If incivility is on the rise in American cultural generally, we should expect to find similar issues in the classroom. Racial and gender attacks are especially troublesome because administrators are themselves frequently ambivalent or frankly hostile to diversity.
Students sense then observe it.
As a consequence, they play upon it creating a vicious cycle where attacks increase in frequency and severity. Finally a confrontative posture is applauded as invigorating debate, stanching the flow of political correctness. In fact, we are now living in a culture of opinion where individual opinions rule standards for behavior and there is almost total lack of accountability. Check this box if you would like this submission to be considered for publication as a letter to the editor in the printed Chronicle. Be sure to include your name and affiliation.