The Tyranny of Political Politeness

Bryan Wall
Sep 6, 2018 · 6 min read

With the recent death of John McCain the concept of all ideas being up for debate and critique in politics has well and truly been put to rest. His death ensured that any criticism, or even debate, about the actions he took and policies he advocated during his life could not be permitted. Instead, one had to adhere to the unwritten rules of political discourse and polite political society: A person’s ideas are up for debate and open to criticism, unless we happen to agree with them. To critique and disagree with the actions and ideas of this latter kind of person is unthinkable. It goes beyond…

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Written by

Independent journalist. Writes for The Canary, Broadsheet.ie, and The Phoenix.

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