It's been a year since President Trump took office for his second term. Over the last year, Americans have watched the president and his team slash federal jobs, dismantle federal programs and eliminate funding to fields ranging from scientific research to international aid.

Political observers and historians have also noted a shift in public discourse civility. The president has increasingly used coarse language, taunts, insults and threats in his daily communications—a pattern that appears to be influencing both his supporters and some critics.

“There is some sense that if they go low and you don't go high, then you end up being reduced to the level of the person you're disagreeing with,” says Keith Bybee, professor of political science and author of How Civility Works (Stanford University Press, 2016).

“I would suggest something different, which is to focus on the real stakes. What are the boundaries of polite society? Who gets the benefit of decent treatment and behavior in our society? Who is owed basic respect? If we focus on that as the goal, then perhaps it'll make it less imperative that we engage in tit for tat or f-bomb for f-bomb,” Bybee says.

Listen to the full interview, titled “A year into new Trump term, civility takes a colossal hit,” on WBUR's “Hear & Now.”