Much post-election analysis has focused on the so-called “values voter”.  The concept of a values voter is puzzling.  Exactly what are these values and who defines them?  How can anyone be against laws that permit the killing of fetuses and at the same time support the unjustifiable murder of perhaps 100,000 innocent human beings in Iraq?  How can anyone support proven liars (Bush, Rice, Cheney, etc.) and be turned off by a proven truth-teller (Kerry, who testified to Congress about the atrocities he witnessed in Vietnam)?

The truth is, this isn’t about values; rather, obedience to authority. 

The so-called values voter is guided by an unquestioning faith in authority…faith in preachers, bosses, and the President.  At some level, they believe that if it is on TV it must be true and if it is on CNN or Fox News it certainly is.  They are taught to “know their place”.  They believe that the questioning of religion is a path to hell and questioning the President is un-American.  They believe that if they just do what they are told – just play by the rules – one day they will be rewarded.  They just want to fit in and the best way to fit in is to do as you’re supposed to.   They watch the hottest shows on TV, follow sports, and read the local paper because those are all just things you’re supposed to do.  They go shopping every weekend and buy what’s hot.  If you don’t do all these things, that’s just weird because those things are normal.   

Contrast this with the Progressive worldview: where authority is always questioned, where the government works for us, and where the mythology around mainstream America is stripped down to expose what it actually is: corporation power desperately trying to shape our thinking and sell us stuff. 

I remember the exact moment when I learned to question authority.  I was a freshman in college, taking Anthropology 101.  On the first day of class, my young, bearded professor, Dr. Palmer, began lecturing on textbook material very much like High School teachers do.  He grabbed my attention when he stopped midway through and asked the class, “What’s wrong with this material?  Can anyone find any flaws in this?” 

I was stunned.  He was talking about our textbook!  How could there be anything wrong with that it says in our textbook?  I had never been asked such a question…and I don’t think I was alone in that silent room full of stunned students.  I don’t remember his exact words, but his message came through loud and clear.  It was an unmistakable reminder that we weren’t in High School anymore and if we wanted to do well in his class we’d have to start questioning authority.

Thanks to Dr. Palmer, my entire world opened up in new an exciting ways.  The irony is that it actually took an authority figure to grant me permission to question authority.  Unfortunately, most of us aren’t as fortunate as I was on that day and many of us never learn this lesson.