It’s Our VALUES Stupid! #P2
We must start talking about our values and stop talking about issues. It’s not that issues aren’t important, but VALUES must come first. What do environmental protection, civil rights, abortion rights, gun control, gay rights and public education all have in common??
THE ETHIC OF CARING!! Empathy, Responsibility, Justice, Freedom and Liberty belong in the new language of Liberals! Progressives are notoriously bad at vocalizing our values (because we also value facts and logic). All of the issues we support are connected by the ethic of caring and empathy. Absolutely everything we care about is linked together through our values and the government must be responsible for protecting us and moving us toward a more just and equal society. That’s why Social Security is so important. That’s why gay rights are so important. That’s why all the issues we care about are so important. It’s because we care about our fellow citizens. We want the elderly, who can no longer work, to be taken care of and not out on the streets or in poverty!! They shouldn’t be subjected to the gambling done on the Wall Street Casino. Family stability and responsibility matter - not the sex of a parent. An education is a right not a reward for the rich. We need an educated society in order to maintain our democracy.
The only way to accomplish our goals is to COME TOGETHER. We must start pushing our values and stop pushing single issues. For example, instead of saying, “I believe in Global Warming,” we should say, “We need to make sure the environment continues to support us and our children. Corporations pollute our air and water and use our land – all for private profits. These corporations use MORE of our resources than individuals do, so it only makes sense for them to pay for polluting our planet and making us sick. We must curb the local and global destruction they inflict, etc. (then we would push our reps to sponsor Cap and Dividend legislation)… BUT the issues come last, not first. If we don’t explain our values, issues don’t get the support they need. Gays are fighting for same sex marriage. Feminist are fighting for women to be able to have control of their own bodies, and on and on, but we’re all connected by the ethic of caring and we must UNITE as such.
Most people are bi-conceptuals: they have both conservative and progressive views in different aspects of their lives (family, work, school, etc.) Conservatives are superb at manipulating language to get people to vote against their own interests. Progressives need to stimulate the more progressive side of everyone’s brain by talking about our VALUES! PROGRESSIVES UNITE!
