Has anyone noticed the disappearance of the written word as a rallying cry? The anti-abortion mob displays a bloody fetus and immediately conclude that is all that is necessary for making a convincing case for violence. The Muslims point to a picture that may or may not look like the Prophet Mohammed ( they don’t know what he looked like) and immediately respond with outrage ( after a few orders from their mullahs). PETA shows a choked chicken and they stage pickets for hours about a picture. There are many more examples, but the commonality of using pictures instead of reasonable arguments emerges every time the arguments are weak. These mob-mongers are not interested in convincing other people. They are interested in intimidating other people. They all have targets to blame the pictures on. The Muslims have the West, The anti-abortionists have the doctors and the women who want to decide for themselves and of course PETA wants to attack all people that don’t agree with their erroneous premises.
When you see a commonality of response to the same phenomena it should give you pause that there is some fundamental driving force that is creating this commonality. What do these groups have in common? They all chant. They thrive on being a part of a group. They are a part of organizations that have creeds that have no sound philosophical foundations and they take their lead from a dictatorial spokesman. They seek their moral sanction from the tenets of altruism and they ask for sacrifice by others for the sake of something other than themselves. And all of this leads to the ability to be aroused to a heated pitch when surrounded by like minded fanatics at the sight of a picture or a simple phrase such as “Seig Heil”.
This phenomena of mob mentality is nothing new. It has been seen throughout history and always with the same result. Destruction, violence and hate. You would think ( notice the operative word ) people watching destruction and violence and hate would wonder ,” Is this the kind of world I want to live in?” In the case of the Muslims the view of this world is immaterial . They live under an illusion that the glory of death is the answer to their problems. They’ll never know they are giving up the only life they’ll ever have. In the case of PETA the world they project is a complete fantasy where animals are revered and man’s rights ( especially the pursuit of happiness ) are destroyed. The anti-abortionists merely want to ignore the past and return to black market abortions, unsafe procedures, ruined lives and the government forcing women to give birth. All of these groups want sacrifice for something outside of themselves by others. They are not content to live and let live, but to demand adherence to their notions of how the world should be. They may even think they are idealists but in fact they are grasping for the impossible. The reach to make man into a sacrificial animal.
But man is not by nature an object of sacrifice. Only evil minded men think it is okay ( some think they are morally driven ) to make other men sacrifice. This was the drive behind slavery and every other movement that subjugated the rights of man ( his right to life , liberty and the pursuit of happiness). The Muslims attack the right to life, the anti- abortionist’s attack liberty and PETA attacks the pursuit of happiness. This triumvirate has captured the world stage and in the process exposed their commonality and their vulnerability. They cannot effectively debate their stance: therefore, they demonstrate. They need the sound of the crowd to substantiate their belief they are in the right. But millions cannot dictate truth. Remember the mobs that scoffed at the inventions of the thinkers. Remember the mobs that idolized Hitler and Mussolini. Remember there has never been or will there ever be a distinguished mob member.
The shame and guilt that engulfed the Germans who realized what they had supported either out of fear or just to “belong” should give one pause to think. What is the result of my protest and why am I seeking sacrifice by my fellow man? Who ever said sacrifice was good and why have I accepted it as an axiom? Am I being duped? Is there a Jim Jones at the helm? If what I am calling for is fully implemented what will be the downside? These are all questions members of these groups are not asking themselves. They are waiting for direction from their leaders. And they don’t question where their leaders are taking them. With this approach they can only chant. If their friends are acting convinced , they act convinced. But to find truth one must seek it. This requires a questioning mind and the rejection of intimidation of others. Stifling the mind of man by violence and destruction is only a sure way to return to barbarism which by the way was an era of sacrifice. The future, if there is to be one, will not come from the mob mentality. They will not change the world. They will only continue to perpetuate the abyss of the uncivilized. An emotional rant has not raised the stature of man an iota. A clear thought and thinking process is the beginning of civilized behavior. Presenting reasons for stances is asking the most of man and gaining understanding through persuasion is a vastly preferable way of living. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but the words must be convincing and true. To display or denounce by way of a picture does nothing to explain or persuade. As Dr. Leonard Peikoff brilliantly concluded,” A picture is not an argument”.
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