Some Theories on Civility, and the Downfall Thereof

So America's President ordered the killing of one of the most heinous and evil men in history, Osama bin Laden. This order was carried out by the military, of which he is Commander in Chief, and suddenly, it's too much to give the President even one iota of credit.  Two years into his presidency, and some are claiming, rather fantastically, that he's "riding on Bush's coat-tails."

Now balance that with the opinion that, given the same amount of time, he should have fixed the American economy.

So which is it?

Everywhere, civility is disappearing, society is polarizing.  Democrats and Republicans.  Liberals and Conservatives.  There's hardly any decorum to be found, especially on the internet.  Why?  Anonymity and the ability to hide behind a monitor, hurling virtual insults across the world makes everyone brave.  We don't have to ultimately stand behind our statements.  We can delete a post, remove a profile, change the privacy settings.

And for what it's worth, if Bush had done the same thing, I'd like to think I'd say: "Good for him!  Though I disagree with a lot of what he does, he still helped end the reign of an evil man."  As for why we can't say that about President Obama, I think it comes down to one fact that makes many Americans uncomfortable.