Connecting the Dots: Doesn’t decency matter?

John Bos

Chief counsel representing the U.S. Army Joseph Welch, left, with Sen. Joeseph McCarthy of Wisconsin at the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations’ McCarthy-Army hearings on June 9, 1954.

Chief counsel representing the U.S. Army Joseph Welch, left, with Sen. Joeseph McCarthy of Wisconsin at the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations’ McCarthy-Army hearings on June 9, 1954. VIA WIKIMEDIA

By JOHN BOS

Published: 11-01-2024 4:01 PM

 

I am, as I’m sure many of you are, totally exhausted by the coverage of the presidential campaigns. This fatigue is exacerbated by the constant and intense flow of political news, particularly from 24-hour news channels and social media.

Many voters have expressed frustration with the heated language and absence of civility in today’s politics. They are tired of the ugly behavior, name-calling, and personal insults that have become common in today’s political discourse. This incivility has affected personal relationships, workplaces and communities, contributing to a broader sense of fatigue and division.

More than 8 in 10 Americans (86%) agree “Republicans and Democrats are more focused on fighting each other than on solving problems.” My research took me to this statement: “The decline of decency in public discourse is significantly influenced by the characteristics of social media, including the creation of echo chambers, the spread of misinformation, the amplification of extremist voices, and the manipulation by political actors. These factors contribute to a polarized, often uncivil, and less informed public discourse.”

Decency. I was reminded of the moment when U.S, Army chief counsel Joseph N. Welch asked, “Have you no sense of decency, sir?” of Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy during a House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearing in 1954. Seventy years later, this question is more appropriate than ever in this exhausting moment in American history.

The nationally televised HUAC hearings were sparked by McCarthy’s accusations of lax security at a top-secret Army facility and his demand for preferential treatment for a recently drafted subcommittee aide. The Army hired Welch to defend its position, and during one of the sessions, Welch famously confronted McCarthy, saying, “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?” This exchange, broadcast on television, significantly damaged McCarthy’s public image and marked a turning point in public opinion against him.

McCarthy’s methods and accusations were widely regarded as demagogic and reckless, undermining the principles of civil liberties and due process. The term “McCarthyism” has become synonymous with baseless accusations, witch hunts, and the suppression of dissent. Despite the harm caused by his actions, McCarthy’s rise and fall also highlight the dangers of fear-mongering and the importance of protecting individual rights during times of national anxiety.

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Common decency means common or everyday courtesy or respect, or politeness that is expected and assumed under standard societal convention. Decency is difficult to find in today’s quest for the White House. The personal quality of decency is one of honesty, good manners, and respect for other people. Over time, decency has referred to manners, but today decency is mainly a strong sense of right and wrong, and a high standard of honesty. When a criminal or dictator does horrible things, people assume they have no sense of decency.

“The thin and precarious crust of decency,” Aldous Huxley wrote “is all that separates any civilization, however impressive, from the hell of anarchy or systematic tyranny which lie in wait beneath the surface.”

At age 88, I have lived through the swing of the political pendulum from liberal to conservative several times. It is my perspective that in today’s America the pendulum has swung dangerously beyond its capacity to return to a democratic/republican middle ground. While the time remaining in my own life is limited, my concerns about the future, my fear really, is for the America my two grandsons will find themselves living in.

The approach of Thanksgiving has prompted two other significant memories, one warm and wonderful, and the other still painful. My wife and I were living on Bolton Street in downtown Baltimore in 1963, across the street from the former home of writer and social critic H.L. Mencken. In 1963 it was owned by close friends where we would gather each Thanksgiving for dinner and games.

I so well remember discussing H. L. Mencken’s acerbic wit, as in “It is inaccurate to say that I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office.”

There’s that word again: “decency.” And Mencken’s satirical capacity to communicate a cultural criticism.

The other memory is walking in a daze to post a “performance canceled” sign on the door of the theater I was managing after learning about JFK’s assassination in Dallas.

Wednesday’s election is shaping up to be ugly. The outcome is going to satisfy no majority.

We should all vote for a decent candidate … if we want to rescue a decent democracy.

This may well be my last presidential election. I am praying for a decent result. I will continue to write my “Connecting the Dots” column for as long as I can and welcome your questions and comments at john01370@gmail.com.