With party conventions approaching and political temperatures rising, Indy Politics devoted a recent segment to the state of civility in local politics, featuring Alexandra (Lexi) Hudson, author of The Soul of Civility and founder of Civic Renaissance. The conversation focused on how social media is reshaping local discourse and what ordinary residents can do to foster more respectful engagement.
Hudson described a recent incident in Indianapolis that she said revealed the intensity of online hostility even at the neighborhood level. After posting on Facebook to invite neighbors to a front-porch “listening session” about the future of Indianapolis—also featuring mayoral candidate Vop Osili—Hudson said she was quickly met with a wave of negative comments.
What she intended as a nonpartisan conversation about “the kind of Indianapolis we want to build together” was recast online as a political event, she said. Commenters attacked her personally, criticized Osili for attending, and surfaced unrelated grievances, including a dispute with a contractor. Hudson said the reaction made her feel unsafe and misunderstood, leading her to delete the post after a few hours.
Rather than respond in the comment threads, Hudson said she chose to move forward with the event and “double down” on in-person community building. According to her, between 35 and 40 neighbors and community leaders attended the session, including Osili, to discuss what they want Indianapolis to be for future generations. Hudson described the gathering as “hope-filled” and said it reinforced her belief that the best answer to online vitriol is to keep “showing up and building.”
Throughout the interview, Hudson distinguished between politeness and civility. Politeness, she argued, is about manners and surface-level etiquette, while civility is a deeper commitment to recognizing the dignity of others, telling hard truths, and maintaining healthy boundaries. In a democracy, she said, disagreement is inevitable and even desirable, but it should not slide into dehumanization.
