Against Civility: Where did it come from? How can we resist it? (Red Emma)

Against Civility: Where did it come from? How can we resist it? by M. Bakunin

[I suspect that "Bakunin" was the one and only Red Emma, who hadn't yet settled on his name. -RB]

From Dissent 4, 3/27/98(?)

     The presumed demise of civility [see Civility], much lamented by elites, managers and toady college presidents, represents an expression by the disenfranchised of the fundamental project of freedom: resistance. It's instructive that the silly (and reactionary) platitudes offered in "Attitude" from "Navigating the Winds of Change" -- “Handouts Assembled by Saddleback College, Student Development Office" are credited to an ”Unknown” author. 

     This seems right. “Unknown" is either a stooge or the nom de plume of management, of authority. He deserves his anonymity. He has earned it. 

     It's further instructive to see Fullerton college's president, subject to a very uncivil no-confidence vote, echo President Raghu Mathur in her recent LA TIMES interview, calling for same. 

     Civility is a petit bourgeois behavior, a conceit used by Imperial Britain, Imperial France and Imperial Margarine. 

     But it's "not nice to fool" the powerful and civility is as quickly abandoned by them as it is demanded. When somebody tells the truth, for instance. It's like professionalism. This is a concept valuable to somebody, but who finally? Let them take your power away. Let them give $60,000 to their puppet slate. Let them exploit a process you've respected and tried hard to work with. Let them invite Nazis to your college district. Then, embrace your hard-fought political rights, set up a table, alert the community, write letters to the newspaper and, voila, you are behaving, of course, unprofessionally. You are uncivil.

     Civility: polite disregard for workplace politics, polite disregard for Nazis at school board meetings, total lack of historical appreciation of workplace politics, unwillingness to engage others in discussion of politics, fear of prejudicing meetings or classes or students with political discussion. 

     Quiz: What defines civility? Lack of politics. Lack of power. Lack. Uncivil: a vote of no confidence, talking about the president's illegal appointment, pinning down officials on their lies, calling a union undemocratic and homophobic and anti-Semitic and being right.