What Political Civility Really is and Combatting Toxicity w/ Michael Lee | Politics with Paul #86

Do we know what civility in conversation actually looks like? Healthy and grounded discussion is in short supply, especially in politics. Political discussions are often filled with toxic rhetoric and behavior, leading to many instances of verbal and physical violence. But while we know what toxicity looks like, there are some misunderstandings and mistaken beliefs about what civility looks like.  So how do we become more civil? Today's guest, Dr. Michael Lee, dives into this question and more. Dr. Lee is the executive director of the Civility Initiative at the College of Charleston and the host of the "When We Disagree" Podcast. Check out his insights, spanning over multiple decades, on what we get wrong about civility, how to better engage in healthy discussion, and how to make civil dialogue more engaging and fun.

Speakers

AI Chat

Paul Rader

Host • 45%

Dr. Michael Lee

Guest • 55%

Chapters

0:00	Introduction to Civility and Toxicity, Dr. Michael Lee
1:41	Dr. Lee's Start in Promoting Civility and Healthy Debate
5:18	How the Civility Initiative Started and What it Does
9:06	Distinction Between Fight or Flight Responses to Toxicity
14:00	Misconceptions About the Meaning of Civility
18:21	Things We Think are Civil but are Actually Contributors to Toxicity
23:00	Dr. Lee's Personal Experiences of Using Civility
27:12	Factors that Particularly Amplify Toxicity
32:35	Dr. Lee's "When We Disagree" Podcast and What it's About
39:37	Practical Ways You Can Apply Civility Right Now
42:32	Random Question: The Proper Pronunciation of ".GIF"
44:30	Closing, Dr. Lee's Links, My Links

Transcript

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