Critical thinking about what conservatives think - Essay Example

Critical Thinking about what Conservatives Think Lakoff’s book is impressive with regard to its of the techniques used by conservatives. Lakoff focuses on the language conservatives use to understand their mental frameworks. Lakoff appears to believe that conservatives’ politics and moral are inferior to liberal’s politics and morals. In essence, Moral Politics provides an objective examination of the metaphors that underlie the politics of liberals and conservatives (Lakoff 289). These ideas are further projected by conservative politicians such as Mitt Romney.

The book and Mitt Romney’s speeches provide a clear description of the thoughts of conservatives. The unifying factor for these morals and politics lies in conservatives’ strong belief, in family values and moral philosophy of thinking. Lakoff argues that conservatives’ conceptualization of the family as the unit of the nation corresponds to the strict father model of parenting. While Romney believes that the government should establish just, and moral laws, he believes that adults should not be dependent on the government.

For instance, in his speech on “A Campion of Free Enterprise”, Romney talks of “transforming America by restoring the values of economic freedom”. This typifies the essence of conservatives’ moral philosophy. Americans metaphorically link their country to the family unit linking the government to parents and Americans to children. Romney’s speeches exemplify this point as he speaks to issues that affect the family such as morality with regard to selflessness and social behavior; child development and justice.

During his, “A Champion of Free Enterprise” speech of 7th June 2012, Romney criticizes the Obama administration citing, “I put my trust in the ingenuity and creativity and commitment to hard work of the American people.” This assertion shows Romney’s belief that the family (American people) is the embodiment of the nation. Lakoff’s book exemplifies conservatives’ political philosophy to the nurturant parent technique that requires the parents (government) to protect their children (citizens) to attain their full capacity through tough rules such as tough environmental laws.

For instance, Romney is pro-life and a strong opponent of abortion. Lakoff argues that conservatives lay positive emphasis on government spending on military expenses and fixed income tax percentiles. Lakoff further argues that conservatives use peculiar linguistic patterns to refer to issues affecting America (Lakoff 309). For instance, during his “Freedom and Opportunity” speech of 30 March 2012, Romney argues, “Our different visions for America are the product of our values and our life experiences.

” This shows the element of morality in conservatives’ politics. Work Cited Lakoff, G. Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2002. Print. 283-322