Civil Discourse

Though much of the emphasis regarding Obama’s recent speech at Notre Dame was focused on the controversy surrounding the invitation extended to a pro-choice President by the Catholic university, what most stood out for me was Obama’s exhortation/argument/request for Americans to engage in civil discourse on contentious issues. His moral authority was not focused on the abortion debate per se, but rather on the nature of the discourse in which the debate takes place.

In the States, we now have a President who seeks to educate citizens on how to be civil; in Canada, it’s the reverse. The lowest level of discourse in Canada happens between politicians, as citizens despair at the juvenile exchanges of their elected officials. A definition of “lacking credibility”—picture the current Prime Minister asking Canadians to be more civil.