63 MAP 3.1 | THE 2012 ELECTION: RED AND BLUE OR PURPLE? KS MT AZ NM OK TX WA NV UT CA CO ND SD NE WY ID OR WI MN IA IL MI IN OH MO KY NY WV VA TN NC AR MS AL FL LA GA SC PA NJ DE MD MA RI CT VT ME NH tolerant of others (Baker 2005; Fiorina 2011; Koch and Steelman 2009). Journalists who use the familiar shorthand “red state” and “blue state” to describe differences between conservative and liberal regions of the United States encourage the notion of a culture war. Identifying each state as simply red or blue implies that each state is fundamentally conservative or liberal and that the two types of states have little in common with each other. In reality, however, each state includes communities with differing views and values that reflect varying degrees of conservatism and liberalism. A map reflecting the complexity of value preferences in the United States would consist of various shades of purple rather than stark reds and blues (see Map 3.1). BELIEFS: WHAT IS TRUE? Whereas a culture’s values are usually a set of broad principles, its beliefs are the specifi c convictions or opinions that its people generally accept as being true. Our cultural beliefs encourage us to understand fundamental issues in the world in a particular way. Is democracy the best form of government? Should marriage be based on love, or is it primarily an economic arrangement? What constitutes “success” in life? Is violence justifi able in pursuing an important goal? Are all people created equal? Does God exist? The way people answer these questions depends, in part, on their cultural beliefs. What people believe is, in turn, deeply infl uenced by the culture of which they are a part. video’s depiction of a crucifi x covered with ants was “hate speech” (Trescott 2010). In all such cases, debates can become extraordinarily heated because they are rooted in profound differences in values, and these differences often arouse intense reactions. This culture war is waged primarily at the level of ideas, but occasionally it erupts into acts of violence. For example, gays and lesbians have been targeted for harassment and assault and, in a few cases, extremist antiabortion activists have killed doctors who perform abortions. Are the differences in how various groups prioritize values in the United States so profound, however, that they truly warrant the label culture war? This question has been the subject of much debate among sociologists and other scholars (see, for example, Fiorina 2011; Hunter and Wolfe 2006; McConkey 2001; Thomson 2010). Certainly you will fi nd people with different positions on just about any current social or political issue—from same-sex marriage and immigration policy to health care reform and the war on terrorism—depending on the values they think are most important. Though people differ in the values they consider most essential, however, they are not necessarily intolerant of other views. Some scholars argue that it is the political elites—politicians seeking to mobilize voters and raise money and political commentators trying to attract audiences and sell books—who highlight differences in values and encourage polarization and extremism. Ordinary citizens are actually far more ambivalent about their own views and more The Elements of Culture The map on the left (A) shows the results of the 2012 presidential election by state; Mitt Romney won the red states and Barack Obama won the blue states. The map on the right (B) represents the results of the 2012 election by county and uses red, blue, and shades of purple to indicate percentages of voters for each candidate. Source: Newman (2012). CORE CONCEPTS CHALLENGE Which of these maps do you think is a better representation of the election? What do these maps suggest about how divided the political culture really is in the United States? Did the media's coverage of the 2012 election suggest a country that was more like the map on the left or the right?
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