What can we do about the Culture War?

Question

The political left and right are waging a war against each other, and on those they want to influence. This is a war of one morality against the other, and the cultural battlefields include education, art & entertainment, science & medicine, marriage laws, not to mention political commentary and debate in the media. They have the effect of polarizing our country and distracting us from the bigger issues of wealth and power. I want to do something to contribute to changing what we care about as citizens. What can I do?

To see what i mean't about larger issues of money and power, see my response to a question from mbez1 on the gap between the rich and poor-

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AnGhhQI2GlOD03_M.uAiOnLsy6IX?qid=20060708122138AA5uZRs

Answer 1

You appear to have done the first thing; show acceptance of the other side. What you sadly see on these questions and answers is near hatred and that leads to your culture war. The unwillingnes of the "right" to accept new taxes, abortion, and effective conservation is one problem; and the unwillingness of the left to realize some conservative values, principles and issues are worth pursuing is another problem.

I take for example the war in Iraq; the left uses the failures there to attack the right. Yet losing can not be a good option for them (on the left) or anyone else. Still they don't mind using the failures to cast down a negative opinion of the right. They are against the war - fine - what is the alternative? Why not suggest a different strategy and one that does not leave us at al quedas' mercy?

Answer 2

Well now that's a tough question. If you merely wanted to change the world all you'd have to do is pick an issue & work from the inside over a lifetime to influence half the people to your way of thinking. You however my friend seem to want to fix EVERYTHING. I don't know if that's so possible.

Winston Churchill said, "democracy is the worst form of government except for all the rest." What he meant is that we are designed to be an advisarial system that requires infighting & debate, that prevents anything from becoming law without compromising with those that disagree with you, a system laden with checks & balances to prevent abose. For a country also obsessed with capitalism it's hard to understand why we prefer such an inefficient form of govt, but it doesn't take long looking at the alternatives to see that we are the most free & protected possible & that lesson was learned in centuries of blood & philosophical evolution. In such a system, you can't exactly be king of the world.

I'm not sure what you mean exactly by saying these areas of debate distract us from wealth & power. Wealth & power are certainly not my goal in life & I'd lump them right along with the sub-issues you list.

What can you do then to set the world straght? I don't know if I can answer that. Truthfully I like our free democratic system, and it prevents that kind of power ever eveolving in our own counrty, much less the world. If you become President you may have a fair degree of influence over the world for a few short years, but even then it is a matter of playing the cards you're dealt. I'd simplly tell you to debate & research issues, decide what you believe in & challenge it always to refine or change it as you learn more. Get involved & work from within. I know Congress seems a long way away, but you'd be amazed how much influence you can have in a local party by just presenting well thought out ideas. The whole national immigration debate that swung the republican party from one side to the other developed in Orange County Calif. Right now I'm in Tom Delay's district, and simple debate on blogs between random citizens influences the process. It's scary how much you can change things by just standing up for what you believe in & stating it in a respectful thoughtful way. I mean really scary! The first time something big swings on something you said it'll make you take a step back & think carefully before you speak. If you do that long enough you'll probably find folks asking you to run for office, & then you'll have to decide if you can do more from in front or behind the curtain. I know that's not a great direct answer to your question, but it's the imperfect truth. I wish you the best & don't let the world kill your idealism even if you do have to work it with a healthy dose of realism.

Answer 3

Research the problems that concern you, then communicate these to the community at large.

Do not sensationalise. Do not exaggerate. Avoid 'liberal' cliches. Avoid anarchic 'action'. There are already plenty of activists who want to do the same thing you do, who are pigeonholed by their manner of addressing the public.

You sound like you want to reach the public at large, so look at the problems that average people have in gaining interest in wealth and power:

- Understanding is the first step. Break each factor down into the problem, the effects, and (where possible) the solution. Find interesting ways to communicate these points.

- Highlight anecdotal evidence of problems people aren't already aware of. This can make stories more interesting -- for example, find examples of poor medical care or extreme poverty in your own country. Run a case study and show exactly why people in this situation are unable to change their lives with the means available to them (be ready for arguments against these people, inferring that they are just 'lazy').

- Investigate hypothetical situations that demonstrate how dire the situation has become. For example, look at cases where the government has hidden information from the public (such as intelligence which suggested that the US gov't indirectly initiated the 9/11 attacks). Look at other ways in which the same practices could be applied to further unjust causes, but do not misrepresent hypothetical situations as actual cases.

- Talk to people; lots of people. Network and research like there is no tomorrow. Find the people who are hung up on the cultural battles you speak of. Ask them why they are concerned, and how those problems impact us; take an interest in their 'political' opinions.

Link in topical problems that you believe to be of more interest -- for example, the gay marriage debate has the underpinnings of class/subculture discrimination with legal impacts on those oppressed, and impacts on freedom and human rights. What are some bigger issues that impact people in the same ways?

Ask them if they are concerned about those things too (gently; do not judge). Be ready to explain the ways that you think those problems affect us, using the technique outlined in my first bullet point.

- Show people what they can do to help, and engineer new ways for people to help if they don't have time or money (i.e. a full-time worker will be more likely to donate money than volunteer or protest; a student will be more likely to want to understand your ideas and have their social group follow suit).


I wish you all the best of luck in this endeavour, and wish I had some more tangible ideas. Anyway, hope this helps...

-- 876

Answer 4

Get everyone to admit that the Culture War is a distraction from issues that actually matter - like healthcare, education (well, that's going to cross lines), defense, security, etc.

It's hard, but the best thing to do is say: "In reality, that's not a major issue. How are we going to fix healthcare?"

Truce may be impossible, but it's the only answer.

Answer 5

run for office, its always been this way, each with his own agenda. politics is ugly.

Answer 6

No such thing... get it