Editor’s Note: The following article was written for Daily Astrology and Adventure in October, when I analyzed the philosophy behind the gay marriage debate. I’d like to revisit the topic tonight, as tomorrow morning in California, the Proposition 8 hearings will be held. It’s difficult and frustrating for both sides to understand each other, and part of this is because of how we prioritize morals and values. In the article below, I examine this divide, and have a look at what we’re really fighting over in the debate over marriage equality. –RAĐ’
Dear Friend and Reader,
Last night, I watched a talk about the battle between good and evil, and it had nothing to do with Star Wars. It was about the differences between Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, exploring what that essential thing is that divides us.
Conveniently, psychologist Jonathan Haidt provides us with a fairly simple answer. There are five primary moral issues that are innate to all humanity, across all cultures, and while conservatives prioritize all five of them, liberals only find two to be highly important.
The five are: harm/care, fairness/reciprocity, ingroup/loyalty, authority/respect and purity/sanctity. Liberals only find the first two issues to be important, and this is the primary aspect that divides us. Conservatives care about tradition, order, history. Liberals care about equality, open-mindedness, change.
When we’re confronted with these basic differences in how our minds order things, it’s easy to see why the opposing mentalities butt heads. If you’re in favor of gay marriage, for example, because you believe that the LGBT community should have the same rights as everyone else, you’re arguing in favor of fairness/reciprocity: we’re all in this together, we have to help those that are underprivileged.
Also, you may say that the lack of marriage rights is harmful to gay couples: they aren’t guaranteed rights to make emergency decisions, child care rights or even the rights to inherit their homes if a partner dies. This is a harm/care position. If these are your debate points, you’re a liberal.
But the fairness angle doesn’t work with a conservative, because ingroup/loyalty is a factor: I’m straight, I have to take care of my own first, as is authority: my church and my government say gay marriage is bad, and I have to defer to their judgement and purity: this is the official word of god, and marriage law was originally created for the union between a man and a woman.
We’re working on two different planes, parallel lines that could stretch to the Moon and back without meeting.
Haidt describes the opposing forces as complimentary, like Yin and Yang, balancing each other out and preventing us (ideally) from complete chaos or well, you know, fascism.
So today I’m putting on my Dalai Lama costume, and I’m trying to understand those freaks in California that have been praying for Proposition 8, to overturn gay marriage. And on hold for another day, I’ve got a bone to pick with South Dakota and their modified abortion ban that’s up for a re-vote. (Sorry, sorry: I’ve barely started and I’ve already lost my objectivity.)