Editor, Publisher and Businessman Steve Forbes on Civility in Contemporary America
NEW YORK, June 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Calling for "sensible rules of the road" in politics and finance, Forbes Inc. Chief Executive Officer Steve Forbes said Thursday that the manner of discourse in much of contemporary life breeds incivility.
And with a troubled economy, a constant state of war, and disagreement on the role of government, "The stakes are high," said Forbes.
"The tools for discourse encourage loudness," Forbes said, comparing harangues on talk radio to crass talk at the corner bar. "When passions rise up, forget about a normal, civil debate."
Forbes spoke as part of a series of lectures on civility in America at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. The series is being sponsored by The Dilenschneider Group to mark the firm's 20th anniversary, in conjunction with the Carnegie Council.
Forbes touched on education, politics, history, the economic crisis in Greece, free markets, and the establishment of a new gold standard so people can be certain that the money in their pockets has some real value. Economic uncertainty is a source of incivility, he said.
"You need stable money," Forbes said, predicting a return to the gold standard within five years. Forbes said that the dollar should be linked to a standard based on the moving average of the price of gold, which would trigger tightening or loosening of credit based on the direction.
"It's a very, very simple system," he said. "We cannot continue doing what we are doing. We have to make the change."
Mr. Forbes is the editor-in-chief of the business magazine Forbes as well as president and chief executive officer of its publisher, Forbes Inc. He was a Republican candidate in the U.S. Presidential primaries in 1996 and 2000. He is the son of longtime Forbes Magazine publisher Malcolm Forbes and the grandson of that publication's founder, B.C. Forbes. He is also the author of several books, the most recent being How Capitalism Will Save Us and Power, Ambition and Glory.
Saying he has no intention of running again for the White House and voicing his disappointment at the content of the New Hampshire debate among Republican hopefuls, Mr. Forbes said he believes the Republican Party will have a strong candidate by election time next year.
Asked for a prediction on the level of civility in the presidential contest, Forbes said he believes a campaign can be both lively and civil.
Vigorous debate should not be confused with ad hominem attacks," he said. "As long as there are rules of the road, I want that vigorous debate."
Forbes follows a talk by economist Henry Kaufman on Civility on Wall Street. The series of lectures on civility features speakers from politics, the media, finance, business, and other areas. Some of the nation's most insightful minds will explore the crisis and offer their opinion as to how we can restore civility in society.
The Dilenschneider Group, Inc. (http://www.dilenschneider.com) provides to a limited and select few access to the finest communications professionals in the world, with experience in fields ranging from mergers and acquisitions and crisis communications to marketing, government affairs and international media.
The Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs (www.carnegiecouncil.org), established in 1914 by Andrew Carnegie, is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing understanding of the relationship between ethics and international affairs.
SOURCE Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
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