http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzzDrOR30U8
If there is one thing radical conservatives are good at it is finding conflict where none exists. Whether they are bemoaning unfair attacks from the lamestream media (or blamescream meania in the words of Stephen Colbert), or decrying “Obama’s war on religion”, radical conservatives will often find a way to make themselves appear to be the victim of persecution. This fear-mongering, persecution complex habitus reflects the way many hardcore conservatives will act when confronted with an issue. One contemporary issue in which their bullshit rhetoric is employed is the gay marriage debate. Somehow, individuals such as Rick Santorum make themselves seem like the victim. Much like Brown and Herndl’s Resilient Earth-ers, enemies of gay marriage attempt to paint themselves as the ones who are under attack. Notice how they don’t refer to themselves as anti-gay, rather they say they support traditional marriage. They would have us believe that they are the honorable heroes who leap to defend traditional marriage and uphold American values. This simple act of semantic slanting may be enough to convince many people to follow their manipulative rhetoric. However, I think the greater factor is the perceived threat fabricated by those opposed to gay rights. I’m talking, of course, about the threat to Christian values. As Brown and Herndl state towards the very beginning of their paper, rhetoric not only shapes how knowledge is created, but more importantly it shapes our identity. Because a large majority of the nation is Christian, it is no surprise that any perceived threat to these beliefs is tantamount to a threat on their very identity. In the video I chose to analyze, Rick Santorum fiercely proclaims that gay marriage will “undermine the family” and “destroy faith.” This is, I believe, how so many people in the United States will vehemently oppose equal rights. In the “cultural and intellectual marketplace” Christianity is a hot commodity, and when it is believed this integral part of their identity is threatened they are susceptible to manipulation by rhetoric. This powerful pathos tends to override logos. When such a strong emotional force is affecting them, some people may lose sight of what is logical and fair.
Cory, you are getting at something very crucial here. The term "traditional family" is conservative rhetoric, but they present it in such a way that allows conservatives to not see it as such. Obviously "traditional" is a controversial term and to us it may seem natural or even "realistic" to question what that term even means. I think by conservatives using "traditional" gets back to their insistence that what is considered "traditional" is therefore natural. Of course this is only because it has been made what is acceptable for so long and what seems to be "natural" to them is actually an invention by man himself. Without them recognizing that "normal" or "traditional" are merely inventions, it is difficult for conservatives and others to make sense of a world that is different from what they are used to, and what has been so engrained in our society and culture. I always have to come back to the question of HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOUR LIFE IF TWO PEOPLE OF THE SAME GENDER OR SEXUALITY MARRY EACH OTHER? And all I can think of is that it affects them, because it makes them question their own life, their own identity, how they live, what they believe in, why they believe it, essentially of course their habitus. It probably even makes them feel uncomfortable. Luckily (and this is in all sarcasm) they have people in the media and within the realm of politics to support them and make laws out of their uncomfortableness.
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