Jeff Minick: Resuscitating civility in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s death

In “ The Soul of Civility ,” Alexandra Hudson makes a sharp distinction between civility and politeness.

Politeness and manners are the , the , of an act, but civility is more. … Instead of focusing on the alone, civility gets to the of an act. Civility is a disposition that recognizes and respects the common humanity, the fundamental personhood, and the inherent dignity of other human beings. In doing so, civility sometimes that we act in ways that deeply impolite, such as telling people difficult truths or engaging in civil disobedience….

In the days after an assassin murdered Christian and truth-seeker Charlie Kirk, thousands of online posts, many of them vile and obscene, celebrated Kirk’s death. This antipathy ran all the way to Capitol Hill, where 58 Democrats in the House vote