Broderists Take Bloomington

Taking my seat, someone nearby describes this evening's topic 'intriguing.'  Another neighbor tells her guest--apropos of what, I know not--'...it's never quite so black and white as...'

When active MPR listeners want to talk about nothing and feel good about themselves, they hold 'civility' events.

Fear not, nothing gets decided.  Sometimes people benefit from exchanging empty statements with each other; we're social primates.  Every hour spent discussing civility is an hour not devoted to shoplifting or animal abuse, I suppose.

The civility industry's most recent manifestation--an LWV-sponsored mutual-admiration palaver with A-listers Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Steve Sviggum, Stacy Doepner-Hove and Don Shelby--took place in Bloomington this evening.

A vested, insufferable Shelby--silver-maned, luxuriating in his retired-Cronkite 'defender of standards' sinecure--did most of the talking, introducing what was to become the 'concrete instance of incivility staring the sentient in the face'--the decision of Republican state senators not to confirm Ellen Anderson's appointment to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.

In other words, most of this evening's discussion didn't address civility, properly understood--it concerned politics.

A good time was had by all.  Everyone went home feeling better about Don Shelby.