Mass generalization on display in 'Culture war'

by Jonathan Seaborn, editor-in-chief

I have been seeing a lot the term ‘culture war’ as of late.

But what is this ‘culture war,’ and why is anyone fighting it?

Some people will have you believe that its all of those lefties trying to take down our great nation’s foundation. Maybe it’s people fighting for fair trade, gay rights, women’s rights, and peace.

Yes, the other side will say they are protecting the values of families. But who are they to tell anyone what someone’s values should or should not be? Are we not a free nation? Do we not want equal rights for everyone?

One person who will not stop talking about the ‘culture war’ is Bill O’Reilly. This is because his new book is about the war. So the more he talks about it, the more copies of his books he sells. Not only is he marketing this war, he is generalizing it, lumping everyone into broad groups, saying things such as “the left wants” and “this group thinks this way.”

You can’t use mass generalizations when talking about people, because each person wants something different. I am for less government, which is conservative quality unless you know what I am talking about. I think laws were made or should be made to protect, not restrict. Keep my land safe. Don’t tell me that my two gay friends can’t marry.

I am for smaller government and more freedoms. As far as I know, that is not in one of the groups that Mr. O’Reilly likes to put everyone in.

So, why are people fighting this ‘culture war?’ For some, it is political gain, and others its to go along with a crowd. But the reason it should be fought is for freedom and for civil rights.

One of the main points of the war is same sex marriages, which is an important issue to me. Having many gay friends and understanding that it’s not a choice, I see no reason why same-sex marriage should be outlawed.          

If anyone reading  this has an actual reason as to why it should be banned please feel free to write the paper to tell me. But as of now, I have heard nothing that would justify outlawing it.

But I digress. The other point I am trying to make is that I am against mass generalizations. If Americans don’t see that we are going to have to compromise, that no one will win.  We need to focus on the major problems that the nation has, such as our crime rate and the war in Iraq. Unlike the group that I would be generalized into, I do not think we should just cut and run. We do need to work towards bringing troops home, but not all right now. We can’t just leave the mess that we have made.

So, maybe the question that I should have I asked in the beginning is not about why we are fighting, but how can we stop? The more we fight, the more we are pulling this nation apart.