Episode 186: The Open Door with Valerie Niemeyer on Family Life in the our Chaotic Times (February 5, 2021)

In this episode of The Open Door, panelists Jim Hanink, Mario Ramos-Reyes, and Christopher Zehnder discuss family life in the context of our chaotic times. Their special guest is Valerie Niemeyer, an American Solidarity Party leader from Nebraska. She is the mother of six and a homeschooler. She also has a longstanding interest in social justice.

Our questions for her include the following.

1. A bit of background, please! You visited Paraguay when you were 17. How did that experience lead to your being active in the American Solidarity Party?

2. How does Catholic social teaching address family life?

3. It often seems that “social justice warriors” overlook the family’s role as the first unit of a just society. Why this apparent neglect?

4. Should we focus on teaching children their rights or, rather, on teaching them their duties? And how does sharing come into play?

5. What are some distinctive virtues of family life? How do we teach—and learn—them?

6. Friction comes with family life; it comes with the job and with school, as well. What do you mean by “fruitful fiction”?

7. We hear a lot about “cancel culture.” How do you understand this phenomenon? What are some of its implications in teaching our children about their heritage?

8. “Wealth” is relative; absolute poverty is not. What is spiritual poverty, and what does it require of both the affluent and the economically struggling?

9. A trending yard sign tells us that “there’s no place for hate” and that “love=love.” Most of us are against hate, and no one denies a statement of the form “x=x.” Is there room, though, for “benign neglect” or indifference?

10. What steps can the American Solidarity Party take to show its commitment to strong families?