Description
Book SynopsisWinner of the Doris Graber Award, American Political Science Association, 2013Democracy is, by its very nature, often rude. But there are limits to how uncivil we should be. In the 2010 edition ofRude Democracy, Susan Herbst explored the ways we discuss public policy, how we treat each other as we do, and how we can create a more civil national culture. She used the examples of Sarah Palin and Barack Obama to illustrate her case. She also examined how young people come to form their own attitudes about civility and political argument. In a new preface for this 2020 paperback edition, the author connects her book to our current highly contentious politics and what it means for the future of democratic argument.
Trade Review"In this thought-provoking text, Susan Herbst tackles the role of civility in public discourse.... Throughout Rude Democracy, Herbst identifies potential empirical research topics and unmet scholarly needs into which a new generation of scholars can profitably delve." —Perspectives on Politics
"Herbst’s contention that incivility and civility should be viewed as strategic assets is potentially game changing and a contribution that all future scholarly work on incivility cannot ignore." —Journal of Politics
"[A] valuable, fair-minded book. It is a contribution to the literature of history, ethics, and public affairs, and it could easily be used to stimulate lively classroom conversations—the kind that spill into the halls when the hour has ended." —Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements
New Preface for 2020
1. The Powerful-if Elusive-Nature of Civility
2. Sarah Palin and Her Publics
3. Barack Obama, Difference, and Civility
4. Our Future Leaders: College Students and Political Argument
5. Conclusion: Civility, Communication, and a Culture of Argument
Appendix I: Transcript of President Barack Obama's Commencement Address, University of Notre Dame, May 17, 2009
Appendix II: University System of Georgia Survey on Student Speech and Discussion
Notes
Bibliography
Index
