Respect for Authority: the core value of the values voter

[info being]

Much post-election analysis has focused on the so-called “values voter”. The concept of a values voter is puzzling. Exactly what are these values and who defines them? How can anyone be against laws that permit the killing of fetuses and at the same time support the unjustifiable murder of perhaps 100,000 innocent human beings in Iraq? How can anyone support proven liars (Bush, Rice, Cheney, etc.) and be turned off by a proven truth-teller (Kerry, who testified to Congress about the atrocities he witnessed in Vietnam)?

The truth is, this isn’t about values; rather, obedience to authority.

The so-called values voter is guided by an unquestioning faith in authority…faith in preachers, bosses, and the President. At some level, they believe that if it is on TV it must be true and if it is on CNN or Fox News it certainly is. They are taught to “know their place”. They believe that questioning of religion is a path to hell and questioning the President is un-American. They believe that if they just do what they are told – just play by the rules – one day they will be rewarded. They just want to fit in and the best way to fit in is to do as you’re supposed to. They watch the hottest shows on TV, follow sports, and read the local paper because those are all just things you’re supposed to do. They go shopping every weekend and buy what’s hot. If you don’t do all these things, that’s just weird because those things are normal.

Contrast this with the Progressive worldview: where authority is always questioned, where the government works for us, and where the mythology around mainstream America is stripped down to expose what it actually is: corporation power desperately trying to shape our thinking and sell us stuff.

I remember the exact moment when I learned to question authority. I was a freshman in college, taking Anthropology 101. On the first day of class, my young, bearded Professor, Dr. Palmer, lectured on material in our textbook very much like High School teachers do. He grabbed my attention when he stopped midway through and asked the class, “What’s wrong with this material? Can anyone find any flaws in this?”

I was stunned. He was talking about our textbook…how could there be anything wrong with that it says in our textbook? I had never been asked such a question…and I don’t think I was alone in that silent room full of stunned students. I don’t remember his exact words, but his message came through loud and clear. He sarcastically reminded us that we weren’t in High School anymore and if we wanted to do well in his class we’d have to start questioning what we read in textbooks and see on TV, for that matter.

Thanks to Dr. Palmer, my entire world opened up in new an exciting ways. The irony is that it actually took an authority figure to grant me permission to question authority. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t as fortunate as I was on that day and many of us never learn this lesson.

[Demit]

1. haha! you reminded me of my high school-to-college transition

I was a product of 12 uniform-wearing years of Catholic school. Went from there to art college. It was very painful to break the habit of raising my hand and waiting to be called on. In college you were allowed to just speak out! I thought that was amazing. :)

[ROakes1019]

2. authority

You're exactly right. A while back I realized the right-wingies belong to the patriarchial authority mentality while progressives have a nurturant mentality. George Lakoff bears out this concept in his books on the difference between conservative and liberal thinking.

[Selwynn]

3. You need to read Moral Politics by Greg Lakoff - Strict Father model

That is the model of conservative politics, and your dead right - obedience to authority is high on the list.

[mcscajun]

4. Unquestioning of authority...

...that's the biggest problem. On another site, while discussing the election, one of the posters (who is not a member of the military) said the following: "...he IS my commander-in-chief and I will tow (sic) the line like any good American should."

I totally freaked out, but responded without any sign of it: "He's your commander-in-chief if you're in the Military, and you certainly have to take his orders, then. For the rest of us, he's the President, that's all. If you're a civilian, "towing the line" (sic) is the last thing a 'good American' should be doing, no matter who occupies the Oval Office. We have a responsibility to hold our government officials answerable to us, not the other way 'round."

And that's why it's important to stay involved with sites (and people offline) where everyone isn't on the same page, politically. They have to hear these things!

[justgamma]

5. How much "respect" did they show Clinton? n/t

[Djinn]

6. I was taught a healthy disrespect for authority

if you want respect you have to earn it - you don't get it by dint of being born into a certain family, earning lots of money or being elected.