THE AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE Exam 2 I Definition and uses of political culture ideology Definition It is a set of widely shared beliefs values and norms covering the nation of citizens to their government and to one another in matters affecting public affairs How we view the world our stories and myths to make sense of things Example Google glass It s like an ideology perception of what the world is wearable belief system The difference is that we are acculturated and socialized into a belief system We can t take it off Noteworthy feature of American Political Culture pervasive but unrecognized They are so internalized Our culture is different from other industrialized countries Our worries as a nation rights that we don t point at it or notice it priorities are different We are separated by values cultural differences over fundamental rights They re places modern industrialized democracies that think differently Chinese s human rights violation for them is the gap between the rich and the poor invasion of countries violent crimes for us racial discrimination for voting Europeans can t wrap their head around Katrina victim s statuses after weeks of horrible conditions LACK OF FEDERAL GOVERNMENT For the US free market economy is best model for world we are the most pro market anti government industrialized democracy Distinctive Economy Philosophy China regulates the market US doesn t Culture clash The US is Pro business at odds with Europe US bails out banks we overestimate them and we go only one way Nations used to admire us but now we re bullying and insensible Americans Because of our ideals and actions we are not guiding and such leaders China and the US are the only countries that didn t sign to Go Green We don t ban revolution because of freedom of speech United States government don t care what other countries do it is the only country in the world that thinks the Iraq invasion resulted positively Uses Broader more familiar use COMMERCIAL Cultural identifiers generations identify with public figures genres or characteristics or interests of those specific generations Manufacturing demand through the advertising industry we didn t know we needed these products until advertisement Marlboro cowboy American image Narrower less familiar use POLITICAL Farm subsidies every time someone tries to eliminate them someone brings the traditional farmer genuine and humble way of living it is culture tradition it is emotional it hits home Key to effective use elicit emotion override cognition II Unique aspects of the American character A political in nature Us national identity is political rather than organic in nature Organic common history The US constitution is our identity and the Bill of Rights is our identity We have Thomas Jefferson George Washington and Abraham Lincoln We didn t struggle as a joined nation we didn t fight it was basically there and we just molded it with these documents American political culture is also unique that is singular not plural in nature Left US Democrats Right US Republican Communism Socialism Democratic Socialism Conservatism Fascism B lack of opposition The one ideology in both parties is the historical roots Western history of class wars feudal disease socialist antidote spreads the power on public feudalism a group is rich the rest is poor Peasants rose up But the American Revolution was the opposite we celebrate democracy we didn t have the disease so we didn t need the antidote Other nations was the have not s rise up against the have American Revolution was a revolutionary change in political structures it was not a revolution and it was an evolution No left and right division that s why our parties are not split III American political beliefs basic values A 6 core values 1 Individualism most important core value Key defining value to define American political culture Wild west individuals tamed the city Politicians try to bring us together whenever terrorism attacks because we re not used to sticking together Even the army uses individualism language An army of one Only 36 of Americans think they don t have control over their fate other nations have other views of individual rights and we re extremists we society is a group of individuals others collective society America has no language of the public Americans don t want Big Government individual responsibility less taxes less public service if you re getting education you pay for it Ironically rhetorical allegiance to individual liberty may mask group think Pledge of allegiance flag you re not allowed not to disrespect that 2 Property Even though the rich receive the benefits only 10 of American population 63 of the people in America think benefit of having rich families we still think we can be that someday emotional not reality capitalism values We don t think we should tax the top to benefit the bottom 3 The law of contracts first country to make a legally binding contract between the public and the government US CONSTITUION natural law 4 Freedom and 5 Equality value set no sign of difference We will choose freedom over equality Negative freedom all those fundamental freedoms in the constitution of what government cannot do to us PROCEDURAL RIGHTS made for equality Positive freedom all those fundamental freedoms that expand the possibilities of what people can do for themselves SUBSTANTIVE RIGHTS what we can do what we can work with Don t hold weight in our culture we don t protect them Don t equal 6 Democracy power to the people Political procedural rights one voice one vote Economic substantive right your boss tells you what to do we don t decide who gets hired we don t have economic democracies but if we continue to look at our political procedural rights we ignore the fact of inequality B fundamental themes 1 religious moral 2 political economic 1789 when the constitution was ratified two competing schools of thought Hamiltonian powered early on by George Washington but the brains of the operation was Alexander Hamilton Republican 1 Strong centralized government power 2 They wanted to protect merchants and early capitalists commercial interests 3 Anti democratic made sure of not getting opposed by the majority of the public no widespread voting 4 Judicial branch judge are from the elite property classes and would look out for those interests o At the Civil War the Republican Party became the dominant party and with it came the industrial revolution and with this and the