(Originally posted at pvlounge.com)
In a farewell speech to the conservative group that he founded, Focus on the Family, James Dobson issued some fairly amazing remarks. In short, he acknowledged that conservatives have by and large lost the so-called 'culture wars,' although he also urged further efforts in reversing the decisions that inspired these comments:
We are awash in evil and the battle is still to be waged. We are right now in the most discouraging period of that long conflict. Humanly speaking, we can say we have lost all those battles, but God is in control and we are not going to give up now, right? ... I have been assured by the board and by many of you that we're not going to cow, we're not going to be discouraged.
It is really difficult to interpret these words as anything but the ceremonial embers of a dying movement. However, because I actually believe in objective evidence and research, I wanted to test Dobson's gloomy propositions. Has the right really lost the culture wars? Let's find out.
First off, we need some background. The term 'culture wars' has been around for quite some time in various social contexts. Its modern meaning in the American political sphere can be traced to the early 1990s, when it was used in the title of a book from a sociologist at the University of Virginia. The phrase meant to signify the different cultural values that caused significant divisions in American politics. Beyond the phrase itself, the political squabbles surrounding the 'culture wars' started around the 1960s and the 1970s, when the movements for civil rights and women's rights, among other issues, changed the basic social fabric of America.
Conservatives did what they usually do: they reacted and complained in the face of these social changes. The New Right rose in the 1970s in an attempt to overturn the liberal achievements of the last few decades. They wanted to undo the welfare state, restrict reproductive rights for women, and keep those gays under leash before our society went straight to hell. They had some success, but their efforts largely failed. They managed to put restrictions on abortion, but abortion is still legal, and that situation is highly unlikely to change. On gays and lesbians, they are losing fast. American society is gradually become more accepting of the LGBT community, and four states have now legalized same-sex marriage. More are expected to do so shortly. Federally, we will have same-sex marriage in about a decade or so. American society is more ethnically integrated today than ever before. Interethnic marriages are on the rise, and the covertly racist politics that the Republicans pursued for decades failed last year, when we elected our first African-American president.
Wait though. It gets even worse for the right. America's youth is disproportionately liberal when compared to the rest of the country. In a January 2009 study from UCLA, 31% of first-years in college identified themselves as 'liberal' and 21% of first-years in college identified themselves as 'conservative.' Nationally, self-identified conservatives have a large lead over self-identified liberals. In the 2008 election, exit polls showed that 34% of voters self-identified as 'conservative' and 22% self-identified as 'liberal.' The rest were moderates. The long-term trends, however, are not in favor of conservatives, leaving aside the problems of how closely self-identification matches actual opinions. These findings from UCLA are a microcosm of scores of others polls and studies. Among 18 to 29 year olds, for example, the exit polls showed that Obama beat McCain by 66% to 32%. Other polls and studies also show that the youth are more liberal on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, and marijuana use. Our country seems to be, thankfully, relaxing a little bit. The absurd religious dogmatism that annoyed us at the end of the twentieth century will not find a welcome home in the twenty-first. America is growing more secular. A recent study found that the number of people with no religious affiliation has doubled since 1990, going from 8% to 15%. The number of self-identified 'Christians' is at an all-time low....and going lower. And just in case it wasn't clear to the religious nutcases, Obama made it explicit in Turkey, flatly saying that we don't consider ourselves a Christian nation.
I could turn this diary into a book if I wanted to. The specific point, however, is fairly clear: yes, Mr. Dobson, you are correct. The right has lost the 'culture wars.' And I don't know whether you realize it or not, but you will never win them in the future.
- UberCryxic