Family values

{{christianity}}{{cquote|If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.|||[[Jesus]] on 
discipleship criteria
 family values ({{bible|Luke|14|26}})}}

To most people, '''family values''' is a phrase meaning "Treat your [[family]] well and take care of them". To a [[Religious Right|certain subspecies]] of [[American]] social [[conservative]]s (and their [[Polish]] clones), as well as such people in other countries whose majority religion is Abrahamic (including Islamic countries), the phrase means "stop the evil [[Satanist]]s, [[liberal|libtards]], [[homosexual|faggots]], [[abortion|baby murderers]], [[atheist]]s, [[transgender|trannies]], [[feminism|feminazis]], and anyone else we hate". Since the rise of [[Donald Trump|Trump]]ian [[xenophobia]] and the ''de facto'' [[saint]]hood of Trump among [[evangelical Christians]], it has also meant the forced ''splitting up'' of immigrant families, particularly Hispanic families.<ref>[https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-dhs-doj-immigration-families_us_5af0bd5ee4b0ab5c3d68ae96 Trump Administration To Divide Immigrant Families To Prosecute Parents For Illegal Entry] by Roque Planas & Elise Foley (05/07/2018 07:16 pm ET) ''Huffington Post''.</ref>

==To the American Right==
In contemporary American politics, "family values" is known as a [[code word]] or [[dog whistle politics|dog whistle]] — something that disguises more hateful aspects of an agenda as something nice and innocent. It refers to a part of the [[Christian]] right-wing agenda of "[[God]], gays, and [[abortion]]." By using a code word that is carefully chosen, a [[politician]] (or person) can say they are "for family values" and sound as all-American as apple pie, but what they ''mean'' is that they intend to promote this particular narrow and [[anti-intellectual]] agenda. Their opponent is stuck in a foolish tangle of phraseology — how can ''they'' say they are against "family values"? And yet calling them on it doesn't work either, since it sounds boorish to accuse someone of ''not'' really being for "family values".

Thus the group bringing the issues of abortion, homosexuality, and [[school prayer]] into the political arena does not have to use any of those words, but their opponent has to in order to confront them, making them seem more "narrow issue" oriented.

===The "traditional" family===
To the American Right, a traditional family represents a sitcom with the breadwinning father, earning lots of money "at the office", a stay-at-home mother who bakes cookies, and a son and a daughter who do well at school and say "sure, Pop!" all the time. And probably a [[dog]], perhaps a [[cat]], and most definitely a flag flying near the front door (which is preferably the [[Christian flag]] (or the [[Confederate flag]]), but an American one will do in a pinch, since they at least ''pretend'' to be [[patriot]]ic). They view this [[nuclear family|nuclear (or nu-cu-lar) family]] as the most stable and traditional unit in all of history. However, the reality is somewhat different. There is also very little, if not zero, evidence that a "non-traditional" family is harmful to the upbringing of children — i.e., there is ''no more chance'' that a child will grow up to be gay, criminally inclined, or a {{wpl|serial killer}} if they're placed with gay parents compared to heterosexual parents.<ref>See ''[[Penn & Teller: Bullshit!]]'', 3.02, ''Family Values''.</ref>{{efn|If anything, it could be argued that a child is ''much more likely'' to become a criminal or serial killer if they're raised by incorrigible, self-righteous, holier-than-thou, [[Racism|our-race-is-the-master-race]], [[Fundamentalism|our-creed-is-the-one-true-creed]] '''''[[Fun:Asshole|assholes]]''''' who couldn't and/or wouldn't recognize or acknowledge [[Moral|genuine morality or decency]] even if you rammed it directly up their eyeballs and/or ears.{{nofact}}}}

However, the phrase "family values" could be considered remarkably accurate if one is referring to [[The Family|this family]].

