An old sales concept is that people make emotional decisions, not logical decisions. That is why most commercials use hype to make their sales pitch. Unfortunately, many companies go for the basest types of emotions to sell their products. Sex, power, image and materialism are the tools of salesmen today. They stir strong emotions in people and people act before they think. A common occurrence today is "buyer's remorse." We want it now, and later ask why we did that, or regret the monthly payments.
In politics, this same technique is used. People vote on emotions rather than based on logic. Making logical arguments may win the technical debate, but it will usually lose you the election. The same is true for issues as well. The NAACP and individuals like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have focused on striking an emotional cord with minorities. They stir up fear and anger in those that will listen to them.
In the battles over the battle flag and historical Confederate monuments and plaques, black supremacists have focused on stirring up resentment and hatred, convincing their followers that they are victims and should demand justice for perceived wrongs. In response, those who have bothered to study our history and know that these agitators have mixed a drop of truth with a gallon of lies have attempted to present counter arguments logically. This has gotten them know where.
With the decline of the educational level of the masses in our society, and the quality of our political figures declining at an even faster rate, we cannot focus on the facts and expect logic to win out. We are not in a debating society carrying on philosophical exchanges. We are in a fight for our history, our heritage, our culture, and, if we aren't careful, our very lives. The old saying of, "fight fire with fire" suites this situation.
Rather than concentrate on stating our case, we must attack with loud, ardent voices that accuse our attackers of intolerance, racism and bigotry. We must point out not that their actions might be hypocritical, but that the attackers themselves are hypocrites. Rather than respond to their accusations with explanations, respond with attacks of our own. Don't fall into the mistake of talking about race. This isn't about race; this is about power and governmental ideology. They don't want the truth; they want their way regardless of reality of history and the facts.
The fight for Dixie is an emotional issue for all parties involved, regardless of which side they are on. To motivate those that should be standing on the side of the South, we must educate them. Not on what the Constitution says and how Lincoln violated it, but on how the North came down South and violated our women, black and white. We must remind folks of the mass destruction of homes, property, crops, and of the ten years of reconstruction that drove a wedge between blacks and whites while allowing carpetbaggers to profit at the expense of the Southern people.
While the idea of playing the victim is repugnant to many, if we want to mobilize forces, we need to tie the horrors of yesterday to the people of today. The success of the modern South is great, but if you follow the money, it all flows to the North. We wonder why corporations want to help erase our heritage and symbols, and the reason is because Northern businesses, like in the years after the War for Southern Independence, control business in the South. We've never been truly free of the effects of Reconstruction. Point this out to your fellow Southerners.
Playing on people's emotions has become the way to get what you want today. The time for reasoned discussion is over. We must rally people the best way possible. The best way today is to move them emotionally. Fear, pride and anger are strong emotions and can be used to arouse the Southern beast. We must strike the Southern cord of emotions if we wish to put a stop to the juggernaut that is rolling over Dixie.
Jeff Adams
8 February 2001