"People without culture feel insecure and are obsessed with the acquisition of material things, which give them a temporary security that itself is a delusional bulwark against future insecurity. Without culture, a community loses self-awareness and guidance, and grows weak and vulnerable. It disintegrates from within as it suffers a lack of identity, dignity, self-respect and a sense of destiny."
(Wangari Maathai, in Alternet/Resurgence writing about Kenya)
Sound Familliar?
The liberal movement has recently seen a backlash against it's incessant use of intellect and logic in politics. Humans are by their very nature a species that craves culture - an etherial quality that identifies a group as being unique - in order to satisfy a need for a sense of belonging. And to most people, culture is most comfortably recognized as a belief system that is expressed in a highly visible and boisterous way. Religions are the traditional forms of cultures. At the most basic level, religions guide people into a similar way of living, and thinking about life - a philosophy. But most successful religions provide so much more than just a philosophy, they offer visual art, cuisine, architecture, music, social gathering places, and more to their members.
The right wing movement understands this need for people to be a part of a culture, and has used it to woo people under it's violently flapping wing by promoting an ancient form of religion. It works because the right has a clear message and they are unrelenting in expressing that message. This clarity makes people comfortable - people know what to expect, and there is a very rational sense of security to such an unwavering philosophy. And along with a philosophy (the "big guy" is in charge and will take care of you if you devote yourself to him), people are also being given a sense of belonging, a culture, which has been around for thousands of years, and has some beautiful and life affirming traditions.
The liberal movement, on the other hand, is often seen to be lacking not only a basic philosophy (or at least a clearly expressed one), but is also seen as lacking a coherently expressed cultural movement as well. Those of us who are already well established under the gracefully flapping wing of the left know that there is definitely a philosophy and a very strong cultural expression of our ideas, but to those folks who haven't been indoctrinated in the progressive way, it seems chaotic, rebellious, lawless. Rather than reassuring people, the left often scares and confuses them.
How can we ever convince these people to join us, if we are scaring them away?
If we are ever to regain the hearts and minds of the populace, and restore honest, intelligent, and compassionate government, we on the left need to create a holistic idea of who we are and what we stand for. We need to create a welcoming, nondenominational blue "religion" that is based on liberal values, and we need to proudly wear our values on our sleeves as a well organized culture. We need to be clear and bold, and let everyone know that the left is the place to be, not just because we are logical or compassionate, but because we have a great philosophy and a fantastic culture.