A632.5.4.RB - How Protected are Your Protected Values

A632.5.4.RB_Manglona, Matthew-Napu_ How Protected are Your Protected Values

My first protected value comes from being an indigenous inhabitant on my island. Because we are a melting pot of ethnicities that live here, there should be certain rules that should tailored to us as the indigenous people. Although I serve as a military service member I still hold my values to my land that I come from. That being said, my protected value consists of protecting our sacred lands from the use of military for certain firing ranges. These are the reasons why I believe that this situation should be considered, the indigenous people of my island have now become the minority, we have always been a colonized territory dating all the way back to 1521, and finally we (my people) never get a say in what is good or bad for our island. Hoch, Kunreuther, & Gunther, (2001) stated “values are like concepts, which are constructed from knowledge and experience.” (p. 2684) Here are the trade-offs that come with the military wanting to take more of our land, the first is that they will create jobs for creating these ranges, however, they what my people don’t know is that these jobs will be contracted to outside businesses from other parts of the world that will come as a cheaper option. The second is that the Department of Defense will ensure heightened security for our island from other Pacific or Asia Pacific threats which is not a good thing because it leaves us as a bigger target for these other countries. Finally, providing the island with the infrastructure needed to mimic our host nation the continental U.S. such as buildings, roadways, and other tools needed for our upgrade, however, we really don’t need the upgrade.

The second protected value I care about is protecting our homes with the right to bear arms in the direction towards the castle-law doctrine. The three major beliefs to this value is that one should always protect their family and their belongings. The pros to this belief is what was already stated, but the con is that there should be a tighter gun control in regards to obtaining one. The second is that we shouldn’t live in fear in our own homes, and third is that we shouldn’t need to retreat from our own homes from someone who is trying to commit a crime and place a family in danger. Yes, one argument I hear sometimes is that we cannot go looking for confrontation while protecting our house, car, or any other means in regards to personal property. Hoch, Kunreuther, & Gunther, (2001) stated “values can be inconsistently expressed across contexts, which is why preferences do not always reflect deeply held values.” (p.2705) the writing of this law was emplaced to ensure that those who are protecting their homes are the ones who carry the burden. Which I don’t agree with because I believe that all should have the right protect ourselves without any consequence.

The third protected value I have is having our territory of the United States the right to vote for our President. The first belief is that I am a service member who has been deployed to protect our nation and its interests. The least we can receive is the right to vote for our commander and chief. The second belief as to why should be given the right to vote is because we have been left in the dark when it comes to policies in place that we cannot have any say, just like my previous statements of the firing range and military build-up on our island. The third belief is that my ancestors were prisoners of war during World War II when the Japanese occupied and took over our island for 3 years. It is a disservice to our people who didn’t even receive war reparations. The trade off to this issue is that we don’t possess the population to be seen as a voting part of the U.S. Presidency. 

I have had these values instilled in me since I was a young kid and when I joined the service. I think being deployed opened the gates for my thought process to be humble yet aggressive in what I believe in. These three values that I discussed have always been a part of me. I still feel as strong before this assignment ever came about. These values will always be important to me.

References:

Hoch, S. J., Kunreuther, H. C., & Gunther, R. E. (2001). Wharton on Making Bad Decisions. Hoboken: John Wiley and Sons Inc.