Americans' concerns about moral decline

[Carrol Cox]

In speaking of methods of "reaching people" or "influencing people,"
etc,
one should give more attention to what one is reaching them *for*. If
the
idea is just to cast votes for the more liberal dems, then one technique
will
work. If the goal is to get them to go out an average of two hours a
week
12 months a year in all weather, door to door, collecting signatures on
petitions, then perhaps other techiniques might be considered.

What is the result of a successful PR tactic. What is the result of a
successful bit of rhetoric? What is the result of an academic persuasion

through "reason"? What will people *do* after being reached in any
one of these ways? What do you want them to do? Vote? Feel good?
Boycott Dupont? Smash windows? Quit their jobs and join a commune
in Arkansas? Join the AFL-CIO? Go out for the annual Not in Our
Town rally? (An allegedly  "anti-racist" thingamajig every August in
Bloomington, Il.) Write a letter to their congressman? Start a riot?
Stop
a riot? Discipline a riot? Join the army and subvert the troops? Write
letters to the editor saying racism isn't nice?

Carrol