The Dogmatic Poster Parade
Feb. 22nd, 2006 09:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rebeccmeisterSome group that goes on national tours with a set of graphic anti-choice (aka "pro-life") photographs has been camped out at ASU for the last two days. The graphic nature of their pictures and the agenda behind the whole thing has caused quite a stir among the biology graduate students, who all appear to be pretty strongly pro-choice and anti-giant-displays-of-bloody-bits-and-propaganda.
Bill Clinton made a pithy remark about his views on abortion, which I agree with--they should be safe, legal, and rare. I don't think any woman who has an abortion does so unless she has no other option; it's a highly invasive, extensive medical procedure that can't be taken lightly. The same goes for pregnancy (aside from the medical procedure part).
On Sunday, when I went to the local food co-op to buy groceries, a pair of people were outside trying to collect signatures for a petition to make the slaughtering of farm animals a more humane process. After I told them that I had already signed the petition, the woman tried to give me a PETA brochure, which I see as wasted ink (in my case) because I disagree with PETA's radical and hypocritical view. I tried to ask her a couple of pointed questions (for instance--protecting fuzzy animals is all and good, but what about insects? What about non-cephalized animals? What about plants? What about tissue cultures? They're still living things.), but she was too intent on trying to force her opinion on me to hold a good discussion. So I finally gave up and went off to buy my groceries.
I guess I just have to wonder--how successful are these dogmatic lobbyists at convincing others of their opinions? How do they get to the point where they are soooooo convinced by their extreme viewpoint that they are compelled to spend a day outside of a grocery store or go on a national tour in service of a cause? Clearly, the anti-choice campaigners are crafty in how they present their views. So lastly, how can we ensure that the general public is educated enough to make well-thought-out moral/ethical decisions without resorting to extreme measures?
Finally,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
gfrancie wrote a good piece on the end of apartheid in South Africa that provides a different perspective on how to persuade others of your position.
Bill Clinton made a pithy remark about his views on abortion, which I agree with--they should be safe, legal, and rare. I don't think any woman who has an abortion does so unless she has no other option; it's a highly invasive, extensive medical procedure that can't be taken lightly. The same goes for pregnancy (aside from the medical procedure part).
On Sunday, when I went to the local food co-op to buy groceries, a pair of people were outside trying to collect signatures for a petition to make the slaughtering of farm animals a more humane process. After I told them that I had already signed the petition, the woman tried to give me a PETA brochure, which I see as wasted ink (in my case) because I disagree with PETA's radical and hypocritical view. I tried to ask her a couple of pointed questions (for instance--protecting fuzzy animals is all and good, but what about insects? What about non-cephalized animals? What about plants? What about tissue cultures? They're still living things.), but she was too intent on trying to force her opinion on me to hold a good discussion. So I finally gave up and went off to buy my groceries.
I guess I just have to wonder--how successful are these dogmatic lobbyists at convincing others of their opinions? How do they get to the point where they are soooooo convinced by their extreme viewpoint that they are compelled to spend a day outside of a grocery store or go on a national tour in service of a cause? Clearly, the anti-choice campaigners are crafty in how they present their views. So lastly, how can we ensure that the general public is educated enough to make well-thought-out moral/ethical decisions without resorting to extreme measures?
Finally,
gfrancie wrote a good piece on the end of apartheid in South Africa that provides a different perspective on how to persuade others of your position.
