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* Socially Conservative *

Subject: Conservative Outlook

But seriously, though, although my liberal credentials are still intact, I become more socially conservative as the years go by.

It seems to me that such concepts as "free love" only wind up hurting women and men in the end. It's all very well and good to say that people can live however they wish, but the fact is, a certain kind of lifestyle is leading to the rampant numbers of divorces, split-up families, and single loneliness in the country.

Yes, people CAN live however they wish, but that doesn't mean that one way isn't *better*. Sober, clean, celibate outside of marriage, has never been shown to cause cancer, disease, or unhappiness in the same way that drunken, stoned, and screwing around does.

And the biggest reason I have to become more socially conservative is that I think to be otherwise seems to demonstrate no commitment to anything except one's own wants. There's got to be something else than what any given individual wants, else, what's the point?

[Mrs. Therisa Rogers]

Hey Mrs. Rogers,

Though it is Monday, I will do my best to make this reply as coherent as possible. I agree with your viewpoints on social conduct and I, too, share a more-or-less 'socially conservative' blueprint for my life. However, the difficulty in a 'socially conservative' viewpoint presents itself when personal choices are translated into policy decisions. Though the statistical facts you state in your e-mail are doublessly correct, there is no such thing as a law which can prevent divorces, split-up families, single loneliness, and drug addiction.

To cite one example, criminalization of personal freedoms such as adult drug use has lead our nation's prison system to overwhelm those of almost every other civilized country (we have even exceeded China, if I am not mistaken) and put an enormous burden on American taxpayers. In fact, an interesting and simplistic argument for legalization of drugs came into my head when I was working in Detroit this summer. An accquantance of mine was discussing his misadventures in trying to buy alcohol without a driver's liscence despite the fact that he/she looks twenty-one. Looking around the area where we were working, I realized that I could have pointed out at least three drug dealers on our drive down MLK blvd. alone; it seemed ironic that it would be easier for youth to buy heroin than alchohol.

Now, do I condone the recreational use of harmful drugs? By no means, and I make the personal decision not to partake in them. But all the same, I see their effects on a day-to-day basis despite our government's 'war on drugs' and its various attempts to stem this problem.

So, what is my standpoint on such 'socially conservative' viewpoints? I think they need to be encouraged at the very root. And that's where you, and others like you, come in; I find that teaching reasonable self-control and demonstrating the consequences of poor choices is perfectly acceptable in a school environment, and I view 'family education' and 'health' classes, when factually accurate, as a step in the right direction. But criminalization, limitations on gay marriage and sexual conduct, and other limits on personal freedom seem to perpetuate social problems (not to call homsexuality a social problem: I'm refering to what you mentioned in your e-mail) by institutionalizing and alienating more and more members of our society. These kinds of broad policies attempt to tackle difficult social problems that arise out of a number of factors, including (you knew this was coming) economic and racial inequality, by taking the path of least resistance.

That is why I consider myself more of a socially liberal than a socially conservative person: not out of a blind adherance to personal freedom at all costs, but out of a sincere belief that limiting personal freedom is a poor way to tackle social problems. In typical liberal fashion, I believe these problems need to be taken on at a grassroots level and confronted at a young age; also, I think we must recognize the correlation between social inequality and criminal behavior and address that problem before making generalized policices that attempt to solve problems by throwing more and more kids in jail. I'm sure that you agree with me, at least in part, on these issues, and I hope you will continue to encourage 'socially conservative' lifestyles in your impressionable young students. =) As you said, an adherence to a lifestyle beyond personal whims and wants is crucial to maturity and personal development, no matter how much such a lifestyle may seem discouraged by our society. I just hope we can find a way to combat this discouragement on a more effective and rational level.

Cheers, Francis.

Dear Francis, I spent some time thinking about this before answering. I agree with you that government policy should not legislate in many of these areas, especially because of the fact that it's expensive and difficult to control people in this kind of a way. People are much more effective controllers of themselves and their neighbors.

But these days people seems to have very little of what we call "shame". They don't try to control themselves or their neighbors. I think it's not just the job of the teachers to promote right actions, but the job of everyone in society.

Also, there is a role that government can play in certain decisions by increasing the incentives they have for people to engage in certain behaviors. I recently received a substantial tax break for having been married. This is an example of how government can help certain people.

As regards homosexuality, I get the idea that you might have thought I opposed gay marriage. Actually I consider the business of being gay to be a neutral to slightly positive issue. People's being gay is not ruining lives, in fact, increasing acceptance of homosexuality is helping some people to feel better about themselves, make friends, and develop families. This is a good thing.

To combat the "societal discouragement" of which you speak, I believe it to be essential that people who feel as you (and I) do speak loudly; that they point the finger to right thinking and right acting, rather than grab the people and pull them there.

Finally, the drug business. Decriminalizing drugs would go a long way toward improving things around here. In fact (and I am not joking) I would like to give the drugs to the people free of charge, or very cheaply. We could subsidize their production, like we already subsidize the genetically enhanced corn. Persons who become addicted can get treatment a lot mor cheaply if they don't have to hide from the cops, and in the meantime they won't have to harm others to get the money for drugs. At the same time, however, there needs to be information about what drugs actually do to the body, and fewer people will use the stuff.

So do I get to be on the "reader mail" section of the website?

Love from your teacher,
Therisa Rogers