Unified Theory of Political Alignment
I've been working this idea through my head recently that at the heart of political discourse, there has to be some value or belief or subconciously held principle that seperates liberals from conservatives. I've teased at it before here with ideas that it could be about self-love, or possibly how much trust we have for others, which were nice thoughts, but I think I've finally hit on something far more fundamental at the heart of where we are divided on issues in this country.
I propose that thing single most core feature that makes up where you will be on the political number-line that stretches between 'Conservative' and 'Liberal' is what you conciously or subconciously believe about the amount of control you and ALL people have.
So far I have yet to find any issue that can't be summed up using this metric and I'll give a number of examples to clarify what I'm talking about.
The Death Penalty:
Liberal View: People do not always have control over the circumstances that cause them to commit a capital offense. Juries do not always have a good sense of control for what verdicts they hand out, nor judges for sentancing. Both are tainted by subconcious bias over which they have no control. Witnesses are demonstrably unreliable.
Conservative View: Capital Offenders are in full control over what they have done and bear responsibility. All other people who surround the arrest, trial, and execution are in enough control for the system to be as fair as humanly possible.
Gun Control:
Liberal View: People do not always control what circumstances may bring them to be on the wrong side of a gun barrel, be they threatening robber or accidental shooting victim. People's ability to exert personal control over a firearm is limited and people who have no control over whether or not they are hurt by irresponsible gun ownership deserve some protection.
Conservative View: Control over your own life is the most important thing, and you cannot surrender this control to the state or antagonistic individuals. Owning a fun is the only way you really have to control who enters your home and your own safety.
Taxation:
Liberal View: Poor people lack control over their circumstances, therefore it becomes neccesary distribute some money towards common needs and public good.
Conservative View: Poor people and Wealthy people both have full control over their lives. If some have made better decisions than others, so be it. Those with money should not be forced to surrender control over this wealth just because other people are irresponsible.
And so on and so on. If you believe you have a good grip on your life and that other people do too, you will inevitably lean right and vice-versa.
As a liberal (or perhaps explaining why I'm liberal) I don't believe that people's ability to influence their own lives is particularly strong. To some extent we have all the power... where we get our coffee or how we choose to get there, whether we choose to go left or rigth at a given time is all up to us. After that, it gets sort of murky. Where does the payoff for hard work end and the underlying support structure that allows you to get paid begin?
I don't claim to know the answer to that, but I think if we understand the questions we're really asking as a society when it comes our political discourse, our decisions will get all the wiser.
I propose that thing single most core feature that makes up where you will be on the political number-line that stretches between 'Conservative' and 'Liberal' is what you conciously or subconciously believe about the amount of control you and ALL people have.
So far I have yet to find any issue that can't be summed up using this metric and I'll give a number of examples to clarify what I'm talking about.
The Death Penalty:
Liberal View: People do not always have control over the circumstances that cause them to commit a capital offense. Juries do not always have a good sense of control for what verdicts they hand out, nor judges for sentancing. Both are tainted by subconcious bias over which they have no control. Witnesses are demonstrably unreliable.
Conservative View: Capital Offenders are in full control over what they have done and bear responsibility. All other people who surround the arrest, trial, and execution are in enough control for the system to be as fair as humanly possible.
Gun Control:
Liberal View: People do not always control what circumstances may bring them to be on the wrong side of a gun barrel, be they threatening robber or accidental shooting victim. People's ability to exert personal control over a firearm is limited and people who have no control over whether or not they are hurt by irresponsible gun ownership deserve some protection.
Conservative View: Control over your own life is the most important thing, and you cannot surrender this control to the state or antagonistic individuals. Owning a fun is the only way you really have to control who enters your home and your own safety.
Taxation:
Liberal View: Poor people lack control over their circumstances, therefore it becomes neccesary distribute some money towards common needs and public good.
Conservative View: Poor people and Wealthy people both have full control over their lives. If some have made better decisions than others, so be it. Those with money should not be forced to surrender control over this wealth just because other people are irresponsible.
And so on and so on. If you believe you have a good grip on your life and that other people do too, you will inevitably lean right and vice-versa.
As a liberal (or perhaps explaining why I'm liberal) I don't believe that people's ability to influence their own lives is particularly strong. To some extent we have all the power... where we get our coffee or how we choose to get there, whether we choose to go left or rigth at a given time is all up to us. After that, it gets sort of murky. Where does the payoff for hard work end and the underlying support structure that allows you to get paid begin?
I don't claim to know the answer to that, but I think if we understand the questions we're really asking as a society when it comes our political discourse, our decisions will get all the wiser.