Tarring Opponents as Extremists Essay Assignment

Tarring Opponents as Extremists Essay Assignment

Instructions:

Tarring Opponents as Extremists Essay Assignment

In 10 Sentences

After reading “Tarring Opponents as Extremist Can Really Work” in this week’s Readings and Presentations section, focus on the claim that “sometimes simply calling advocates feminists or environmentalists is sufficient to tap into extremist associations people already have about those groups.” Do you have extremist associations with labels such as feminist, environmentalist, or racist? Do you see the ideas of the essay in today’s political climate? Could you be convinced to reject an idea if extremists are associated with it? Share your thoughts with your classmates.

Tarring Opponents as Extremists Really Can Work

Political scientists have determined that labeling supporters of stands that otherwise might be unassailable can have a sleazy efficacy, although not everyone falls for tactic.

by Emily Badger

Pacific Standard, December 7, 2011

Back in 2002, when the male-only, members-only Augusta National golf club was picked to host the Masters Tournament, advocates of equality for women were taken aback. They wanted the tournament moved or the storied golf club opened to women. And their cause resonated with many Americans in an age when the public supports little outright gender discrimination.

The campaign ran into a hitch, though: for many people, it became synonymous with Martha Burk, a feminist leader whose name frequently appeared in the national press alongside words like “radical,” “extreme,” and “dogmatic.”

That story is a classic example of a tactic prevalent in politics. Tar a policy’s proponents as “extreme,” and maybe the policy will start to look that way, too. Political strategists clearly bank on this idea. And new political science research reveals that it works on many of us.

Researchers Thomas Nelson, Gregory Giada, and Joseph Lyons studied the strategy in a paper published in the journal Political Psychology. To understand their findings, it’s helpful to view political disputes — even the Augusta National story — as a clash of conflicting values, in this case gender equality and the rights of private organizations to determine their own rules.

Most values are generally thought to be positive, although people may rank them with different priorities. Most of us are on the same page about freedom, security, equality, and even the environment. No one dislikes those things.

“We think of [values] as kind of rules that can never be violated, sacred rules that must be protected,” Nelson said. “The problem, of course, is you can’t have everything. Sooner or later those things are going to come into conflict. This happens in our everyday lives.”

And it happens constantly in politics.

When two of these values come into conflict — in, say, a policy question pitting national security against personal liberties — strategists must figure out how to advocate one at the expense of the other. No one wants to go on record attacking the value of security, or liberty. But you can do the next best thing: attack the people standing near it.

Nelson offers this example: “Everybody loves national parks, everybody loves the environment, nobody wants to be perceived as anti-environment. So, if you are, say, the snowmobile manufacturer, and you want to push for greater access to public land for snowmobiles, you can’t say, ‘Well the environment is stupid, nobody cares about the environment. The only thing that’s important is riding a snowmobile.’”

You could, however, say, “Sporting outdoorsmen may not get to enjoy our national parks this winter because radical environmentalists care more about owls than the local economy.”

Such rhetoric helps ambivalent voters find their way out of a conflict between competing values.

In their study, the researchers had undergraduate students read and respond to an account of the Augusta National dispute with three small changes: one referred to critics of the policy as “people” and “citizens;” another as “radical feminists,” “militant feminists” and “extremists”; and the third with extended descriptions of the type of world such radical feminists advocate (one with co-ed locker rooms!). The policy itself remained constant as these descriptions changed. As a result, the students exposed to the extremist language were less likely to support moving the tournament or welcoming female members to the club — even though a self-assessment of their values would suggest that they might.

The researchers performed similar experiments with opinion pieces and blog posts about environmental issues and immigration.

Most surprising to them was their discovery that sometimes the label itself is enough. Sometimes, simply calling advocates “feminists” or “environmentalists” is sufficient to tap into extremist associations people already have about those groups (perhaps the same negative associations that underlie the odd phenomenon that many people who care about the environment and gender equality don’t want to be called “environmentalists” or “feminists”). Other times, it’s apparently necessary to dress up that label, maybe “wild-eyed radical feminists,” or even “extreme feminists who would go so far as to advocate unisex toilets.”

The authors don’t know where that line is drawn. They also don’t know what distinguishes the people unfazed by this trick from those who are persuaded by it. In their studies, only some of the students were lulled by extremist labels into opposing policies that otherwise align with their values.

Perhaps other voters know the tactic when they see it, or they’ve seen it so many times that extremist labels themselves become off-putting (Nelson calls this the “tactic,” calling out an opponent for using just such a tactic).

