It would be too easy to blame the recent spate of incivility and histrionics by Hawaii lawmakers on Donald Trump, though he is a master of both.

But often, the easiest explanation is closest to the truth.

Whatever the inspiration — pop music lyrics, Snapchat, cable TV — local lawmakers have been acting up lately and slinging profanity during official proceedings instead of saving that dirty talk for backroom rants and off-the-record beefing.

Two weeks ago, in what reporter Kevin Dayton called a “rare outburst of profanity on the state House floor,” Republican state legislator Bob McDermott yelled at his fellow Republican colleagues, “Do your (expletive) job!”

Later, when he had gone through all of his allotted speaking time and none of his Republican buddies jumped in fast enough to offer him their own allotted time, McDermott got in their faces and told them to “start acting like a (expletive) Republican.”

Then last week, Sen. Laura Thielen let it fly during a meeting of the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee. The discussion was on the settlement of a lawsuit brought by the family of a child who was run over by a teacher driving on campus.

“You guys should never have settled this case, and it sends the wrong message to every employee in this state that you can just be a stupid (expletive) idiot and drive over the lawn in a school and do stupid things like that, and we’re going to cover you,” Thielen said. “That is a horrible judgment.”

Thielen publicly apologized for her use of profanity. McDermott did not.

In addition to the sassy talk, there’s been some made-for-reality-television acting up.

After Mayor Kirk Caldwell asked the City Council to support his plan on affordable housing, Council Chairman Ernie Martin, the mayor’s arch nemesis, coyly called it an “emotional plea” and said he had a box of Kleenex by his desk. In case nobody got the joke, Martin brought out the Kleenex box for photos.

It’s one thing if the curse words and jibes are saved for private conversations and off-the-record dealings. There has to be lots of showing-middle-finger beneath the desks during session. But to play loud, angry and out-of-bounds to the media that way is a new style of coarse discourse.

And then there’s former state legislator and current Kauai County Councilman Gary Hooser’s famous catchphrase — “Bite me” — which has all the wit and finesse of a 10th-grade dweeb responding to locker room taunts. Hooser’s choice of language, though, is pre-Trump. He’s been telling people to bite him for years.

Poor Neil Abercrombie, he of the famous two word “f-you” letter to the head of the Board of Education. That was back in 1977. When he ran for governor, Abercrombie was made to tame his crazy hair and tone down his bombast. Trump is spinning gold with all the things Abercrombie was told were liabilities. Maybe Neil was ahead of his time.

Reach Lee Cataluna at 529-4315 or lcataluna@staradvertiser.com.