Commentary
The normal give and take of democratic deliberation between citizens, while not always achieved in practice, has been the benchmark in American political culture over the course of our nation’s history. University of Florida law professor John Stinneford says, however, that these habits of free people are increasingly at risk.
“I think we have all noticed in recent years that society has become more polarized and civil discourse has declined,” he notes. “Instead of engaging with opposing viewpoints, we increasingly try to denigrate or destroy anyone who holds them. If this trend continues, many people worry that our over two-century experiment in democracy will fail.”…