The Seduction of Slogans

It’s important to grasp that political parties need slogans to seduce our attention. Let’s consider the famous conservative slogan “End Abortion.” When it comes to ending abortion, millions are given to accentuate the slogan; to make the slogan an identity marker of a political agenda so that when one looks at the party they say, “Behold, that’s the ‘End Abortion party.'” In fact, since 1973 we have had the artistic ardor to perfect that slogan. Yes, millions and millions over many years have been spent to inculcate that idea into the public mind. Politicians proudly stand in front of these signs showing their support for life and their disdain for Margaret Sanger.

It is true that perhaps one party will desire fewer abortions than others, but the slogan deceives us into thinking that every politician in a party will work vociferously to end abortion. The evidence, however, reveals that when the opportunity arises to show the world our disgust for the practice, the “End Abortion” agenda becomes secondary. “Yes, we will end abortion, but there are conditions outside ourselves that we must submit to before we can achieve that final goal. We are working to that end, but before we get there we must take several detours; it’s a complex issue, after all.”

So, what we see, is that slogans in the context of political discourse serve simply to distract us. They persuade us that everything is being done behind the scenes to secure such an outcome. But what continues to happen is that wicked men make their deals in the dark. They distract us from our main duty of worship and ultimate trust in the God of life.

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