Toxic Citizen Self-Test

If you have demonstrated any of the following behavior in the last six months you may currently be a “toxic citizen”, who is unconstructive to political dialogue and to a well functioning democracy:

  1. When I argue against (for) a policy, I stray from focus on policy and speculate upon and attack the motives of individuals promoting (not supporting) it.
  2. My civic engagement includes ridiculing policy makers for their appearance or other personal traits.
  3. I believe that freedom of speech is dangerous when the speech goes against my viewpoint.
  4. I have very low standards of proof and low skepticism for statements I want to believe, but impossibly high standards of proof and extreme skepticism for statements I don’t want to believe.
  5. I do not allow leaders and fellow citizens to grow from mistakes, and I insist that their mistakes should define them forever.
  6. I have employed anger and enragement as substitutes for argument and discussion.
  7. I believe that one group (based on race/ethnicity, gender, religion, origin, etc.) has more claim to the rights, privileges and protections of citizenship than others.
  8. I regularly attribute bad behavior to groups (based on race/ethnicity, gender, religion, origin, etc.) rather than to the choices of individuals.
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