narrow minded. There is little or no social status and power given to the ethical. They have no celebrity, only civility.

By Ramdas Lamb  |  September 17, 2009; 5:48 AM ET
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