Politics and Beliefs - Term Paper Example

?Politics and Beliefs Ideology and Political Ideology What is an ideology? According to Cloninger (2006), for a certain group of people, ideology is important and performs four functions. The first function is it describes the surroundings and answers question why things go as they are. The second of these functions is the evaluation of the surrounding whether good or bad. The third of the functions of ideology is to give the person or group of people a sense of identity. The most important of the functions is the programmatic aspect where ideas are applied into actions (Cloninger, 2006). Political ideology is therefore a very important aspect of human nature. A political ideology according to Cloninger (2006) is like a revolutionary movement at first that will try to create change according to the goals in life as they wish. Gerring (1997) in Chris Livesey’s work entitled Power and Politics (2006) defined “Ideologies” (a set of related beliefs and values) become political ideologies when they “specify a concrete programme of actions” (such as party manifesto). Mullins (1972) described political ideologies as a program of collective action for the maintenance , alteration and transformation of society” (Livesey, 2006). Types of Political Ideology Livesey (2006) stated that a conventional way to classify political ideologies is to view them as a continuous line (the continuum) with two ends: “left wing” parties including Communist and Socialist and “right wing” parties such Conservative and Fascist. Rummel (n.d.) also identified major political ideologies by illustrating a political triangle. Like Livesey, Rummel (n.d.) stated that “ideologies are placed on a single left-right dimension, ranging from communism, democratic socialism (leftism), liberalism (welfare), libertarianism (nineteenth-century liberalism), conservatism (rightism), and fascism.” However, it is noted that this type of distinction between each ideology is misleading because it separate formulas with the same characteristics such that conservatives and liberals both believed and fought for civil rights (Rummel, n.d.). Chandra (2010) described Socialism as the one that refers to various economic organizations who believe in importance of ownership and administration of resources should be given to the people or direct worker. They advocate the view that capitalism is a form of exploitation which unfairly concentrates powers and wealth among the few people only. Socialists believe that capitalism creates inequality in a society and does not work in the interest of the majority. According to Rummel (n.d.), libertarianism is the “political formula for those who opposed to state power.” Thus these are people who wanted to do as things their own way and support basic civil freedoms. Authoritarianism leans more on “the traditions and customs and central power lies in the hands of a leader who maintains such tradition and policies (Rummel, n.d.). Political Socialization Political socialization is defined as “the process by which political culture is transmitted in a given society. It occurs at both the individual and community level, and it extends beyond the acquisition of political culture to encompass the learning of more sophisticated political ideas and orientations. Political socialization is a lifelong process and a variety of individuals and institutions contribute to its shaping effect”(http://imej.wfu.edu, Political Socialization). This process of transmission is carried through the agents of socialization which include family, schools, church, friends and media. Family is considered to be the most important agent of socialization. Most likely, children will have the same political affiliation as their parents. Schools on the other hand also have vital effect on students’ political values through peer groups. Religion also affects a person’s values and ideologies through their moral teachings. Friends also influence a person’s value through sharing of thoughts and constant communication. Media also plays a vital role in passing through a political culture. What we see in television, hear on radio stations and read on newspapers affects how we act and think. Politics, Political Ideologies and Socialization United States’ political culture is a broad mix of ideology groups such as liberals, moderates and conservatives. All these three groups co-exist under a divided federal government. Until today, the government still struggles to reach an agreement between these groups. Politics for me was not really a major issue and factor in my life. But as I grew older, I felt the need to be more active because I now understand how our government works and how its decisions affect me, my family and my country. Deciding what to believe and choosing a distinct political party was a really difficult task. With the complexity of separation or distinction of ideologies, I cannot fully determine which ideology and which political party I belong to. To solve this problem, I took a quiz and survey by Advocates for Self-Government to determine which political party I belong. Taking the test and answering questions based on what I believed in was quite