Maybe we could use a civic Hippocratic oath

Certainly Donald Trump can hit back at his 24/7 critics without calling his nemesis, porn star Stormy Daniels, “horseface.”

So how does a society create a civic culture in which we do not embrace words and deeds that are incendiary or cruel or both, and thereby erode the traditions and manners that prior generations have bequeathed?

Why not try a voluntary code of civic conduct — something akin to the medical profession’s ancient Greek Hippocratic oath — that celebrities, politicians, journalists and other public figures might seek to honor?

Our civic version of the Hippocratic oath might include these simple pledges:

I will neither lecture nor harangue when asking questions.

I will not deprive others of their right to free expression.

I will not shout down or silence public speakers.

I will not resort to profanity or scatology in the public square.

I will neither call for nor joke about killing or physically harming public officials.

I will not denigrate the race or sex of anyone or characterize individuals on the basis of their appearance.

I will not compare my political opponents to Adolf Hitler or Nazis.

I promise not to disclose the address of contact information of political opponents.

I will not protest at the private residences of political opponents. I will not stalk political opponents. I will not resort to physical force to intimidate my opponents.

I will not denigrate or harass the family members of my opponent.

I will not report or state something that cannot be substantiated.

I will not claim to have consulted “anonymous” or “unnamed” sources when I have talked to no one.

I will not leak or disseminate the private records of those I oppose.

Many of our best-known journalists, politicians and celebrities do not follow those simple rules. If they did, they might regain a little of the credibility and respect they have lost.