The Family, The Mexicans And The Jews

Am I the only person who thinks it ridiculous that many of the people who claim to have family values are against the Hindus, the Mexicans and the Jews?

The Jews, for one, are highly family-oriented. So are the Hindus. In Jewish culture it would be unthinkable for a man to not take care of his family. And the Mexicans who come to America to work send all the money they earn to their families. They sacrifice greatly in order that their families be taken care of.

I likewise find it ridiculous that the “family values” agenda has been used as an excuse for family violence. I am a father, and I do not need to be violent toward my daughter. I treat her as an intelligent form of life rather than as an animal. When she does something wrong I explain to her why it is wrong, and she does not do it any more. If I can do it, then so can the next parent.

Self-control is part of character; and the men who are violent to their wives and children lack self-control. Which means that they have no business claiming to speak for – character, values, manhood or anything of the sort.

This is true with Western social conservatives; it is more true with Muslims, who likewise claim family values. The Western conservatives do not own evil, but neither are they exempt from it. The feminists who regard people in the West who are against Islam as bigots or “Islamophobes” do not know what they are talking about. The Muslims are much worse to women than Western conservatives. And if they had their way, the Western feminists would all be wearing burqa and being beaten up every day.

Nor is it true that America's greatness is due to “traditional family values.” These existed in most of the world for a lot longer than has America, and most of the world was nowhere close to great throughout that time. America's greatness is due to science, technology and superior political and economic policies; and it is these, not “family values,” that deserve credit for America.

Is family a good thing? As I have found out, it can be a wonderful thing. But good families are not affected by family values agenda one way or another. A good family is not one in which the man rapes or whips the children. A good family is not a family that anyone wants to leave. Good parents are not affected by family values; it is only when someone does something wrong that family cohesion becomes an issue. Which means that family values agenda rewards only the wrongdoer.

Well, what about “spare the rod spoil the child” or “your children will grow up wild”? That is a testable claim, and it is manifestly false. My younger brother was raised in a joint custody situation and was not subject to violence; and he has become an eminent scientist and a fine young man.

Ironically, it is the people whom the “family values” agitators attack the most that tend to make the best parents. We build workable relationships with our children and nurture their intelligence and ambition. We spend a lot of time with them explaining things to them and addressing their concerns. We do not need to use the rod; we use the brain. And that makes for true family values.

Some claims have gone unchallenged for too long, and one of the biggest one is that the social conservatives speak for family. They do not. Some conservatives are good parents; some conservatives are bad parents. In no way do they own family or parenting; in no way are they the reason for America's greatness; and in no way are they better than the Hindus or the Jews.

More needs to be done to challenge such beliefs. And more parents who are non-violent should step up to the plate and tell other parents that, no, beating their children does not make them good parents or possessors of family values.