easy. At the end of the session, the survey result stated that I most closely align with the Democrat Party. The New Coalition Democrats are described as those who strongly believe in government, optimistic about the ability of the country to solve problems, trust in the ability of an individual to flourish through hard work, pro-regulation of environmental protection, positive about business, generally open-minded when it comes to racial issues and are religious and socially conservative (www.theadvocates.org , Quiz Results). Statists of whom I partly belong want “government to have a great deal of power over the economy and individual behaviour” (http://people-press.org, Political Typology). They are pro-government and advocate that only the state should control the country and must not be interfered by individual freedom. Democrats embodied the “interests of working families, fighting for equal opportunities and justice for all Americans” (www.democrats.org, Who We Are). According to the Democrats, whatever the country accomplished, being so powerful and prosperous, were rewards of hard work, investment, perseverance and responsible people (www.democrats.org Who We Are). The Democrats are now focused on helping our economy. They are focusing on not just short run solutions of the country but rebuilding the economy that will help all Americans and not just some in the long run (www.democrats.org, Who We Are). Interestingly, this is what my parents believed too. There may be differences in some of our stands, but we agree on almost everything. My parents did not push me to believe what they support, but they shared and gave me points and ideas on how things go in real life and in politics. My ideology was therefore formed by considering what my parents said and what I see in my own prospect. Based on the discussion about political socialization, parents are the most influential agents in transmitting political belief and culture. Public good and good life is achievable. Nothing is impossible. I believe that living in one of the most powerful countries in the world is something that I can be proud of. United States is being looked up by countries because it is powerful and prosperous. This achievement was a result of hard work, venture, perseverance and responsible people of our country. We didn’t get what we have right now on a silver platter. It was the hard work of our leaders and our people since the beginning. Our country has been through a lot. But we were able to survive the challenges such as overcoming the two World Wars. There are a lot of significant political events that happened in our country. Nevertheless, I was really impressed with what happened to Nelson Mandella of South Africa. He was imprisoned for twenty long years because of his advocacy for racial equality in his country. I cannot imagine how painful and difficult it is to be put in jail for all those years. This is how strongly he believed and fought against racial discrimination. Because of this, I respected the idea of equality for all. Somehow, my political ideology was shaped seeing the imperfect reality and the will to make a difference someday. Summary Political ideology is a set of belief and values for the maintenance, modification and transformation of society (Livesey, 2006). These beliefs are passed on from one generation to another through the process called political socialization. Noted to be the most influential and successful agents of socialization are our parents, school, religion, peers and mass media. Our parents amongst others are the very first to influence us on our views. As we go to school, we will learn other views than what our parents tell us. Religion also serves as our guide to our moral choices. Our friends also affect our way of thinking since we always wanted to belong. Mass media also is a powerful tool to our views. Experiences in life also help shape these beliefs. Our views on what is good and bad can be defined by the issues and events that we witness as we go through our lives. Complex as it is, society can never be perfect. But we can always help each other to make it a place with equality and justice prevailing. We may never agree to what suits best, but we can always compromise and meet half way. I believe that this is also the reason why division of political ideology can never be clear, because there is always this point where there is an agreement to one view. Therefore, struggles and issues on politics will never end. But as long as we know how to respect, negotiate and cooperate, we can live a good life even if it is not perfect. References: Chandra, Sarath. Different Political Views, (2010). Web. 13 March 2012. Cloninger, Benjamin. Political Ideology: Mind of Monticello, (2006). Web. 13 March 2012. Livesey, Chris. Power and Politics, (2006). Web. 14 March 2012. “Political Socialization.” http://imej.wfu.edu. (1999). Web. 13 March 2012. “Political Typology.” http://people-press.org. (2011). Web. 13 March 2012. “Quiz Results.” www.theadvocates.org. (2011). Web. 12 March 2012. Rummel, R.J. The State and Political System, (n.d.). Web. 13 March 2012. “Who We Are.” www.democrats.org. (n.d.). Web. 12 March 2012. Read More