4 comments to “On the Road Again”

1. Marcus:
   26 September 2005, on 9:47 am

   The appeal to Pathos notably attempts to swing opponents into a desired “feeling” that the arguing party hopes to use to deliver a killing blow. The single, greatest strength of an appeal to Pathos is, if successfully used, motivation. Most individuals in an argument who are countered with a successful Pathos appeal will become rabid proponents of a side they once disagreed with. This is known as “epiphany” or “edification”. Images that shock and disgust, such as the ones in these photos, are meant to inscribe righteous anger.

   Unfortunately-

   The greatest weakness of an appeal to Pathos is its frequent inablility to permanently sway individuals of moderate intelligence and its tendency to strengthen only the emotions in those who are already on the side of the arguer. This kind of appeal tends to backfire- often badly. In other words-

   Stupid people fall for this kind of argument.

   Keep trying, CBR, you’re not convincing anyone who doesn’t already agree with you. Try an appeal to Logos next time.

2. Dena M. May:
   26 September 2005, on 10:07 pm

   A few months ago I went in for an abortion at a woman’s clinic in Minneapolis, MN.

   Upon driving into the parking ramp with my boyfriend, a woman standing outside of the parking ramp handed him a brochure.

   I knew exactly what it was before I even looked at it.

   Photographs of mangled fetus’s flooded the brochure. Of course this is used as a scare tactic by the activists to get the woman to not follow through with the abortion.

   I wondered though, how did this woman know that we were going into the clinic? The clinic is amongst many other businesses in a professional building; i.e. Dentists, insurance, attorney’s, etc.

   I had brought this up to the employees of the woman’s clinic. Asking them: “How do they know who to give the brochures to?” Their response was that these activists assume that if there is a man and a woman–OR–a single woman driving in a vehicle, automatically they are profiled as people that are going in for an abortion.

   I would like to add that seeing the photographs of these fetus’s did not deterr me from going through with my abortion.

   In fact, it angered me that people would do something like this. Especially without knowing my reason behind my decision. And even if they DID know my reasoning behind my choice, it still would hold no merit to what I went through.

   The thing is, sure I see the intentions of these activists. They mean well. I really believe that they do. However, the way they go about it is disgusting to me. To sit and throw stones at me, and others like me for making a decision that they feel is scandalous. I wonder how many of these activists have committed adultery on their spouse, lied to someone, or have shunned a family member out of their life? I highly doubt that these people are living the pure and perfect lifestyle.

   They can put up as many billboards as they want to, plaster their opinions on as many brochures and bumper stickers as they want to. The only thing these scare tactics do to me is cause me to roll my eyes when I see them.

3. Sean:
   27 September 2005, on 2:10 am

   Thank you, Dena, for that intense personal account. Yes, I doubt many of these people are living perfect lives. I wouldn’t be surprised, as you point out, if many of them have shunned their own family members out of their lives. You are among the lucky that your approach to the clinic did not become violent… For some people these days, it does. Imagine, exacting violence on a grown adult because of your largely abstract belief system?

4. Trevor:
   3 October 2005, on 6:36 pm

   May I be so presumptuous as to ask what the purpose of this sight is? It seems to me that this forum only mimics the effect of the emotional appeal: it strengthens present adherents’ views while failing to phase any individual of another belief system. What I see here are nothing more than personal editorials and accounts written from bitterness and ignorance. Perhaps you should search for why pro-life individuals support their cause rather than taking the road you so fervently despise and remaining ignorant of their true beliefs. And no, the picket-waving, teary-eyed anti-abortionist is not the person you should ask.