Think Of A Debate As A Public Space. This Is What Happens When You Litter It

The beach or the park succeeds based on the willingness of everyone who enters to uphold commonly accepted expectations. Maintenance of the space becomes reflexive, a civic habit that is self-reinforcing: When you enter a beautiful space, you are inclined to keep it beautiful, no public shaming required. Unfortunately, the inverse is also true. If it isn’t a beautiful space, then most people aren’t inclined to keep it beautiful. And when these conditions begin to prevail, public spaces fail, often precipitously. – Washington Post