Here's something to do with your morning cup of coffee today: Go to the google news site, http://news.google.com/, and type in the phrase "slippery slope." Sort it by date to get the most recent stories. There were close to 1,500 media stories with this phrase just this morning.
Politicians and business leaders and religious zealots use the "slippery slope" argument to worry and scare people about all sorts of things. The reasoning goes something along these lines: We can't possibly do [A] because if we do, it will lead to many, many, many more disastrous things, including [B], [C] and [D].
It's basically the politics of fear. And it's used by liberals and conservatives all the time, depending on the issue. A conservative will say we can't have gay marriage because the next logical step is humans marrying animals. Liberals use it for equally specious claims.
So, this morning, let's take a trip on the slipperly slope. Enjoy the ride!
1 comment:
Fear is such a useful political tactic because it's s cheap. The people supply the effort, you just nudge the ball downhill.
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