I happened to take the picture below at a peace rally in SF a few weeks ago. The message on the sign struck me and I have to say, I feel a bit of real pride living in the SF bay area where the values of "Tolerance, Reason and Peace" actually guide our everyday interaction.
I later learned that the phrase "San Fransisco Values" was being used in a negative sense by a the right wing noise machine, but I don't agree. I see these 'San Francisco Values' as being positive.
In any case, it got me thinking about the values of the folks I live, work and interact with. It also got me thinking about the the question: Really, what are these core values so dear to the religious right? What are the 'Family Values" they speak so much about? As if they are the only ones with a moral compass. To see what I came up with using some cool web based software, click on through ...
Here is what the Augusta (Ga.) Chronicle has to say about San Fransisco values
"Pelosi will be speaker and her far-left San Francisco values -- gay marriage, cutting and running from Iraq, coddling terrorists, raising taxes, amnesty for illegals -- will become the House agenda."
Bill O'Liely can't help but comment
Commentator O'Reilly said San Francisco values "seek to exclude spirituality from the public square but embrace displays like the bay city's gay pride parade, where Christianity is often mocked and demeaned." He said San Francisco "wants to ban military recruiting while setting up citywide pot shops."
Ok, an SF resident claims SF values are tolerance, reason and peace. The right wing noise machine claims they are gays, cutting and running, anti-Christian, pot, taxes and immigrants. I don't see these views as being contradictory. Lets see how they line up.
Tolerence
o gay marriage
o coddling terrorists,
o amnesty for illegals
o gay pride parade
o setting up citywide pot shops
Reason
o Christianity is often mocked and demeaned
Peace
o cutting and running from Iraq,
o raising taxes
An idea map for values
The diagram below is something called a "collaborative idea map". I have tried to use this format to explore some the relationships between progressive and traditional values. I leaned something in the process of putting this together.
Click on the diagram to scroll around, zoom in and out to explore the map. You can even edit the map below yourself on the web, although I'm not sure how to go about that yet. (I'll post something here if I can figure it out)
The map was generated using a new interactive web editor from bubbl.us. It's a fun program and a pretty good way to brainstorm and capture and share relationships.
Technology aside, I believe that we have left the values discussion alone too long. I really like the three values of tolerance, reason and peace. It's even more clear when I try to contrast these key values with those exemplified by the phrase "Family Values".
Tolerance vs Intolerance
Tolerance is a key value adopted by progressives. It is demonized by the right for it's tolerance of gays, women in positions of authority, for it's celebration of diversity, of black and latino culture. So what equivalent traditional value instead of tolerance? It would appear to be intolerance. This has been a key value is the successful growth and domination of various genetically related groups in the past. It is perhaps 'the' core traditional value.
Tolerance exemplifies the idea of respect for others different from ourselves. Most famously brought to light by John Locke's essay from 1689 on religious tolerance 'On Tolerance'. The concept of tolerance had a strong influence on the early enlightenment movement and directly inspired the many of the rights embedded in the US Constitution.
By contrast, the right promotes fear and intolerance. The examples are numerous. From fear of immigration and immigrants, to the need to claim the US is a 'Christian' 'English' speaking nation. When they say 'Family' values, it's clear that the families they are referring to are their own. In this sense 'family' distinguishes between 'our' family, kin and culture and 'others' and the the right and privileges of the two groups to be are not valued equally.
Reason vs Obedience
Another value from our enlightenment heritage is the concept of 'reason'. What is meant by this is the courage to think independently, to measure the physical world and to act accordingly to the facts we discover. This is this concept of the scientific method, of experimental evidence, of innovation. The key value of reason is using reason to direct action. Are you considering changing your behavior to reduce CO2 emissions? That is reason in action.
Values drive action. If 'reason' provides the direction for progressive action, then what is the Family Values equivalent of reason? I'm going to the claim that for traditionalists, 'obedience' directs action. This approach assumes that all truth is revealed top down, rather than discovered bottom up.
It is an old idea. It's a part of broader concept which denies the right of the individual to decide about what to believe and what to do. This sense might better be called 'blind obedience'.
Think of the phrase 'my country right or wrong', think of the fact that 3 of the republican presidential candidates deny evolution because it contradicts their traditional beliefs. Think of the knee jerk reaction to the concept of man-made global warming. Think of the opposition to stem-cell research.
What does blind obedience lead to? History tells us that it often leads to ruin and destruction. Think of Iraq.
Ask the question, why is blind obedience is such a core value of the right? I believe that it is primarily a method of tricking the masses into acceptance of a class structure which robs them of their wealth and freedom. Requiring obedience also works nicely as a method of covering up mistakes, incompetence, nepotism, oligarchy, corruption and inconvenient truths. No wonder is is valued so highly.
Peace vs Endless War
It is interesting to consider the relationships between peace and government. We normally think of peace in terms of peace between nations. Peace implies good relations with other nations. Keys to this are tolerance of the existence of other nations and support for their self determination.
On a more local level I believe that the desire for peace is why we value good government. Peace is the result of the 'rule of law'. Without the just and fair rule of law, peace among ourselves would not be possible. The desire for peace between us leads to cooperation, to working together to improve all our lives which is what we want from government.
Although peace is often claimed as a goal of the right, the The desire for peace is routinely demonized by them. For instance Bill Olielys rant on SF values was triggered by the banning of ROTC from SF schools. If you think about it, you realize that while the right pays lip service to the idea of peace, they support war. They 'value' war. They are at war with terrorists, war with liberals, at war with drugs. War is good for business. War requires obedience. War justifies atrocities. Might makes right. War and particularly 'endless war' is a key value to the right and this is not a secret they try to hide.
Measuring the effects of our values
It's not easy to discuss values without sounding pompous and insincere. Values are not simple concepts and the relationships between them are not obvious, but examining the actual values we live by seems to be worth the effort.
We don't live long enough to know how to handle every situation, so we adopt a set of core values to rely on for direction. In this sense, values are a physical force. Unfortunately, we don't have much data about the actual impact of such our values.
Think of the phrase 'Nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come'. How powerful? What are the metrics? How long does it take? Do values actually lead to the claimed results or, are they leading in another direction?
It seems to me that because values have real physical effects, they can be studied scientifically. Such a field of inquiry might be named the 'physics of values'. This approach might make clear the difference between claimed results and values and actual results and values. Did we mention that the war on terror is actually increasing terror? (Reason rears it's inconvenient head again).
So what's so funny about peace, love and understanding?