As a society we love to brand things, even people. We think that everyone and everything should fall into neat little boxes that do not overlap. We like to be able to define things because it gives us a sense of control. Due to the human need to define things, they tend to see things as black and white, yes or no, 100% or 0%, and do not understand anything in the middle. Values are what form the reasoning behind many of the decisions humans make and are completely subject to bias and personal experience and therefore they often fall into an undefined gray area. In a world that tries to categorize everything, it seems only natural that our mixed values are what create the most conflict. In this weeks reading the author uses a couple examples that incorporate mixed values, one of them being a Catholic women that describes herself as a “practicing Zen, Catholic, lesbian, feminist nun” which in our society is impossible. Many of the adjectives this women uses to define herself have conflicting values according to the definitions society has given them over time but due to her personal experiences she relates to each one in a different way. The inability for most people to fit their values into one category and the mounting pressure to meet societies standards has led many to look to a greater authority, whether that be a god or science, to formulate their values. This dualism further isolates each group creating more defined categories. The greatest example of this can be seen with our political system. Due to the polarity that has surrounded the two party system, even though both parties are working for the so-called greater good, they cannot seem to find a middle ground that actually accomplishes that. People hear the category or name first and think of the supposed values behind it second, if ever. People see values as a brand or category rather than a lifestyle, so many say they are something without acting in a way that supports it.
under: Unit 02
By: katrinaa@uoregon.edu on April 11, 2014 at 10:16 pm
I loved the transfer Mary drew from value systems to the political party system in the United States. She says, “due to the polarity that has surrounded the two party systems, even though both parties are working for the so-called greater good, they cannot seem to find a middle ground that actually accomplishes that.” I think that it is easier to say “I identify with liberalism because _________” (or whatever political party you identify with) than to form a 100% pure and unbiased set of individual value systems. Maybe it’s the tendency that we have to want to place things in neat little boxes, like you said. Maybe if we compartmentalize humanity it doesn’t seem so scary, but I think you’re right – that doesn’t get anything done. By looking for a higher power – be it god, science, or political figures for answers as to what we should value and why we should value it and how we should value it, we treat the symptom of the issue. But I also suppose that it may only be opinion that individual vs. collective values be disputed. Anyway, I’m not sure if that’s at all where you were going with this post, but it certainly inspired these thoughts on my end.
By: mharris7@uoregon.edu on April 13, 2014 at 7:15 pm
I very much am drawn to Katrina’s comment that “we treat the symptom of the issue” rather than the true cause. This can be said for almost every problem our society faces. The root causes behind many of the issues we face today are so intertwined and difficult to untie that we are beginning to settle for treating the outward symptoms. We are settling for the easy fix, which says a lot about our societies value system as a whole. The human population that creates our society, is similar to a living organism, our collective actions and values define the world we live in. In the reading the author says values are “just as essential as air, food and water” and that without “clearly focused values, it is possibly impossible to lead a purposeful and satisfying life”. So as we as a society continue to take the easy way out of situations we are being led further from “clearly focused values” that could potentially allow for purposeful and satisfying lives.