Statistics
Jul
29
A figurative quick “shot” at Liberals on gun control
July 29, 2008 | Tagged Culture War, liberal thinking, psychology | 1 Comment
Warning and disclaimer. If you are going to read this post, please read it all the way to the end. Many Liberals feel very deeply about their belief systems. If you use the tactic described below to “raise their consciousness” about armed self-defense, they may not appreciate it. You may have to verbally defend yourself. Hopefully they will not escalate a conversation into a physical confrontation.
If you are talking to a “peaceful” Liberal who is eight feet tall and weighs about 300 lbs., I would not use the tactic mentioned below. Stay alert. Use common sense. Be safe. This can be a powerful tool. It is one possible way to have a relatively quick, profound impact on a person’s belief system. Use it wisely.
It’s usually hard to talk calmly to members of the Left about the individual right to self-defense against crime and tyranny, because they get their information from different sources. They “know” that guns cause crime, because their personality cult politician heroes want to “get guns off the street.” They watch doctored videos by anti-gun non-profits and police groups that misrepresent semi-automatic firearms as machine guns. They buy into stereotypes promoted by the mainstream media, which portray gun owners as single-toothed, beer swilling rednecks who wear fatigues or plaid shirts and crossed bandoleers. The movie Open Season comes to mind. “Everyone” knows gun-loving “wing nuts” are just waiting to “snap” and take out a church or a shopping mall or two.
It’s hard to find a Liberal who will rationally discuss guns and society. As far as I can tell, firearms are generally a right-brained, intuitive, emotional issue for them. If you locate a Liberal who will listen, you may be able to have an impact on his or her thought processes.
Sometimes, you can educate Liberals out of their hoplophobia, but it’s not likely. Their fears don’t seem to be based on any kind of objective review of the scientific literature or even a common sense evaluation of how long it would take the police to reach the scene of a crime.
If you can cultivate a lot of patience, asking liberals questions about their beliefs may give you information about fallicies in their arguments. You might try finding things that you can agree on, then look at different ways to achieve mutual goals without giving up your right of self-defense. Don’t expect to change opinions in one setting. Everyone’s self-image, according to the folks who study the mind, is tied to his or her belief system and view of the world. When you attack that belief system, you are assaulting the person’s perception of him or herself as a rational human being. If you push, the Liberal pushes back!
One technique that seems to work pretty well for me on the few occasions that I have had a chance to use it, is to tap into a Liberal’s feelings about a person in politics that the Liberal really hates, fears, loathes, despises, distains, and or strongly dislikes. You don’t need to know the identity of the hated person for this method to have an effect.
If you are acquainted with anyone who sort of resembles the negative gun owner stereotype mentioned above, don’t bother telling (usually) him about this tactic. He won’t appreciate it and will suspect you of fooling around with psychological “horse manure.”
The method, itself, involves some preparation and a question. First, you set the stage. You might say something like the following short preamble.
”I’m guessing there are people on the Right that you really don’t like. Think about the person in politics that you most hate and fear. Really focus on that person. Think about the things that (usually) he has done, his character, his attitude toward women and minorities, immigration, pollution, global warming, and social injustice.” (You might find out if the hate object is a man or a woman, so you can use the right pronoun.)
Liberals can be pretty emotional about people on the other side of the argument. Whether it’s Nixon, Reagan, either President Bush, Limbaugh, Coulter, Rove, or Cheney, there is usually someone they don’t like, someone they really don’t like. Give them a minute. Watch them for signs of anger. If they start to speak about their rage, ask them to ”Just think about this person and what he has done to make you dislike him.”
Watch for clenched fists, increased overall muscle tension, breathing differences, and skin tone changes. If the person really thinks hard, he/she may start to tremble. Once you are sure he/she is well into an angry feeling, say, “I know you favor regulation, possibly even bans on some or all guns. But, are you sure you want to give this person, or someone like (him) the exclusive ability to use armed force in the United States? That’s what you risk, if you take weapons away from the people.”
Watch the Liberal’s reaction. You may see a confused mixing of emotional states. The person may or may not want to continue the conversation. I’m guessing that the Liberal you questioned will have some serious private thinking to do about gun control. Don’t push. You have just confronted this individual with a new way of thinking about weapons and individual liberty.
Again. Use judgement. Be safe. Be respectful. We don’t change people’s minds by beating them up. If they can be changed, we change their minds by helping them expand their view of the world. Most Liberals do not converse knowingly about guns with people who own guns.
This technique may also work with less-committed folks to the left of most gun owners. It’s most powerful application is probably with someone who embraces Left-wing, humanistic, secular, Socialism with a religious fervor. Oxymoron Alert! Non-sequitur Alert! Danger! Danger! Sorry. I couldn’t help myself.
If you want to learn more about mental maneuvers and the nature of thinking, I would recommend a basic book on Neuro-Linguistic Programming (TM), by Bandler and Grinder, called Frogs into Princes, Real People Press, Moab, Utah, 1979. You can find on the Net or in used book stores.
Yes. It is a psychology book that deals with what I believe to be the essential processes of thought and belief. NLP is a practical set of tools that can help gun owners understand and influence others. It is not the only way to talk about the mind and behavior, but it is one important methodology that allows a serious reader to understand much about ourselves and those who would disarm us for their own reasons.
Def Mech
Comments
1 Comment so far
WE HAVE IN UTAH A GREAT GROUP OF NLP PRACTITIONERS AND INWSTRUCTORS. I’VE BEEN WANTING TO GO THROUGHT THE TRAINING FOREVER. THIS IS CERTAINLY A GREAT BOOK ABOUT THE SUBJECT.