When Does Taking a Moral Stand Cross the Line Into Incivility?


White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders touched off a fiery public debate this weekend after tweeting that a Virginia restaurant refused to serve her because she works for the president.

“Her actions say far more about her than about me,” Sanders wrote. “I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.”

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Some applauded the restaurant owner’s decision – but others decried the move, including the president himself.

“The Red Hen Restaurant should focus more on cleaning its filthy canopies, doors and windows (badly needs a paint job) rather than refusing to serve a fine person like Sarah Huckabee Sanders,” Trump tweeted. “I always had a rule, if a restaurant is dirty on the outside, it is dirty on the inside!”

The dining debate is just the latest incident that’s posed the question of when taking a moral stand crosses the line into incivility.

Joining Chicago Tonight with her thoughts on effectively communicating across divisions is Virginia Mann. She's principal of her own public affairs and communications firm, and president of the Chicago chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.


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