If civility isn’t dead in 2016, it’s pretty close to being put in the ground.
In case you haven’t heard, the Internet was in a tizzy over the video of a woman verbally berating our governor in a Gainesville Starbucks.
The video’s title, “Governor Scott gets an earful,” is an apt description of what took place.
The video features every aspect of a truly great viral political disagreement: We have an embattled elected official. We have an activist who is a self-described “anarchist” with an agenda — an internet debacle. Mix in a hot-button issue, say “women’s reproductive rights” and throw in a no-no word or two, and you have a recipe for a trending topic.
Before the video begins, Gov. Scott and former Lake Worth City Commissioner Cara Jennings were discussing a recent reproductive bill Scott signed into law.
Jennings inquired why Scott signed the bill and was offered a “typical politician reaction,” which is unsurprising because Scott is, in fact, a politician.
According to The New York Daily News, Jennings “became enraged” — which is always a good way to engage in political debate — “when she said Planned Parenthood would suffer under the bill — and Scott told her to just stop by the county health clinic if she needed help.”
And, like in any political conversation, one party decided to throw a tantrum and become incredibly uncivil.
Jennings proceeded to say, uncivilly, “You’re an a--hole. You don’t care about working people. You should be ashamed to show your face around here.”
Additionally, Jennings also behaved rudely toward one of Scott’s staff members who tried to intervene. Why not? She seems very tolerant.
Scott meekly parried Jennings’ verbal assault by saying he created “a million jobs.” Jennings, undeterred, responded, “Great! Who here has a great job? Or is looking forward to finishing school? You really feel like you have a job coming up?”
Scott then left the Starbucks without a coffee in hand.
And perhaps in an incredibly predictable and tone-deaf turn, Jennings later said people’s reactions have been generally positive “because across the board people support Planned Parenthood” — a delusional debacle.
I felt bad for Scott because he probably deals with incivility like this daily. He probably has a tough time going out to dinner in public with his family or vacationing in the state without a Jennings trolling and antagonizing him. Is Scott supposed to stand there, take the insults and only fight back with “I created a million jobs”?
And I thought to myself, if President Obama or Bill Nelson or Debbie Wasserman Schultz — politicians I have fundamental disagreements with — walked into a Starbucks, would I scream my head off and throw sixth-grader insults their way? Of course not.
The political process needs dialogue, not shouting matches. Like so many other political stories, this one degraded what politics is supposed to be: a conversation about how we are to live with and benefit one another.
If I want to watch people being uncivil, I can turn on the news. I don’t want to see this in my own backyard and feel embarrassed.
I have some choice words to say about the event and the players in this production, but I have enough self-control not to say them. Perhaps others can learn to do the same.
Michael Beato is a UF political science senior. His column appears on Mondays.
