avatarJohn Worthington

Summary

The author discusses the concept of culture wars and argues that they are illogical, using the United States Constitution's principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as a basis for their argument.

Abstract

The author begins by defining culture wars as conflicts between social groups over values, beliefs, and practices. They then relate this concept to the principles of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness outlined in the United States Constitution. The author argues that these principles should be applied to all individuals, regardless of their background or beliefs, and that diversity should be celebrated rather than used as a basis for conflict. They also discuss the importance of individual rights and freedoms, as well as the role of parents in guiding their children's choices. The author criticizes politicians who attempt to dictate how people think and behave, and argues that they are not true leaders.

Opinions

  • The author believes that culture wars are illogical and that diversity should be celebrated rather than used as a basis for conflict.
  • The author emphasizes the importance of individual rights and freedoms, as well as the role of parents in guiding their children's choices.
  • The author criticizes politicians who attempt to dictate how people think and behave, and argues that they are not true leaders.
  • The author suggests that politicians should focus on more pressing issues, such as hunger and poverty, rather than engaging in culture wars.

The Thought Police Waging a Culture War

Our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

Illustration by BSIENKART (used with permission from artist)

I looked up the meaning of culture wars because I didn’t understand the phrase all that well. Wikipedia told me that “A culture war is a cultural conflict between social groups and the struggle for dominance of their values, beliefs, and practices. It commonly refers to topics on which there is general societal disagreement and polarization in societal values.¹” With that explanation, I figured I could probably find some examples of why such a phenomenon is illogical. At least it is illogical if you accept the constitution as a guiding principle to living life.

I’m not a constitutional scholar by any means, but I think I’ve got a pretty good grasp of the basic concepts. They’re life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. I mean that’s as succinct a definition as there could be for what the United States of America stands for and believes in, isn’t it?

Let’s break that down even further. Life. I have a life, you have a life, everyone has a life. The most outstanding part of that idea is that it’s my life or it’s your life. My life does not belong to you and your life does not belong to me. By extension, that also means that my children’s life does not belong to you or to me. Your children’s life does not belong to me or to you. It’s their life. I think I want my kids and your kids to be free to do and express how they wish. I will certainly give them a hand about the things I’ve learned in the course of my life, the same as you will.

Liberty. I take that to mean that you and I are both free to live life as we see fit. No matter what you do, if what you do doesn’t affect me, then it’s your right to do that thing. I expect the same understanding from you. In other words, if you stay up until all hours of the night, that is your right. If I get up with the chickens, that’s my right. However, with my kids, I have an obligation to show them how I live life. They should be able to take the parts that they can use and leave the rest. That is particularly true about religious beliefs. You may believe in a way that does not permit you to drink alcohol and I may believe in a way that permits me to drink alcohol. And that’s how it is unless my drinking alcohol becomes a burden on you. Then I have no right to drink alcohol unless I can maintain my own space.

That does not mean that I burden you who does not drink alcohol, simply because I do. If that were the case then one of us would be out beyond his rights. The wonderful thing about life is that it’s so diverse. That diversity brings about a natural harmony. Well, it should. In the plant kingdom all manner of plants cohabitate. You see vines growing up in trees. You see shade plants huddling under huge trees. You see plants that live in the desert. You see plants that live in the rain forest and everywhere in between. Surely we humans are smarter than plants, aren’t we?

Now about that pursuit of happiness idea. Doesn’t the pursuit of happiness mean that I have the liberty to live my life in the happiest manner I can conceive? Wouldn’t that indicate that I have the right to live as God made me? If God made me gay, I have the same right to pursue happiness as the fellow God made straight, whatever that is. In Florence, Italy there is a strange game played by men from different parts of the city. It’s called Calico Storico². There are four teams and they meet in June every year to win a calf. This has been going on since the 16th century. It’s a brutal game. One side tries to move a ball to the other side like in football or rugby but with pro wrestling and MMA as an added bonus. But here’s the goody. You’re born a red, a green, a blue, or a white depending on what part of the city you were born in. If you live in Florence you are one of those colors for life. You can not change it. Aren’t we all kind of like the folks in Florence? We are what we are, because that’s how we came into the world.

When I hear some of these politically loaded words and phrases I have to wonder what folks are thinking with. For example, how did Critical Race Theory come to be a thing? And who cares if it is a thing? The same with the word “woke”. Why is that word such an offense to certain folks? The person who sees him or herself as “woke” probably has just opened their eyes for the first time in their life. So? It’s their right to open their eyes and to be as “woke” as they can possibly be. Whatever that “woke” thing is. Why should I care? It’s their right to be “woke” if they want to be. The same is true about Critical Race Theory. Every kid in the world is going to run smack into the color of his skin. Not because the kids think it’s important, but because the parents do.

Which brings us back to the culture wars concept. A child who is black is going to identify as black. A child who is Mexican is going to identify as Mexican, just as a child who is WASP is going to identify as a WASP. Who cares? The child will do what he will when that confrontation occurs. It is not my job to change his decision. It is my job to guide him to make a choice that serves him well. But not to make that choice for him.

I don’t see anything to go to war about in any of this. Of course there are different cultures and different beliefs, isn’t that grand? I just do not see how the thought police are going to ever force people to think the way they’re told to think. Who are the thought police? Why the DeSantis kid, the great Orange Pumpkin, Gov’ner Abbot, Marge, and a whole cast of characters right out of a dystopian novel. These folks are power hungry, but they are not leaders. We, as an observing public should remind them of that fact. Just because they’re politicians does not mean they can dictate how anyone thinks. These folks are all for the right to bear arms, but not so much for the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Unless we’re talking about their happiness. How short of ideas can this bunch be? How can it be better to make a huge deal out of not saying gay to little kids and at the same time allow those kids to go hungry? Of course the kids wouldn’t be hungry if we weren’t so worried about how they see the color of skin. We would have to treat the parents of those kids with the same respect we have for other people in the society. That would mean that we’d really have to pay them the same kinds of salary that we pay other people in the society, so they could put food on the table for those hungry kids. But if a party doesn’t have a platform, the only straw they can grasp is a made up culture war.

References

1. Culture war. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_war

2. Flores, L. (2022, April 20). Calcio Storico Fiorentino in Florence: What it is, Ticket Info and More. Florence, Italy. Retrieved May 2, 2022, from https://www.visitflorence.com/florence-events/calcio-storico-fiorentino.html

Politics
Culture War
Us Constitution
Roe V Wade
Supreme Court
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