Keep it positive
One of the unwritten rules of activism seems to be "keep it positive", to either support a good cause, or to oppose something truly awful. This is most apparent in the debate over abortion in the United States. One side is "pro-life" and supports the rights of "unborn children". The other side is "pro-choice" and supports "reproductive rights" and "a women's right to chose". And one side opposes "partial birth abortions" while the other wants to prevent the return to "back alley abortions". Clearly, no one wants to oppose either life or choice.
This concept extends to other areas. Politicians no longer oppose estate taxes, instead they oppose the "death tax". Those who oppose gay rights are in favor of "traditional family values" and "defending marriage". Those who oppose bans on smoking support "smoker's rights" and oppose the "health nazis". Just about any regulation (or decision not to regulate) can be claimed to be based on "junk science". And almost no one, it seems, opposes the environment. Instead, depending on the group, they support "wise use" or "property rights" or "free market environmentalism" and oppose "environmental extremism".
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Written by Jim Norton
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