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Hard for Liberals to Talk about 'Family Values'?

The Atlantic- (7-30-13)

Why Is It Hard for Liberals to Talk About 'Family Values'?

Are "family values" a taboo topic for the left? For one thing, there may be a language problem. "Family values terminology is so closely connected to the 1980s and Jerry Falwell-esque way of framing it -- it's an immediate turn-off," said Brad Wilcox, the Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. "You should be talking about a 'family-friendly agenda."

True, for those who lean to the left, the phrase "family values" tends to bring back uncomfortable memories of the Regan era and the "Moral Majority." But there's a deeper issue: An important and damaging intellectual collapse in the way the public talks about politically charged topics.

When it comes to issues like gay marriage, welfare, and abortion, liberal politicians and intellectuals are vocal and often indignant. But they're quieter about the ways that traditional "family values" are guiding their own choices. The irony is that college-educated, wealthier Americans who identify with the left are overwhelmingly raising their kids in two-parent households. This is no coincidence: Research indicates that family stability (i.e., couples who wait to have kids until their married and then stay married) makes a difference in income equality and social mobility.

So what makes this conversation so hard for the liberal community? For one thing, religion adds a layer of complexity. Broadly speaking, religious organizations have always advocated traditional family structures -- i.e., don't have babies before you get married, and once you get married, stay married. Many on the left agree that religious institutions can play a positive role in family life--and when people follow the mores advocated in religious communities, it turns out, they are less likely to experience poverty or commit crimes.

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lukedaniel
Liberals ..blind to their own perdition.