Editing Incivility (section)

== Uncivil communication ==
Civil behavior requires that people communicate with respect, restraint, and responsibility, and uncivil communication occurs when people fail to do so.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Lane|last2=McCourt|title=Uncivil Communication in Everyday Life: A Response to Benson's "The Rhetoric of Civility."|journal=Journal of Contemporary Rhetoric|volume=3}}</ref> [[Universal pragmatics]], a term coined by [[Jürgen Habermas]], suggests that human conflict arises from miscommunication,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Communication and the Evolution of Society|last=Habermas|first=Jurgen|publisher=Beacon Press|year=1979|location=Toronto, Canada}}</ref> so [[communicative competence]] is needed to reduce [[Conflict (process)|conflict]]. Communication competence "involves the ability to communicate in such a way that: (1) the truth claim of an utterance is shared by both speaker and hearer; (2) the hearer is led to understand and accept the speaker’s intention; and (3) the speaker adapts to the hearer’s world view."<ref>{{Cite book|title=The History and Theory of Rhetoric|last=Herrick|first=James|publisher=Pearson Education|year=2005|location=Boston}}</ref> If people disagree about the truth or appropriateness of their interaction, conflict will occur.

According to Habermas, we should establish communicative [[Norm (social)|norms]] that lead to rational conversations by creating the social coordination needed for interactants to pursue their goals while recognizing the truth or appropriateness of their interaction.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Theory of Communicative Action, trans. Thomas McCarthy|last=Habermas|first=Jurgen|publisher=Beacon Press|year=1984|location=Boston}}</ref> Such norms, or social rules, include: "all participants must be allowed to speak freely, all participants must be allowed to speak for themselves (to enable them to establish their own [[ethos]] or "selfhood"), and that communication should be equal, with no one participant commanding more attention from the others than is afforded to them on their turn."<ref name=":0" />

Some examples of uncivil communication include rude gestures, vulgar language, interrupting, and loudly having private discussions in public spaces.<ref name=":0" /> Recent poll data suggests that Americans believe uncivil communication is a serious problem, and believe it has led to an increase in physical violence.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.webershandwick.com/news/article/civility-in-america-2013-incivility-has-reached-crisis-levels|title=News - Civility in America 2013: Incivility has reached crisis levels - Weber Shandwick|website=webershandwick.com|access-date=1 November 2016}}</ref> The 2013 study on ''Civility in America: A Nationwide Survey'', conducted by global public relations firm [[Weber Shandwick]] and public affairs firm Powell Tate in partnership with KRC Research found that 70 percent of Americans believe incivility has reached crisis proportions.<ref name=":1" /> Of those who expect civility to worsen, 34 percent blame [[Twitter]].<ref name=":1" /> The study found that Americans encounter incivility, on average, 17.1 times per week, or 2.4 times per day.<ref name=":1" /> Some studies suggest that uncivil communication may have real consequences, including increased health problems due to stress, decreased work productivity, more auto accidents caused by aggressive driving, and [[vandalism]].<ref name=":0" />