I think media is what has changed.

I think about how things in the world changed. In the old days you could sat and talk about politic stuff without being physically harmed. Today, if you do it cause you to be physically harmed or may cause a fight.

So much had changed in the world including the media.

It used to be much more civil. Now it is just enemies.

When I say media has changed, I mean there is just more access to political rhetoric. There could have been similar discord and incivility in the past but it wasn’t published, viewed or streamed 24/7 on TV, social media, radio, news feeds, etc like it is now. So I think a steady diet of that will tick up the ugliness.

I agree with all the posts. People were more civil to each other. Reporters did not pursue stories about the DRAMA surrounding politicians and their personal lives. Also, you did not have access to 24 hour steady stream of news and politics. Soon this ugliness will be behind us.

Two things:

Congress was at least somewhat more civil with each other until the early '90s, Roughly when the two parties began to start their shifts into what they look like today. Bill Clinton became president and then two years later Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House. Gingrich decided it would serve the GOP better to do very little that would help in any way advance Clinton's agenda because it wouldn't benefit them. And then of course came Clinton's impeachment trial, which in hindsight looks pretty petty. It's only gone downhill from there as more of the old stalwarts who knew how things used to operate and how compromise used to work started to die off or retire and got replaced with more polarizing figures on either side of the political spectrum. It's hard to find a way to compromise now when people can't even compromise within the same party, let alone cross the aisle.

The media got more niche along the way too. There was a time when you only got your news from your local newspaper and broadcast news. Then came CNN... and Fox News... and MSNBC... people started to get news tailored to their political leanings and never had to see the other side. Then social media decided to wade into news without actually ever moderating to ensure the content labeled "news" actually legitimately was. Then came Trump who capitalized on that by telling people anything that didn't come from him was fake news. Then came sites that backed his fake news and made it look like what he said was actually legitimately factual. Now people can't tell what's real anymore and that just leads to people not believing a legitimate election was legit but fully being on board with crazy conspiracies like that Democratic political officials run a pedophilia ring out of a DC pizzeria and Trump was sent by Jesus to save all fetuses from abortion and stuff like that.

Unfortunately, neither situation is going to get cleared up any time soon, even if Trump decides to move to a private island and we never hear from him again. When you drive a wedge further and further into a tree you can't necessarily stop the tree from falling over just because you stopped hitting the wedge and pulled it out. The damage to the tree is done; you just have to hope the trunk is strong enough and the wedge wasn't driven so far into it that it weakened it beyond it's ability to continue to stand.

Well McCarthyism was way before the 90s so in my humble opinion incivility and uglieness in politics has always been part of the political culture. We just are seeing and hearing it... all...the.., time, all sides, all "news" outlets.

Not saying it wasn't there, it's just in the '90s it became less of the fringe and more of a major party platform agenda.

Also, not sure you can really say all sides when it's pretty clear one side is leaning far more into the ugly incivility than the other. I mean, if anyone is still trying to say both parties are the same, they have not been paying attention to the last two weeks... never mind anything before that.

I can say it’s all sides because it’s just my opinion :). We can still have different opinions and viewpoints, I think.

See this is an example of the issue: each “side” sees everything as absolute gospel and truth. I’m neither a democrat nor republican, which I shouldn’t even have to say but I really have no hard core ideology related to either side except belief that with freedom comes really good things and sometimes not so good things. That is what living in a free society is about. It’s either free or it is not. Anyway, when I read an article on CNN, for example, it stinks of disinformation as much as an article on FOX news stinks of misinformation, to me. That’s why it’s important to go to several different media sources for news, and not just those that align with a particular narrative.

I think it’s unfair to assume I’ve not been paying attention. Again I think we just see things a different way. Do I think people should have stormed the capitol? Hell no and they should be punished. Do I think people this summer should have looted and burned businesses down in my city? Hell no and they should be punished. Do I think rhetoric of local and federal politicians fueled both of those extremes, absolutely. Remove the violence and I support 100% anyone’s right to protest and the freedom to express their views even when I don’t agree.

Anyway, here’s to keeping our minds and hearts open. The politics are ugly but as citizens we don’t have to follow suit.

I don't know if that tree can still stand after the damage Trump has caused........................thank God, I live in Australia

Seriously no need to pity us. We'll be alright.

No pity, just empathy, and thankful that we aren't experiencing what you guys are, from what we hear in the news here, sounds like a country divided - not good for everyone