With Nov. 6 quickly approaching, the heated political climate at the University of Massachusetts is palpable. In light of the upcoming  presidential election, this semester has been defined by aggressive student voter registration campaigns, provocative Facebook statuses and an uncanny number of political columns in the Massachusetts Daily Collegian.

Meanwhile, the presidential debates over the past month have been characterized by shout-outs to beloved Sesame Street characters, a restoration of the word “malarkey” and a newfound sexist connotation behind binders.

No matter how attentively one has been watching the presidential debates, it does not take a political pundit to notice the negativity and disrespect which have pervaded the interpersonal interactions between the candidates. Both the presidential and vice presidential debates contained their share of interruption, belligerence, disrespectful body language and pure rudeness.

In a description of the Oct. 11 vice presidential debate, the Associated Press wrote that Joe Biden’s body language seemed like “a montage of pained smiles, winces, head shakes and eye rolls.” Moreover, according to Joe Pounder, research director of the Republican National Committee, Biden interrupted his opponent a total of 82 times throughout the evening.

Mitt Romney’s disrespectful behavior during the second presidential debate was met with similar criticism. His contentiousness over the debate rules, constant interruption of moderator Candy Crowley and disrespectful tone toward the president were all received unfavorably by the media.

The problem of disrespectful behavior in the debate clearly transcended matters of partisanship, as candidates from both parties have been accused of blatant rudeness throughout the past month’s debates.

Now when it comes to political debate, candidates’ eloquence and energy ultimately hold more weight in the assessment of their performance, and rightfully so. Despite his disrespectful conduct, many people deemed Biden the winner of the vice presidential debate due to his articulate defense of the Obama administration’s foreign and economic policies.

Nevertheless, it is shocking that the candidates do not pay more heed to their general demeanor in their debate performance. Basic psychology teaches that non-verbal factors – such as body language, tone and facial expressions – are significantly more influential in shaping others’ impressions than the meaning of one’s words. Therefore, no matter how articulate a candidate may be, a basic self-awareness and consciousness of non-verbal factors is essential to win an audience’s favor.

Disrespectful conduct during a presidential debate is unprofessional and reflects poorly upon personal character. Excessive aggression does not project self-assurance, dependability or strong will, but rather reflects immaturity, pettiness and bad temper.

In an opinion piece for the Democrat and Chronicle, Sandy Foster provides the perspective that while “the lack of dignity shown by both candidates [this year] is not historically unprecedented … the major skullduggery” in the past was “committed by partisans in the media,” rather than “the candidates themselves.” She attributes the prevalent disrespect these days to the “attitude of partisanship,” which compels many to “excuse the bad behavior of their own candidate” due to the simplistic perception that one side is right while the other is wrong.

The Associated Press’s Connie Cass wrote that while “Americans traditionally expect” candidates running for reelection “to maintain a certain level of decorum,” our “conflict-addicted popular culture” may have lowered these expectations. Certainly, with the dominant role of drama-ridden reality TV and competitive professional sports in American entertainment, our penchant for conflict is undeniable.

Foster aptly summarizes that “since rudeness passes as a form of entertainment today, it should come as no surprise that it has become acceptable as a form of political discourse.” While perhaps unsurprising, however, the widespread acceptance of rudeness within American politics is upsetting and distasteful.

Admittedly, the candidates’ failure to mask their contempt and mockery of each other does make for great entertainment. What with the tension, aggression and raw human bickering that have characterized this year’s presidential debates, these momentous events have practically become a spectator sport.

But just as I begin to feel entertained by the jeering facial expressions displayed on the split screen, I recall that I am looking at the faces of our future leaders. In the case where the fate of America rests on one’s shoulders, I’d like to think that the ability to display some class and self-restraint for a mere 90 minutes is a basic and reasonable expectation.

Merav Kaufman is a Collegian columnist. She can be reached at [email protected].