Further distinctions could be outlined for a number of other terms
and ideas associated in one way or another with the left and the right.
George Lakoff, for instance, a specialist in linguistics and cognitive
science, suggests that parents on the right and on the left do not have
the same views about raising children. Parents on the right would
be guided by a “strict father” model, which would privilege rules,
authority, self-discipline, and self-reliance. Parents on the left would
follow instead a “nurturant parent” model, stressing empathy, respect,
communication, personal fulfillment, and the exploration of a range
of ideas and experiences.^46 These models correspond to distinct views
about society. In the “strict father” perspective, life is difficult and
competitive, and children must build character, so as to sink or swim
by themselves. The struggle for survival is tough, but it is also moral,
because it rewards the most deserving. Victims of external disasters
caused by nature or accidents should thus be helped, but persons who
are in trouble by their own fault must accept the consequences of their
irresponsibility, otherwise they will never learn to discipline them-
selves. The “nurturant parent” worldview stresses instead empathy,
open-mindedness, and cooperation. Personal fulfillment comes in this
case with the development of social ties, in a spirit of respect, fairness,
and interdependence. Helping others does not hurt them and does not
distort critical social mechanisms. On the contrary, mutual support
reinforces social trust and happiness for all.^47
Lakoff’s focus on family metaphors highlights important founda-
tions of the left–right debate, with examples that are typical of con-
temporary American debates. To some extent country-specific, his
analysis is nevertheless extremely useful in pointing to the moral
character of the universal debate between the left and the right. The
“strict father” model is indeed very close to the values generally asso-
ciated with nineteenth-century social Darwinism. On the opposite
side, and closer to us, consider how left-of-centre Bill Clinton explains
how he was raised, by his uncle, aunts, and grand-parents, to believe
“that no one is perfect but most people are good; that people can’t be
judged only by their worst or weakest moments...Perhaps most
important, I learned that everyone has a story – of dreams and
(^46) George Lakoff,Moral Politics: What Conservatives Know That Liberals Don’t,
University of Chicago Press, 1996, pp. 32–36.
(^47) Ibid., pp. 65–140.
20 Left and Right in Global Politics