==Hypocrisy and scandal==
{{main|Hypocrisy}}
{{cquote|Most politicians are permanently chained to that slogan: family values. But when you cozy up to hookers and I find out, I will make that [[hypocrisy]] hurt.|||Frank Underwood, ''House of Cards'' (US)}}

{{cquote|Quick, What do Newt Gingrich, Bob Dole, Phil Gramm, and George Will all have in common? Answer. They've all been married only one less time than Rush Limbaugh.|||Al Franken<ref>''Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations'' by Al Franken (Delacorte Press, 1996) ISBN 0-385-31474-4</ref>{{rp|73}}}}

With the recent [[:Category:Completely heterosexual|gay sex-related]] scandals involving conservative proponents of "family values" such as Rep. Mark Foley, Rev. [[Ted Haggard]], and Sen. [[Larry Craig]], ''et al.'' (''ad infinitum'') a [[scientific]] investigation has revealed that a person's [[Haggard's Law|closeted gayness is in direct proportion to]] their 
homophobia
 outspokenness and support of the causes of the "Family Values Movement."<ref group=note>This is probably pure unadulterated [[snark]], but who knows…</ref><ref>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120406234458.htm Actually…]</ref>
Also worth pointing out is the fact that a certain [[Rush Limbaugh|notable conservative radio host]] who has made a lot of noise about this subject<ref>http://m.dailykos.com/story/2013/03/30/1198129/-4X-Married-Hypocrite-Rush-Limbaugh-Incensed-About-ABC-s-Wife-Swap</ref> has also been remarried four times,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/rushlimbaugh.htm |title=The Marriages of Rush Limbaugh |author=Sheri Stritof}}</ref> while [[Kim Davis]], county clerk and [[Persecution complex|martyr]] for the noble cause of stopping same-sex couples from marrying, has been remarried three times and had twins out of wedlock.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kentucky-clerk-gay-marriage-fracas-married-4-times-article-1.2345036 |title=Kentucky clerk Kim Davis, who refuses on biblical grounds to give marriage licenses to gay couples, has been married four times; committed adultery: court records |author=Deborah Hastings |work=New York Daily News| date=September 2, 2015}}</ref>

By the same token, Ginger Gaetz, wife of [[Florida]] politician and (suspected) [[pedophile]] [[Matt Gaetz]], was thoroughly bashed on social media for her criticism of the 2023 satirical fantasy film ''[[Barbie: The Movie|Barbie]]'' over what she perceived as a [[Bullshit|"lack of family values"]] and belittlement of men throughout the film. Those who rebuked Ginger's criticism called her out for her husband's sex trafficking crimes and alleged sexual encounters with minors; disturbingly enough, Matt was also in attendance during the debut screening just as when there were kids in the premiere.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1oLrUd7NfI Congressman Matt Gaetz’s Wife Calls for 'Barbie' Movie Boycott]</ref>

==Republicans destroying families==
Starting in 2025, "family values" [[Republicans]] and [[Heritage Foundation]] members began actively separating and deporting family members overseas. Republican members of Congress supported ''en masse'' the [[Donald Trump|Trump]]/[[Project 2025]] scheme to massively overfund and [[U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement]] and {{w|United States Customs and Border Protection|Customs and Border Protection}} while falsely telling them that they were immune from prosecution.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/06/republicans-ice-separations-families Republicans are the party of separating and destroying families. Never forget that. Their ‘pro-family’ rhetoric is a cynical and hollow sham.] by Moira Donegan (6 Feb 2026 05.00 EST) ''The Guardian''.</ref>

==See also==
{{collist|2|
*[[American Dream]]
*[[American Taliban]]
*[[Conservative correctness]]
*[[Conservative deceit]]
*[[Focus on the Family]]
*[[Haggard's Law]]
*[[Homophobia]]
*[[Religious freedom]]
}}

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Abortion]]
[[Category:Atheophobia]]
[[Category:Conservative deceit]]
[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Euphemisms]]
[[Category:Homophobia]]
[[Category:Misnomers]]
[[Category:Political terms]]
[[Category:Sexism]]
[[Category:Transphobia]]

Categories: Abortion, Atheophobia, Conservative deceit, Discrimination, Euphemisms, Homophobia, Misnomers, Political terms, Sexism, Transphobia