Abraham Foxman’s sobering Feb. 3 Other Views article, A call for civility amid appeals to hate, is a reminder that we are losing our democratic values beneath a blanket of public incivility.

Perhaps we could change this culture if teachers in secondary and higher education occasionally found time in their lectures or labs to address the issue.

Incivility has become acceptable, possibly fueled by the proliferation of no-holds-barred reality TV and talk shows. Everything that surrounds us, certainly the soundtrack of our lives, seems constantly to be filled with negative, aggressive, in-your-face advertising and programming. Add to this the demeaning presidential debates and mean-spirited campaign rhetoric. Little wonder our children grow up emulating such counter-productive energy.

To change this, every teacher, professor and mentor, regardless of their subject, should raise the topic in class, reminding students that civility provides the bedrock of our sacred freedoms. All it would take is two minutes from a single class period in every school, in every district, in every county in every state throughout the nation, showing young people that it is possible to exchange ideas and opinions and do business with each other with respect and tolerance.

What a country this could be! But first, we all have to pitch in and remind youth that respect and civility are not only desireable but essential for a healthy nation.

Phillip M. Church, Miami