In response to my post Nine Things Canadian Pro-Lifers Must Do, Ian writes:
Motivating individuals to feel something about a subject is a success for propagandists. Suzanne and other propagandists realize that they cannot rely on “argument” alone, instead appealing to emotion (a logical fallacy, by the way) is often a number one, and indeed, probably the most important goal of the propagandist.
I think Ian misunderstood what I was trying to do.
The purpose of transforming the culture is not to replace rational discourse with an appeal to emotion.
The purpose is to make people feel good about a certain political and moral stance.
There is a slight difference.
Let's put it this way: do you want people to NOT feel good about a political and moral stance you think is true?
Ideas do not exist in a vacuum, especially not in a spiritual and emotional vacuum. It's only natural to develop a culture, an emotional connection if you will, to the truths that you want to propagate.
All conscientious writers do it to one degree or another. The experience of reading forms one's consciousness to certain ideas. That's not propaganda.
Quickly evoking folks’ emotions is a sure fire way at times to stop rational debate.
Creating culture is not a way to stop rational debate. It simply tries to reinforce what we know to be true. There's nothing wrong with the means. One might object to the substance, but the method is perfectly legitamite.
If you know something is true, and you are a creator of cultural products, this will permeate your work. When enough people do it and create a critical mass, and they're united through certain behaviours, mores, beliefs, etc, you have a culture or subculture.
Rather than simply being a political stance, pro-life becomes a way of living, a way of seeing the world.
There's nothing illegitamite about doing that. Art can serve Truth, and in fact it should. It doesn't replace the need for argument and rational debate, but it does satisfy the need in the heart to commune with higher truths. It's another way of appreciating Truth. If people love a truth, they will serve it. That's the point.