“For a lot of people, that does raise a red flag. This looks like a last desperate measure of somebody who doesn’t have anything better to say,” he said. “But what distinguishes those people from others who are susceptible to it?”

In 10 Sentences

After reading “Tarring Opponents as Extremist Can Really Work” in this week’s Readings and

Presentations section, focus on the claim that “sometimes simply calling advocates feminists or

environmentalists are sufficient to tap into

extremist associations people already have about

those groups.” Do you have extremist associations with labels such as feminist?

environmentalist, or racist? Do you see the ideas of the essay in today’s political climate? Could

you be convinced to reject a

n idea if extremists are associated with it? Share your thoughts with

your classmates.

Tarring Opponents as Extremists Really Can Work

Political scientists have determined that labeling supporters of stands that otherwise might be

unassailable can have a sleazy efficacy, although not everyone falls for tactic.

by Emily Badger

Pacific Standard

, December 7, 2011

Back in 2002, when the male

–

only, members

–

only Augusta National golf club was picked to host the

Masters Tournament, advocates of equality for women were taken aback. They wanted the tournament

moved or the storied golf

club opened to women. And their cause resonated with many Americans in an

age when the public supports little outright gender discrimination.

The campaign ran into a hitch, though: for many people, it became synonymous with Martha Burk, a

feminist leader

whose name frequently appeared in the national press alongside words like “radical,”

“extreme,” and “dogmatic.”

That story is a classic example of a tactic prevalent in politics. Tar a policy’s proponents as “extreme,”

and maybe the policy will start to l

oak that way, too. Political strategists clearly bank on this idea. And

new political science research reveals that it works on many of us.

Researchers Thomas Nelson, Gregory Giada, and Joseph Lyons studied the strategy in a paper

published in the journey

al Political Psychology. To understand their findings, it’s helpful to view political

In 10 Sentences

After reading “Tarring Opponents as Extremist Can Really Work” in this week’s Readings and

Presentations section, focus on the claim that “sometimes simply calling advocates feminists or

environmentalists are sufficient to tap into extremist associations people already have about

those groups.” Do you have extremist associations with labels such as feminist?

environmentalist, or racist? Do you see the ideas of the essay in today’s political climate? Could

you be convinced to reject an idea if extremists are associated with it? Share your thoughts with

your classmates.

Tarring Opponents as Extremists Really Can Work

Political scientists have determined that labeling supporters of stands that otherwise might be

unassailable can have a sleazy efficacy, although not everyone falls for tactic.

by Emily Badger

Pacific Standard, December 7, 2011

Back in 2002, when the male-only, members-only Augusta National golf club was picked to host the

Masters Tournament, advocates of equality for women were taken aback. They wanted the tournament

moved or the storied golf club opened to women. And their cause resonated with many Americans in an

age when the public supports little outright gender discrimination.

The campaign ran into a hitch, though: for many people, it became synonymous with Martha Burk, a

feminist leader whose name frequently appeared in the national press alongside words like “radical,”

“extreme,” and “dogmatic.”

That story is a classic example of a tactic prevalent in politics. Tar a policy’s proponents as “extreme,”

and maybe the policy will start to look that way, too. Political strategists clearly bank on this idea. And

new political science research reveals that it works on many of us.

Researchers Thomas Nelson, Gregory Giada, and Joseph Lyons studied the strategy in a paper

published in the journal Political Psychology. To understand their findings, it’s helpful to view political

RUBRIC
Excellent Quality 95-100%	Introduction 45-41 points The background and significance of the problem and a clear statement of the research purpose is provided. The search history is mentioned.		Literature Support 91-84  points The background and significance of the problem and a clear statement of the research purpose is provided. The search history is mentioned.			Methodology 58-53 points Content is well-organized with headings for each slide and bulleted lists to group related material as needed. Use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. to enhance readability and presentation content is excellent. Length requirements of 10 slides/pages or less is met.
Average Score 50-85%	40-38 points More depth/detail for the background and significance is needed, or the research detail is not clear. No search history information is provided.		83-76  points Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is little integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are included. Summary of information presented is included. Conclusion may not contain a biblical integration.			52-49  points Content is somewhat organized, but no structure is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects, etc. is occasionally detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met.
Poor Quality 0-45%	37-1 points The background and/or significance are missing. No search history information is provided.		75-1 points Review of relevant theoretical literature is evident, but there is no integration of studies into concepts related to problem. Review is partially focused and organized. Supporting and opposing research are not included in the summary of information presented. Conclusion does not contain a biblical integration.			48-1 points There is no clear or logical organizational structure. No logical sequence is apparent. The use of font, color, graphics, effects etc. is often detracting to the presentation content. Length requirements may not be met
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