BRANDING THE MORAL VALUES OF CONSERVATIVES

BRYCE ON MORALITY & POLITICS

- How the media controls the image of conservatives.

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Last month I was asked to give an overview of my new seminar "Stand Up for MORALITY" at a local Republican Club. This was a condensed version of my seminar where I discuss the properties of morality, describe how it applies to Americans, and have attendees work through problems. In case you're wondering, this seminar is politically and religiously neutral. It just happened that the Republicans invited me in as do other groups. During the seminar, I asked the group to define some moral values that everyone could abide by, not just themselves. After much discussion, the group settled on the following:

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.
Respect elders and those in superior position.
Adhere to the laws, rules and regulations of the land.
Help, aid, and assist all persons less fortunate, as I am able to.
Not wrong, cheat or defraud another.
Respect the property of others.
Work faithfully, professionally, and industriously for those employing my services.
Respect the dignity of the human spirit and treat people equitably.

They could have defined more, but we were limited by time. These responses are actually quite typical as many people in this country share these values. Knowing I was in the presence of a political group, I next asked them if these were the values the media used to portray the GOP, to which I received an emphatic, "No!" Instead, they felt the media slandered them by portraying them as:

Greedy; consumed more with the almighty dollar than people.
Insensitive to the needs of others.
Were environmentally reckless.
Possess radical views on gun control.
Racists.
Warmongers.
Unreasonably resists change.
Stuck in the past.
Inclined to create mayhem in order to overthrow the government.

There is something to be said in their argument. This particular presentation happened to occur during the week of the bombings at the Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15th. It wasn't until Friday, the 19th, when the final suspect was apprehended. In the meantime, there was considerable speculation as to who the perpetrators were, particularly the media, to wit:

* Chris Matthews of MS-NBC blamed the "radical right" for the bombings.

* Lawrence O'Donnell, also of MS-NBC claimed the National Rifle Association (NRA) helped the bombers get away.

* Stephanie Johnson, a public affairs representative with the U.S. Forest Service blamed the Tea Party for the bombing.

Other liberals also made accusations that conservatives were behind the April 15th bombings. They were all undoubtedly surprised to learn the suspects, Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, were born in Russia, of Chechen descent, and believed in Islam. Although they had immigrated to the United States as children, and were permanent residents (only one of the brothers had become a naturalized citizen). In other words, the media was disappointed the attack was caused by outsiders as opposed to conservatives in this country.

Since the 2012 national election, the media has been insisting the GOP needs to change in order to attract voters of all nationalities. To do so, they suggest conservatives change their views on such things as marriage, immigration, the national debt, entitlements, etc. This would mean a dramatic change in their moral values as expressed earlier, something which is virtually difficult if not impossible for anyone to do. Knowing this, the media will likely continue to villify the character of conservatives thereby tainting their image to the public. I believe they now call this "branding" or perhaps "brainwashing" would be more appropriate.

Conservatives have only themselves to blame as they do not take the media to task over how they are portrayed. Instead, they need to take the argument directly to the public and explain precisely what their moral values are, and by doing so, the public may come to the realization that conservative values are no different than their own. For example:

Helping their neighbors.
An honest dollar for an honest day's work.
The sanctity of life.
That a person must be given the opportunity to try their hand at any business venture they are so inclined.
That each person needs to lead an honorable and worthwhile life.

Unveiling the true moral values of conservatives could work wonders in terms of demystifying what they truly represent, something the media already knows and is desperate to refute. Frankly, conservatives are not nearly as frightening as they are portrayed by the press. Most probably have the same values as you do.

Keep the Faith!

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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com

For Tim's columns, see:   timbryce.com

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Copyright © 2013 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved.

NEXT UP:  THE DECLINE OF CRAFTSMANSHIP - They're are getting harder and harder to find.

LAST TIME:  WHAT THE HECK ARE THEY TEACHING? - Politics in the classroom.

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