4. Interaction between American values and their impact on public policy and ethics
Countries have a tendency to maintain a certain set of political, social, and cultural values that tend to be unique to their people. The United States is no different and several scholars have attempted to analyze what Americanism is and what values are associated with that concept. Bluhm and Heineman delve into American political culture using what they call the “five value clusters.” James Morone, author of Hellfire Nation, also emphasizes conceptions of Americanism and how storytelling has served as a framing tool in order to create a system of Americans versus non-Americans. The very essence of political values, most especially the emphasis on individualism, …show more content…
According to this understanding, at the core of American political values is the notion that all individuals are endowed with rights. Moreover, individuals have individually consented into entering a social contract, which gives them responsibilities to the community (Rosenthal and Perlman, 1986). Parallel to this value cluster is Morone’s discussion of American stories of liberalism. According to these, all people are born equal (Morone, 2003), with no one person holding more power than another. In practice, this value influences what types of legislation are created as self-interest becomes more significant in the constructing of public opinion. The Fair Pay Act’s proponents utilized a combination of the idea of individual rights with the notion of equality to underscore the disturbing pattern of wage …show more content…
In order to thrive and protect one another’s freedoms and special interests, Americans have devised an important strategy of joining groups. There are special groups for women’s rights, the rights of people of color, and groups aimed at increasing or reducing gun control. In a broader context, Morone illustrates the creation of an “us” versus “them” narrative that alienates people in order to make and reinforce a conception of American. For example, American ads in popular culture do not explicitly say what Americanism is, but rather focus on what non-Americans are. Americans are not immoral, violent, or lazy according to these stories – only the “other” could be this way. The reproduction of these narratives serves a unifying purpose in the same manner that associationism brings people closer together. Associationism and the unifying narrative can serve to define what values and principles will be underscored and how information will be presented to the public. The Fair Pay Act illustrated associationism multiple times, but is most notable in the support from Jennifer Reisch, the director of Equal Rights Advocates. Special interest groups like these are integral to American political culture as they directly affect how policies are developed, proposed, and
Countries have a tendency to maintain a certain set of political, social, and cultural values that tend to be unique to their people. The United States is no different and several scholars have attempted to analyze what Americanism is and what values are associated with that concept. Bluhm and Heineman delve into American political culture using what they call the “five value clusters.” James Morone, author of Hellfire Nation, also emphasizes conceptions of Americanism and how storytelling has served as a framing tool in order to create a system of Americans versus non-Americans. The very essence of political values, most especially the emphasis on individualism, …show more content…
According to this understanding, at the core of American political values is the notion that all individuals are endowed with rights. Moreover, individuals have individually consented into entering a social contract, which gives them responsibilities to the community (Rosenthal and Perlman, 1986). Parallel to this value cluster is Morone’s discussion of American stories of liberalism. According to these, all people are born equal (Morone, 2003), with no one person holding more power than another. In practice, this value influences what types of legislation are created as self-interest becomes more significant in the constructing of public opinion. The Fair Pay Act’s proponents utilized a combination of the idea of individual rights with the notion of equality to underscore the disturbing pattern of wage …show more content…
In order to thrive and protect one another’s freedoms and special interests, Americans have devised an important strategy of joining groups. There are special groups for women’s rights, the rights of people of color, and groups aimed at increasing or reducing gun control. In a broader context, Morone illustrates the creation of an “us” versus “them” narrative that alienates people in order to make and reinforce a conception of American. For example, American ads in popular culture do not explicitly say what Americanism is, but rather focus on what non-Americans are. Americans are not immoral, violent, or lazy according to these stories – only the “other” could be this way. The reproduction of these narratives serves a unifying purpose in the same manner that associationism brings people closer together. Associationism and the unifying narrative can serve to define what values and principles will be underscored and how information will be presented to the public. The Fair Pay Act illustrated associationism multiple times, but is most notable in the support from Jennifer Reisch, the director of Equal Rights Advocates. Special interest groups like these are integral to American political culture as they directly affect how policies are developed, proposed, and