Ideology and the United States-1

Naomi Garrow

S. Sowards

POLS 2300

1 February, 2018

Ideology and the United States

When discussing ideologies, it is hard to pinpoint as to which ideology the United States

falls under. Considering the world that we live in now and how we have grown as a nation from

pre-colonial times to a modern fast-paced society, I would say that we have a mixed moderate

ideology as a whole. People in the United States have many political views that vary but we live

in a place where both sides of the coin coexist.

Comparing conservatives to liberals, we are able to see the different types of decisions

that are made based on those two ways of thinking. Conservatives tend to make choices that

don’t do much to change how things are at the present time, whereas liberals are very open to

change and are tolerant of differentiating opinions. When we look at the bigger picture of the

United States, it is easy to see how a “mixed moderate ideology” title is more appropriate given

the current circumstances.

People, more specifically young citizens, are responsible for the current ideology. As the

United States continues to grow, more and more youth are becoming more politically active and

involved in their communities, whether it be small scale or large scale. This involvement

develops into new ideas, which lead to our more liberal ideology because, from my experience,
 Ideology and the United States-2

the youth are much more accepting and open to change compared to an older “baby boomer”

who might be set in their ways.

An example of this would be the LGBTQ+ initiative. Many who are involved in this

community are open to educate others about this community in hopes to spread their ideology so

it is not so taboo anymore. On the other hand, we have the conservatives who want nothing to do

with the LGBTQ+ community because they have their traditional ideologies that are greatly

influenced by religion. We can see this trend historically with the Protestants, Anglicans,

Puritans, Catholics, etc. and how they had very traditional views on marriage, sexual relations,

roles, and more. It’s sad to say, but Utah culture, because of religion, is a prime example of this

discord. The interesting part of it all is that the two opposing sides still coexist with one another,

not just in Utah but nationwide.

Conflicts between the two sides can and have emerged. To a certain point, it is healthy

and necessary for these conflicts in order to start the discussion if we hope to change how we

handle differing ideologies. Without having these trying debates, there would be no growth.

Many variables can be replaced in that particular example and it doesn’t have to be

strictly “conservatism vs. liberalism.” Simply the changing and introducing of new ideas is

enough to support mixed ideology that many believe the United States to have. There is a reason

that many nations look to the United States of America. The saying that we are a melting pot

beautifully illustrates our ability to accept and tolerate new and diverse ideas, people, religions,

beliefs, traditions, backgrounds, and so much more. My only hope is that we can remain

steadfast in our ability to encourage those people who influence our mixed ideology so we can

continue to prosper diversely.