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Over the past few weeks we've seen citizens (aka "angry mobs") shout down their congressional representatives in town hall meetings, an Obamacare supporter bite off a 65-year-old man's finger at a MoveOn.org rally, and a South Carolina congressman yell "you lie" during a presidential address.


The bad behavior hasn't been limited to the political world, either. Earlier this week, tennis star Serena Williams had a televised temper tantrum and Kanye West's interruption of Taylor Swift's VMA acceptance speech was so offensive that President Obama called him a "jackass."

An Uncivil Outbreak
Because of incidents like those, civility has been all the talk, especially on the news. If you've been watching them you're probably thinking there is an unprecedented epidemic of outrage in the country. The bizarre finger-biting incident reminded me of footage from the horror flick "28 Days Later." Did someone unleash a "rage" monkey virus, turning normal people into murderous zombie-like monsters as in the movie? OK, probably not, but what the heck is happening?

New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd and some other all-knowing pundits would have you believe the anger of the "mobs" we are seeing show up at town hall meetings and tea party protests, as well as the frustration of Congressman Joe "You lie" Wilson, is rooted in racism. The anger citizens are expressing in public forums is being treated as something new -- something that can only be explained with the caricatured white bigot who can't accept a black president.

That makes almost as much sense as the virus-infected monster scenario.

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Bad Behavior Is Nothing New
Neither temperamental celebrities, nor angry Americans are anything new. Kanye West has a long list of public outbursts, and for those too young to remember, John McEnroe turned his famous temper tantrums on the tennis court into commercial marketing opportunities.

For the past eight years we saw protesters march with "Bushitler" signs and banners advocating the assassination of President Bush and Vice President Cheney. The last time I looked they were both about as white as you can get.

The anger and vitriol aimed at the former administration was not limited to groups of protesters -- congressmen participated as well. Democrats in Congress booed George Bush during his 2005 State of the Union address -- some were even heard yelling "lie." Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid called Bush a "liar" and a "loser." More recently, Bush was loudly booed by the audience at the inauguration of Barack Obama.

There was some limited reporting on those incidents at the time, but nothing close to the extensive coverage we have seen of the tea parties or Joe Wilson's "You lie" outburst. Those in the media were not wringing their hands over the lack of civility then, nor were they psychoanalyzing the reasons for such anger.

Sure there are some recent examples of a lack of civility, but there are just as many examples from years past. The only thing that is new is the media's sudden concern.

Lorie Byrd has been political blogging since 2004. Read more from her at Wizbangblog, Townhall.com and AmericanIssuesProject.org.