What do you think accounts for the rise in incivility?

[KansDem]

118. Of course!

Many versions of the "Faust" classic exist but I was referring to Goethe’s:

Mephistopheles tries to seize Faust's soul when he dies after this moment of happiness, but is frustrated and enraged when angels intervene due to God's grace. Though this grace is truly 'gratuitous' and does not condone Faust's frequent errors perpetrated with Mephistopheles, the angels state that this grace can only occur because of Faust's unending striving and due to the intercession of the forgiving Gretchen. The final scene has Faust's soul carried to heaven in the presence of God as the "Holy Virgin, Mother, Queen, Goddess...The Eternal Feminine". The Goddess is thus victorious over Mephistopheles, who had insisted at Faust's death that he would be consigned to "The Eternal Empty".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faust

Perhaps more to the point is the protagonist in Carl Marie von Weber’s opera, “Der Freischutz”” in which Max makes a deal with Samiel through his “agent” Casper for seven golden bullets so that he may win a shooting contest and the hand of Agathe. Max uses the last bullet to shoot a dove and instead the bullet is guided by Samiel to hit Agathe. The bullet hits her wedding veil and is deflected to strike Casper, who is in turn snatched by Samiel. A wandering hermit interrupts the proceedings and announces that Max’s “straying from a good life” to accept Samiel’s deal was due to his love for Agathe and fear of losing the shooting match. The hermit suggests condemning the shoot and suggest a probationary period of one year, after which if Max continues to live “a faultless life,” he will gain forgiveness and be permitted to marry Agathe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Der_Freisch%C3%BCtz

That’s what I meant by “Leave It to Beaver” as a weekly reenactment of the Faust legend. Call it “Hollywood Faust” but generally you had the Beav lured into an agreement with one of his friends that is supposed to result in a good time, but instead learns otherwise, usually with the help of Ward. A lesson is learned and “redemption” is achieved.

As for Archie Bunker, sure he was a bigot and misogynist. But I wasn’t saying he “deserve" to be ridiculed, but that he was merely the target of such ridicule.