Feelings Versus Logic

Feelings Versus Logic

Using Logic versus Feelings, this is a standard political ploy that has been used from time immemorial. You can see examples of this on the news all the time, reporters rushing up to victims and asking them how they feel, not what happened or why it happened, but their feelings. You also see it nowadays in press conferences or speeches by politicians. They always have to have a group of “victims” standing behind them to “illustrate” how awful some condition is and how these poor people are being mistreated.

Obviously feelings have their place in our daily lives, but they have been completely overblown in the political arena. Hillary Clinton is famous for her phrase “it’s for the children”. That is her way of hiding any flaws and intimidating opponents of legislation or programs she proposes by making an emotional appeal. Who could be against the children? If you’re against the children, you must be a monster. This type of argument stifles debate and is an Alinsky tactic that casts the opposition as uncaring, evil people, not just people with an opposing viewpoint who might have a better alternative to solving the problem.

What we need today that is sadly lacking in our public discourse is logic and critical thinking. It is not being taught in our schools (sometimes I suspicion is on purpose, to dumb down the population). It is been replaced by the feel-good, touchy-feely emotional appeals instead of true problem-solving logic and critical thinking about problems. We have lost at least a generation of children to the “feelings” crowd, and it shows in the poling on various issues today.