A Herald employee was at a meeting recently, discussing Grand Forks with an out-of-town visitor. When asked if she knew much about the University of North Dakota, the visitor said she didn't, other than the ongoing nickname debate, which she read about on the Internet. Members of the group sighed, because we know how rabid that debate has become. It's unfortunate, because for a lot of people around the country, this uncivil discourse is all they'll ever know about UND, Grand Forks and North Dakota in general.
We're fond of a quote from the founders of the Institute for Civility in Government, a Texas-based nonprofit dedicated to building civility in this age of polarizing, sometimes demonizing, debate. "Civility," the group's founders say, "is claiming and caring for one's identity, needs and beliefs without degrading someone else's in the process." Here's the translation, in the words of the institute itself: "Civility is about more than just politeness, although politeness is a necessary first step. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one's preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same. Civility is the hard work of staying present even with those with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce disagreements. It is political in the sense that it is a necessary prerequisite for civic action. But it is political, too, in the sense that it is about negotiating interpersonal power such that everyone's voice is heard and nobody's is ignored." It's a sound concept, and we find ourselves trying to remember this as we hear the nasty comments that arise with each new announcement about UND's quest to determine its new mascot. The furor last week reached its zenith, flamed by news that the nickname committee had decided to move forward with several nickname choices, but choosing not to simply play under the banner of just UND or North Dakota. Of course, the decision was reversed soon after, but mean things were said in the interim that make us realize this issue may become more venomous in the coming weeks and months. For example, an opinion column written by a Herald sports reporter last week prompted much debate -- some of it civil but many comments that were entirely nasty. When the column was posted to Facebook, it generated more than 60 comments, 20 of which were removed due to profanity or general name-calling. Of the comments that were allowed for public consumption, several resorted to insulting the writer. One reader canceled his Herald subscription, even though an opinion column representing the other point of view appeared on the same page. Of the comments pared from the Facebook page, at least eight people used vulgar words -- including variations of the granddaddy of all swear words -- and one string of comments sadly called the issue "gay." This is how North Dakotans debate? This is how we want others to judge us? This is North Dakota Nice? The Herald loves a good issue, and the Herald loves rigorous debate. We'll be in the thick of it, with more opinion columns and editorials proclaiming our stance on all things related to the nickname issue. We want others to step upon the soapbox, too. But we urge civility and respect. We urge some sense of decorum. We can be so much better than this.A Herald employee was at a meeting recently, discussing Grand Forks with an out-of-town visitor. When asked if she knew much about the University of North Dakota, the visitor said she didn't, other than the ongoing nickname debate, which she read about on the Internet.Members of the group sighed, because we know how rabid that debate has become. It's unfortunate, because for a lot of people around the country, this uncivil discourse is all they'll ever know about UND, Grand Forks and North Dakota in general.
We're fond of a quote from the founders of the Institute for Civility in Government, a Texas-based nonprofit dedicated to building civility in this age of polarizing, sometimes demonizing, debate."Civility," the group's founders say, "is claiming and caring for one's identity, needs and beliefs without degrading someone else's in the process."Here's the translation, in the words of the institute itself: "Civility is about more than just politeness, although politeness is a necessary first step. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one's preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same. Civility is the hard work of staying present even with those with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce disagreements. It is political in the sense that it is a necessary prerequisite for civic action. But it is political, too, in the sense that it is about negotiating interpersonal power such that everyone's voice is heard and nobody's is ignored."It's a sound concept, and we find ourselves trying to remember this as we hear the nasty comments that arise with each new announcement about UND's quest to determine its new mascot.The furor last week reached its zenith, flamed by news that the nickname committee had decided to move forward with several nickname choices, but choosing not to simply play under the banner of just UND or North Dakota.Of course, the decision was reversed soon after, but mean things were said in the interim that make us realize this issue may become more venomous in the coming weeks and months.For example, an opinion column written by a Herald sports reporter last week prompted much debate -- some of it civil but many comments that were entirely nasty. When the column was posted to Facebook, it generated more than 60 comments, 20 of which were removed due to profanity or general name-calling. Of the comments that were allowed for public consumption, several resorted to insulting the writer. One reader canceled his Herald subscription, even though an opinion column representing the other point of view appeared on the same page.Of the comments pared from the Facebook page, at least eight people used vulgar words -- including variations of the granddaddy of all swear words -- and one string of comments sadly called the issue "gay."This is how North Dakotans debate? This is how we want others to judge us?This is North Dakota Nice?The Herald loves a good issue, and the Herald loves rigorous debate. We'll be in the thick of it, with more opinion columns and editorials proclaiming our stance on all things related to the nickname issue.We want others to step upon the soapbox, too.But we urge civility and respect. We urge some sense of decorum.We can be so much better than this.
