American Mindsets

             George Lakoff, in his book, Don’t Think of an Elephant, postulates that essentially there are two mindsets in this country:  the Strict Father model and the Nurturant Parent model.

             Basically, the strict father protects the family in the dangerous world, supports the family in the difficult world, and teaches his children right from wrong.  The assumption is that children are born bad and must be taught right from wrong, especially through punishment.

             In politics, this is the authoritarian view of conservatives as expressed in national policies affecting social and economic issues and in international policies affecting social, economic, and military issues.

             This is the view that has been sold to the electorate.  Thus, we have Republicans in control of the administrative branch, the legislative branch, and the judicial branch of our government, as well as the media, because the media owners have been richly rewarded for being obedient children of their strict father.  If you’re an obedient child you are richly rewarded: tax cuts for the wealthy and no-bid contracts for large-scale contributors.  If you’re a disobedient child you are severely punished: reduced medical benefits, vacated pensions, removal of Social Security protections, denial of disaster assistance, and ordered in massive numbers to be injured and killed in wars of dubious merit.

             The nurturant parent assumes that children are born good and can be made better.  The world can be made a better place and our job is to work on that.  The parent’s job is to nurture his children and to teach his children to be nurturers.

             The nurturer values freedom because children have to be free to be fulfilled in life and freedom fosters opportunity and prosperity.

             The nurturer values opportunity and prosperity because they foster freedom.

             The nurturer values fairness, believing that what is good for the goose is good for the gander.

             The nurturer values honest, open, two-way communication because that is the only way interaction between parents and children and among peers is possible.

             The nurturer values community-building, service to the community, and cooperation in a community because the community affects how we live and how our children grow up.

             The nurturer values trust because cooperation and respect is impossible without it.

            In politics, this is the liberating view of independents, progressives, and liberals expressed in national policies affecting social and economic issues and international policies affecting social, economic, and military issues.

             This was the view of the vast majority of the electorate until the Republican Party was taken over by leaders who espoused the strict father model, promulgated it among their constituency, and reinforced it by reward and punishment, which continues to the present.  Look around and see who gets rewarded by this government and who gets punished.

             Unfortunately, the segment of our population that espouses the nurturant parent model is fragmented into at least six identifiable groups which have yet to find common ground upon which they can coalesce and manifest the power of their numbers:

             Socioeconomic, whose constituents believe the root causes of problems and the essential solutions to them will be found in this area.

             Identity, whose constituents believe that the wrongs of our nation cannot be righted until and unless the concerns of their particular racial, ethnic, economic, religious, or social group are addressed and resolved.

             Environmentalists, who believe that everything else depends upon our respect for, and use and preservation of, the planet and its natural life forms and resources.

             Civil libertarians, who believe that freedom, and freedom from threats to freedom, is essential to national survival.

             Spiritually-oriented, who believe that a society limited in its view to humanism and materialism is missing the essence of its nature and is doomed without proper spiritual recognition.

             Anti-authoritarians, who believe that authoritarians exist in many forms and in many realms and  ultimately will wreak destruction upon our nation, our society, and perhaps upon our planet.

             When one group organizes to marshal all of its forces toward one objective while the other group divides itself to achieve six different objectives, there is little question as to which group will be successful, as reflected in the two previous national elections.

             If this piques your interest or concern, go read Lakoff’s book.

                                             --Bob Hartsell, Ph.D.

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