I've had music on my mind the last few days, so it makes sense that's what jumped out at me when I heard this radio ad trying to stir up New Jersey voters about same-sex marriage. The agitated, worrisome musical theme kicks in about 20 seconds in, and its tone has pretty clear, recent echoes. It's the same kind of troubling, urgent and grim theme used in the Yes on 1 ads in Maine and the Reject Referendum 71 ads in Washington.
There's nothing new in this. Music is one of the key elements in any kind of advertising or propaganda. But it's still telling. The emotions our religious opponents have to appeal to - the emotions that help them win - are not the fair-minded and positive ones which are the only feelings we have available to work with. We have no agitation or worry or fear to exploit among heterosexuals. They only reasons they would have to vote for our equality involve justice and fairness and an honest understanding of the fact that we aren't so different from them. We can only appeal to what is best in heterosexuals.
The anxiety in the right's music is the anxiety of their movement, and, I am afraid, of their souls.
One Comment for “The Music of the Right”
posted by Fitz on
“But itâs still telling. The emotions our religious opponents have to appeal to â the emotions that help them win â are not the fair-minded and positive ones which are the only feelings we have available to work with. We have no agitation or worry or fear to exploit among heterosexuals. They only reasons they would have to vote for our equality involve justice and fairness and an honest understanding of the fact that we arenât so different from them. We can only appeal to what is best in heterosexuals.”
On the contrary, the campaigns for same-sex “marriage” brow beat the voters and intimidate based on the language of “discrimination” and “equality”. The effect is to call anyone opposed to that agenda a bigot and a homophobe.
Hardly “fair minded & positve”