Making a case for Radical Civility

Radical [rad-i-kuh l] adj.: thoroughgoing or extreme, especially as regards change from accepted or traditional formsCivility [si-vil-i-tee] noun: courtesy; politeness

When you first hear it, “radical civility” sounds like the name of a pretend punk band. The words are dissonant, and seem to clash.Radicalism is loud, brash, and often angry.Civility is genteel, more suited to 19^th Century drawing rooms than the internet.Many bemoan the lack of civility in our online lives. So maybe it is radical to talk about.It's something we think about and talk about a lot as board members of CiviliNation, an organization dedicated to bringing civility to the internet. You know, no big whoop.This is the thing: civility is not mere politeness or courtesy, despite the dictionary definition. It's not being nice for the sake of being nice. Radical Civility takes it one step further.Radical Civility means not punching down in an argument. It means not name-calling or insulting a person based on looks. It means standing up for the downtrodden.Radical Civility means taking the high road, but not allowing people to denigrate others. It means stepping in when you see someone being attacked. Very often it means ignoring the trolls and abusers and focusing on the abused.Radical Civility means sometimes you might even speak with passion or in anger. But your words will not be attacking the individual.Radical Civility means you're mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore. You're going to speak truth to power.Yes, we want people to be civil - that doesn't mean a faux veneer of politeness. It means not letting people get away with treating other people like crap.That's an idea that shouldn't be so radicalPhoto by On Being via Flickr Creative Commons.