Political Ideology and Political Culture
Uploaded by nivizzle on May 16, 2007
Political ideologies and cultures are some of the most important aspects of our nation. They shape the way our nation thinks and, accordingly, acts. Political Ideology is dynamic and political culture is static. This will seem quite apparent when the definitions and related examples are explained in postdating paragraphs. The ideologies of a Liberal or Conservative mindset will be clarified, as well as defined, below.
Political ideology is a certain set of ideals or principles dealing with a nation, or even a group, that explains how society should work. A political ideology largely concerns itself with how to allocate power and to what ends it should be used. It is often seen as the background of a political party and their policy. Political culture, in simple terms, is what most citizens expect from their government. Most of these are basic rights, such as those outlined in the Constitution. Political culture is usually determined by the government, which is why it is considered static; however, political ideology is dynamic because it is usually determined by the people and even a certain period in time, not by the government.
Some political ideologies are homosexuality, racism and anarchism. Homosexuality is an example because, ideally and religiously, intimacy is meant for members of opposing sexes. It is the choice of the person, not the government, whether they feel they are more attracted to the opposite sex or not. Racism is a political ideology because it defines the character and abilities of others and correlates them with their color or their background. It is a choice to be racist. Racism is a controversial issue that only the people who believe in it can remedy, although it is highly unlikely to ever be eliminated. Anarchism—without rule—is an ideology that refers to any political position or belief that is opposed to all forms of rule. Anarchists don’t believe in a centralized government and believe that no one should rule, but rather that all people establish voluntary relationships with one another. Total chaos, as most people think, is not always a direct association with anarchism. You could consider anarchism a completely pure democratic state, where everyone has equal power, hence, it’s an ideology. Some basic political cultures are liberty, equality and authority. Liberty is the condition of being free from...