Political Ideologies Resolved

The arguments, discussions and heated exchanges which count for public discourse these days invariably revolves around conservative, liberal and middle of the road ideologies. I’d like to focus a bit on this.

Let us begin with some definitions:

• Conservative: less government is better; protection of the individual is paramount
• Liberal: quality of life is paramount; access to it and respect for each person is central
• Middle of the Road: borrows ideas from both liberals and conservatives to build sustainable programs that meet society’s needs

These labels will retag from time to time such as right wing, leftist, centrist, and many other variations. Sometimes the labels take on inflammatory coloring but those are rhetorical gimmicks.

At any given moment these three ideologies slip all over a wide spectrum. They shift continuously. With 310 million residents, America has a lot of opinions, all changing along a varying line of debate. It is difficult to keep up let alone understand what all of these people are saying-demanding-fuming!

I know the definitions I offered are basic and brief. I might have missed nuances but the danger of adding those increases the odds that the definition is inaccurate. So let’s remain in the basic definition mode for now.

One common thread all three share is the centrality of the individual. Conservatives desire protection of the individual. Liberals avow respect for each person. Middle of the roaders share ideas from both so they must also maintain support for personhood. That’s a lot of shared value among the three camps.

It makes me wonder why each works so diligently to separate themselves from each other. Why all the drama and debate? You believe in freedoms of the individual. You adhere to the Constitution and its Bill of Rights and guarantees of freedoms. Why the heat and passion? Why the ranting rhetoric?

Means to ends may be part of the answer. Conservatives believe government carries too large a role in our daily lives. Liberals believe individuals will pursue inclinations of greed if they are not regulated or curbed; that’s where the government role enters their picture frame. Middle of the road folks seem to say both sides have a reason for concern so let’s find a way to satisfy most of each side’s concerns.

If this nutshell view is basically correct, then what’s the problem? Why are American ‘politics’ so gridlocked? Why are we so angry at each other?

Perhaps the emotions are contrived by purists to keep their politics pure and starkly different from the others? Do these emotions cloud public reactions? Distract us? Are reactions in kind lured into being thus creating heated exchanges? Are we being scammed or is this an honest ‘debate?’

Whatever our national discussion is cannot be fairly named a debate! A debate has rules of engagement and a process built in based on fairness. It is a challenge of wit as well as logic and informed communication. What’s raging on the public stage is not debate but rather senseless noise that is distracting the public from clear and factual discussion.

We need that discussion. We need to prove to each other that we are respectful and logical and informed. We need to inform each other. We need to feel for each other’s sensibilities. That’s where respect is found and shown. Can we rise to this level of communication? Can we seek shared meaning which may lead to constructive compromise on critical issues?

Life is not black or white with the exception of death. Life is filled with gray tones. Lots of gray. And that is OK. It’s a good reflection on the diversity of American culture.

Ours is a very diverse culture. That diversity includes a broad spectrum of age, a polyglot of languages spoken and written, enormous ethnic diversity, religious differences, multiple cultures blending into one, and many political experiences and values rubbing against each other.  One major difference is gender. And that is pretty much a 50/50 proposition! And unalterable. And we get along after all these millennia because we have to. Still we have tensions between male and female. But it is accommodated in America. Not always perfectly.

Why do we have such trouble accommodating all of the other differences? We are a melting pot of diversity. Certainly this will have consequences politically, but nothing that we can’t manage over time. So let’s do just that. Let’s focus on our shared values rather than what differences we have among us.

Might this be the starting point for fruitful dialogue going forward? Are we ready to do this? Are you?

October 29, 2011