I found the reading for this week (Lakoff's Moral Politics) incredibly interesting and informative as I have constantly struggled with understanding the differences in thought processes between liberals and conservatives. I must say I was pleased to read his discussion of how cultural knowledge is an important factor in determining how people formulate their worldviews (pg 147). I believe that the founding of America as a "land of opportunity"--the more self-disciplined and hardworking one is, the more successful s/he will become--created a cultural foundation ideal for a conservative worldview. This goes along with what many have been saying about how conservatives are able to adopt very strong, traditional symbolism in their messaging.
As I was reading this, I also began to wonder how these differing worldviews may be seen in America's relationships with other parts of the world. My immediate thought was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Has Israel adopted a similar worldview to American conservatives in their approach to the conflict? Can we relate America's role in this conflict to that of a conservative nature, while relating other European nations' perspectives and criticism of America's role to a liberal worldview?
I realize this is a sensitive topic and could bring about some strong discussion, but thought I would share as I think that Lakoff's models are incredibly powerful tools.
~Anna Kawar
Taking for granted that his argument is valid, I would be curious to see it applied to other countries, as you say. Specifically, Lankoff is dealing with two Western archetypes. These are but two variations, however, of parenting styles. I guess I am just thinking out loud, but if we take Lankoff's argument as true, then how do parental (or other archetypes) inform political ideologies abroad? Do they at all?
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