Family values
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| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this article is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [Family Values Tour. Family values is a political and social concept first used in the United States in 1966 to describe moral beliefs in society specifically in response to the perception of declining morality. The term itself is vague in its precise definition as many different groups have claimed that it means different things. As such, "family values" has been descibed as a politcal buzzword.
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DefinitionThe concept of "family values" is rooted in each individual culture thus making the values different for different societies. In addition, cultures change over time in response to economic, political, and cultural developments. Therefore, "family values" vary from houshold to households, from country to country, and from generation to generation.Political applicationThe use of family values as a political term became widespread after a 1992 speech by Vice President Dan Quayle that attributed the Los Angeles riots to a breakdown of family values. Quayle specifically blamed the violence in L.A. as stemming from a decay of moral values and family structure in American society. In an aside, he cited the fictional title character in the television program Murphy Brown as an example of how popular culture contributes to this "poverty of values", saying: "[i]t doesn't help matters when primetime TV has Murphy Brown—a character who supposedly epitomizes today's intelligent, highly paid, professional woman—mocking the importance of fathers, by bearing a child alone, and calling it just another 'lifestyle choice'". Quayle drew a firestorm of criticism from feminist and liberal organizations and was widely ridiculed by late night talk show hosts for this remark. The ["Murphy Brown speech"] and the resulting media coverage damaged the Republican ticket in the 1992 presidential election and became one of the most memorable incidents of the 1992 campaign. Long after the outcry had ended, the comment continued to have an effect on US politics. Stephanie Coontz, a professor of family history and the author of several [books] and [essays] about the history of marriage, says that this brief remark by Quayle about Murphy Brown "kicked off more than a decade of outcries against the 'collapse of the family'".]Family Values and the Culture WarsThe media usually use the phrase "family values" as a code word for Christian values, as put forth by some groups of American Christians who see their religion as the source of morality and consider the nuclear family to be an essential element in society. These groups variously oppose abortion, pornography, pre-marital sex, homosexuality, some aspects of feminism http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050530/mcgarvey , cohabitation, divorce, and depictions of nudity, sexuality and profanity in the media. Some conservative family values advocates believe the government should explicitly endorse Christian morality, for example by displaying the Ten Commandments or allowing teachers to conduct prayers in public schools. The view of the United States as a "Christian nation" is widespread among conservative family values proponents. [Family Values, Race, Feminism and Public Policy] In contrast to the view of family values held by the Christian right, liberal groups such as People For the American Way, Planned Parenthood, and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays have attempted to redefine the concept in a way that promotes, for example, the normalization of single-parent families, the acceptance of same-sex monogamous relationships and marriage. This understanding of family values does not promote conservative morality, instead focusing on encouraging and supporting alternative family structures, access to contraception, abortion, sex education, childcare, and parent-friendly employment laws, which provide for maternity leave and leave for medical emergencies involving children.[People for the American Way] The term has been used to connote a conservative ideology that supports tradtional Christian morality or values. For example, the American Family Association, says "The American Family Association exists to motivate and equip citizens to change the culture to reflect Biblical truth and traditional family values."[American Family Association] Typically, the term is used by the media to refer to Christian values, but in a New York Times survey, "Five percent of the women and one percent of the men defined family values as being connected to religion or the Bible. Nine out of ten women defined family values as loving, taking care of and supporting each other, knowing right from wrong and having good values."
Family values in U.S. politicsRepublican PartySince 1980, the Republican party has used the issue of family values to attract socially conservative voters. While family values remains a rather vague concept, social conservatives usually understand the term to include some combination of the following principles:
Democratic PartyAlthough the term "Family values" remains a core issue for the Republican party, in recent years the Democratic Party has also tried to use the term family values.The values listed in the 2004 Democratic party platform http://www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf include (Note: these are not classified as "family values"):
ReferencesSee also
Organizations that promote conservative family values
Books
External links
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