Recovering Civility During COVID-19

Recovering Civility during COVID-19 Matteo Bonotti · Steven T. Zech Recovering Civility during COVID-19 Matteo Bonotti · Steven T. Zech Recovering Civility during COVID-19 Matteo Bonotti Steven T. Zech Politics and International Relations Politics and International Relations Monash University Monash University Melbourne, Australia Melbourne, Australia ISBN 978-981-33-6705-0 ISBN 978-981-33-6706-7 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-6706-7 © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2021. This book is an open access publication. Open Access This book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made. 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Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Cover credit: gettyimages/Ada daSilva This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Acknowledgments This work is part of a larger collaborative project titled ‘Civic Virtue in Public Life: Understanding and Countering Incivility in Liberal Democ- racies’. The research is funded as part of the Self, Virtue and Public Life Project, a three-year research initiative based at the Institute for the Study of Human Flourishing at the University of Oklahoma, made possible with generous support from the Templeton Religion Trust. This funding has also provided resources to publish this book in Open Access format. The authors are especially grateful to Nancy Snow and Mechelle Gibson at the University of Oklahoma for their invaluable support. The book’s theoretical framework benefitted from feedback provided by numerous colleagues. We are particularly thankful for comments from participants at the University of Milan SPS Seminar and the Civic Virtue in Public Life Workshop at Monash University. Furthermore, we appreciate feedback from members of the Melbourne Political, Legal, and Social Theory Network. We would also like to thank the other members of the Civic Virtue in Public Life research team: Aurélia Bardon, Joshua Eastin, Emily K. Gade and Pete Lentini, as well as other colleagues who have provided research assistance and support: Chiara De Lazzari, Alfonso Martinez Arranz, William Ridge, and Katrina Zorzi. Finally, Matteo Bonotti would like to thank his family for their constant love and support. Steven T. Zech would like to thank his family and friends for their unfailing support and encouragement. v Contents 1 The Human, Economic, Social, and Political Costs of COVID-19 1 2 Understanding Civility 37 3 Civility as Politeness During COVID-19 65 4 Civility as Public-Mindedness During COVID-19 121 Conclusion 183 Bibliography 189 Index 243 vii About the Authors Matteo Bonotti (Ph.D. University of Edinburgh) is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Monash Univer- sity, having previously taught at Cardiff University, Queen’s Univer- sity Belfast, and the University of Edinburgh. Matteo’s research inter- ests include political liberalism and public reason, linguistic justice, free speech, food justice, and the normative dimensions of partisanship. His work has appeared in such journals as the American Political Science Review, The Journal of Politics, Political Studies,theJournal of Common Market Studies,theJournal of Applied Philosophy, Law and Philosophy, and the European Journal of Political Theory. His monograph Partisan- ship and Political Liberalism in Diverse Societies was published by Oxford University Press in 2017. Steven T. Zech (Ph.D. University of Washington) is a Lecturer (Assis- tant Professor) in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Monash University. He was previously a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. Steve’s research focuses on how communities respond to political violence and terrorism at the local level and he has conducted extensive fieldwork on self-defense forces in Peru, as well as militias in the Philippines and the United States. His work has appeared in journals such as Interna- tional Studies Review, Terrorism and Political Violence, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, Defence and Peace Economics, Defense & Security Analysis, ix x ABOUT THE AUTHORS and the Journal of Terrorism Research. His dissertation Between Two Fires: Civilian Resistance During Internal Armed Conflict in Peru was awarded the Terrorism Research Initiative (TRI) 2017 prize for Best Doctoral Dissertation in the Field of Terrorism and Counterterrorism Studies. List of Images Image 3.1 Roped off outdoor gym equipment in Melbourne, Australia 68 Image 3.2 A business providing guidance on queuing practices in Melbourne, Australia 69 Image 3.3 Guidance for walking path rules including distancing, stopping, and behaviour in busy areas 84 Image 3.4 Circles on the grass to help people observe social distancing rules 85 Image 3.5 A skater failing to comply with COVID-19 rules 86 Image 4.1 US economic stimulus check that included the name of President Donald J. Trump 132 xi Introduction As of 27 January 2021 there have been nearly 100 million reported cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide resulting in over 2.1 million deaths.1 The number of infections and fatalities continues to rise and new waves of infections have devastated many countries, including those that had initially managed to contain the virus. Many govern- ments failed to initiate prompt and effective interventions to tackle the pandemic. This resulted in death rates well beyond what would have been seen in the presence of a quicker response. The failure to act in a timely manner has resulted in outcomes in line with worst case scenarios predicted at the onset of the pandemic for some countries.2 Beyond the human costs, COVID-19 has severely affected the economic, social, and political lives of people around the world. The international community has had to contend with a global recession.3 Govern- ments have scrambled to implement measures to curtail the economic costs of the global health crisis and to provide support for individuals and businesses affected by COVID-19.4 The health crisis also has clear political implications. Some states have responded to the pandemic with extreme measures, including international border closures, travel restric- tions and prohibitions, as well as far-reaching controls like curfews and stay-at-home orders. In some contexts, leaders and politicians have used the situation to advance nationalist political agendas,5 spread extremist ideologies,6 or find advantage in an ongoing contest for hegemony in the global political order.7 xiii xiv INTRODUCTION The health crisis has also radically altered people’s social lives. Isola- tion, whether voluntary or imposed, has increased separation between people and reduced opportunities to connect. Where people are still able to interact, whether in person or virtually, the social costs of the crisis have manifested in a variety of ways. For example, people have questioned or sought guidance regarding norms of etiquette related to ‘social distancing’ practices.8 Physical altercations in supermarket aisles over toilet paper at the onset of the pandemic were a clear indication that norms of politeness and etiquette would come under threat.9 Furthermore, we have witnessed more frequent instances of self-interested behaviour and disre- gard for the common good, as citizens have often ignored mandates regarding congregating and socializing in public spaces like beaches, bars, and nightclubs. This has sometimes resulted in various forms of public shaming targeting perpetrators.10 This book examines many of the challenges posed by the COVID- 19 pandemic through the distinctive lens of civility. The idea of civility appears often in both public and academic debates, and a polarized political climate frequently leads to allegations of uncivil speech and behaviour. Norms of civility are always contested, even more so in moments of crisis such as a global pandemic. A focus on civility provides crucial insight and guidance on how to navigate the social and political challenges resulting from COVID-19. Furthermore, it offers a framework through which citizens and policymakers can better understand the causes and consequences of incivility, and devise ways to recover civility in our social and political lives. Chapter 1 provides an overview of the human, economic, social, and political costs of COVID-19. In doing so, it offers the background against which we develop our analysis in the subsequent chapters. Chapter 2 introduces the concept of civility and identifies its two main components.

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