By now we should recognize that arguing logic with ultra conservatives is a waste. It can be useful as practice to sharpen and test our thoughts, but you can’t convince people who believe in invisible hands of Capitalism or Moral Gods with logic.
Academics and political advisors have encouraged the left to pay more attention to framing and pushing emotional buttons. When it comes to these political strategies the Republicans and the religious right have done a far better job than progressives.
So, I’m into the third week in our section on environment issues in my Social Problems class. It as always been a frustrating section to teach. Deniers have no shame. They repeat FOX News lies and refuse to believe simple science like carbon dioxide lets light through while holding heat in.
I could see the doubters rolling their eyes. Then I lost it. I went on a rant!
In raised voice I said, "If my dogs shits in your yard, I’ll pick it up! If your dog shits in my yard I expect you to pick it up. It is only right." That got their attention.
I went on to explain that corporations, especially Big Oil, were shitting in their air and water. Corporate shit is reducing their standard of living and shortening their lives. The least these companies can do is clean up the shit they are putting in our air and water.
Wow! Did the discussion ever pick up. And no one was defending the polluters.
The next day, Earth Day, I opened my news paper to see a full page ad by the American Petroleum Institute asking us to call Congress to protest carbon taxes. It was time to put my classroom rant to paper and send it to the Louisville Courier-Journal. I replaced "shit" with "poop" thinking it had a better chance of being published.
Yesterday, they published my rant.
If my dog poops in your yard, I pick it up. I expect the same from my neighbors.
So you can image that I was appalled to see the full page ad from the American Petroleum Institute asking us to call Congress and demand Big Oil be allowed to continue pooping in our air and water free of charge. And on Earth Day - what gall!.
Just one oil company, Exxon Mobil, had profits of $45 billion last year. Shouldn’t they be paying a bit more tax to clean-up their pollution and paying for the asthma and health problems they create?
Yes, call Congress. Tell them Big Oil needs to pay a tax to clean up their poop.
The "Poop" meme seems to have hit a nerve that people can relate to.
What other memes can we come up with that get across a critical political issue without long logical explanations that some minds just cannot follow?