Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

I am confused by a phrase I hear a lot in the media, from candidates, and from people sitting around picnic tables. In fact, I googled the phrase, “family values,” in the hope of clearing my confusion, only to learn there are currently almost seven and a half million references to it on line.

I chose to visit the first ten. Six of them clearly had a political bent, which didn’t surprise me, given that Election Day is almost here; and the issue has been fodder for both sides. One site was under reconstruction, so perhaps that webmaster was struggling with the same issue I am.

Which is, what exactly are family values?

When pressed for a definition, those who use this phrase seem to mean the values about family that the person or persons using the phrase hold dear. This is far from an empirical, dictionary-type definition. It also makes for a changing one, depending on the user of the phrase. This is why I’m confused. Why do so many people talk about family values if we don’t know what they really are?

By the way, the other three web sites on the Top Ten were about the Sopranos’ family values, gay and lesbian family values, and the Addams Family values. I rest my case.