Everyday community dialogue, political campaigning and media commentary are becoming increasingly fiery, lacking decorum of years past. James-Christian Blockwood, adjunct professor in Maxwell's Washington programs, argues that it "may be a byproduct of impassioned individuals who feel trapped, silenced, misunderstood, or isolated—people who feel that speaking up with civility is futile."

And, he says, "those who didn’t have a platform before may now feel emboldened to ensure their voices, or those voices they believe they represent, are heard, regardless of the cost to them and sometimes even at the expense of others."

In his article "Free speech: The cost of our words to truth and democracy," published in The Fulcrum, offers potential actions to improve civic discourse.