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The phrase "'''for the children'''", or "'''think of the children'''," is an often-used rhetorical phrase |
The phrase "'''for the children'''", or "'''think of the children'''," is an often-used rhetorical phrase<ref name='Meany'>{{cite book | last = Meany | first = John | authorlink = | coauthors = Kate Shuster | title = Art, argument, and advocacy: mastering parliamentary debate | publisher = IDEA | date = 2002 | location = | pages = 65 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = 978-0970213075 }}</ref>. Because people generally value the welfare of the next generation of a society, it has been perceived as an argument to cast a position in a starkly positive or negative light, depending on whether the policy is perceived as beneficial or harmful to children. Traditionally the argument was seen in debates over matters such as education, culture, and crime, as children are impressionable and youth crime is thought to be particularly harmful, but more recently the rhetoric has been applied to many varied [[political agenda]]s, sometimes with little or no relevance.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/andrewkantor/2004-07-08-kantor_x.htm | publisher=USATODAY.com |title=Won't someone think of the children? |date=2004-07-16| accessdate=2008-06-13 | author=Andrew Kantor}}</ref> The use of such arguments has been criticized as an [[appeal to emotion]] that can be used to support an [[Ignoratio elenchi|irrelevant conclusion]], however. |
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The prevalence of "for the children" rhetoric has increased in recent years. Author Elvin T. Lim notes “Well over half of all references to children in State of the Union addresses since 1790 were uttered by our last five presidents.” <ref name=Lim>{{cite book |
The prevalence of "for the children" rhetoric has increased in recent years. Author Elvin T. Lim notes “Well over half of all references to children in State of the Union addresses since 1790 were uttered by our last five presidents.” <ref name=Lim>{{cite book |
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==Logical fallacy== |
==Logical fallacy== |
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Rhetorical use of the phrase "for the children" often suffers from the logical fallacies of [[appeal to emotion]]<ref name='Meany' /> and [[Ignoratio elenchi|irrelevant conclusion]]. This argument can simply appeal to the listener's emotion by connecting an argument to innocent children that many people feel an |
Rhetorical use of the phrase "for the children" often suffers from the logical fallacies of [[appeal to emotion]]<ref name='Meany' /> and [[Ignoratio elenchi|irrelevant conclusion]]. This argument can simply appeal to the listener's emotion by connecting an argument to innocent children that many people feel an instinctive need to protect. Using such an argument may not even be related to the topic. For example, a politician could claim that a policy to ban oil drilling would protect the children, even if the oil drilling was in the ocean. In this example, the politician is appealing to others' emotional desire to protect children. However, any impact it would have on children would be indirect, so "protecting the children" with this policy is rather irrelevant. It also can contain an abdication of responsibility of "think of the children, so I don't have to".{{Citation needed|date=October 2009}} |
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==Examples== |
==Examples== |
Revision as of 14:12, 12 December 2009
The phrase "for the children", or "think of the children," is an often-used rhetorical phrase[1]. Because people generally value the welfare of the next generation of a society, it has been perceived as an argument to cast a position in a starkly positive or negative light, depending on whether the policy is perceived as beneficial or harmful to children. Traditionally the argument was seen in debates over matters such as education, culture, and crime, as children are impressionable and youth crime is thought to be particularly harmful, but more recently the rhetoric has been applied to many varied political agendas, sometimes with little or no relevance.[2] The use of such arguments has been criticized as an appeal to emotion that can be used to support an irrelevant conclusion, however.
The prevalence of "for the children" rhetoric has increased in recent years. Author Elvin T. Lim notes “Well over half of all references to children in State of the Union addresses since 1790 were uttered by our last five presidents.” [3]
The Proclamation of the Irish Republic in 1916 includes a guarantee about "cherishing all the children of the nation equally". This is often cited in debates about children's rights, even though it alludes to sectarian discrimination rather than children.[4]
Logical fallacy
Rhetorical use of the phrase "for the children" often suffers from the logical fallacies of appeal to emotion[1] and irrelevant conclusion. This argument can simply appeal to the listener's emotion by connecting an argument to innocent children that many people feel an instinctive need to protect. Using such an argument may not even be related to the topic. For example, a politician could claim that a policy to ban oil drilling would protect the children, even if the oil drilling was in the ocean. In this example, the politician is appealing to others' emotional desire to protect children. However, any impact it would have on children would be indirect, so "protecting the children" with this policy is rather irrelevant. It also can contain an abdication of responsibility of "think of the children, so I don't have to".[citation needed]
Examples
- Perhaps the most famous example is Anita Bryant's successful 1977 Save Our Children campaign to repeal a Dade County, Florida ordinance which outlawed discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.[5]
- A 2006 ballot initiative before the voters of Cook County, Illinois read, "For the health and safety of children and the entire community, shall the State of Illinois enact a comprehensive ban on the manufacture, sale, delivery and possession of military-style assault weapons and .50 caliber rifles?"[6]
- When discussing uncertainty about the Iraq War, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) stated that "We've got to ... know that we are fighting for freedom for our children every bit as much as in any war we've ever been in."[7]
- The Green Party's billboard campaign in the 2008 New Zealand election includes a picture of a young girl with the words "Vote for me",[8] and a baby in a pram giving the viewer the finger, under the caption "Vote Green, or your grandchildren will be really pissed off!"[9]
- When asked on the NBC Today Show about Barack Obama's association with Reverend Jeremiah Wright in April 2008, Michelle Obama stated, "We gotta move forward. You know, this conversation doesn't help my kids. You know, it doesn't help kids out there who are looking for us about decisions and choices about how we're going better going to fund education."[10]
- On June 9, 2009, Qin Gang, a Foreign Ministry spokesman of P.R. China, defended the enforcement of a content-control software, called Green Dam Youth Escort, on every PC sold in mainland China after July 1, 2009. “If you have children or are expecting a child, you could understand the concerns of parents over unhealthy online content,” he said.[11]
- The white power 'Fourteen Words' motto created by David Lane: "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children."[12]
- In 1998, after Puff Daddy won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, an indignant Ol' Dirty Bastard, who felt the Wu-Tang Clan deserved to win, interrupted the awards show to proclaim, "I don't know how you all see it, but when it comes to the children, Wu-Tang is for the children. We teach the children. Puffy is good, but Wu-Tang is the best."[13]
- The phrase "Won't somebody please think of the children?" is a running gag on The Simpsons, most often exclaimed by the minister's wife, Helen Lovejoy, whenever the town faces a problem, however minor or catastrophic.[14]
- The viral image "Cliché Kitty" which has the tagline "Please, think of the kittens" is another comic use of this idea.
See also
References
- ^ a b Meany, John (2002). Art, argument, and advocacy: mastering parliamentary debate. IDEA. p. 65. ISBN 978-0970213075.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ Andrew Kantor (2004-07-16). "Won't someone think of the children?". USATODAY.com. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ Lim, Elvin T. (2008). The Anti-Intellectual Presidency. US: Oxford University Press US. pp. 72–73. ISBN 019534264X, 9780195342642.
{{cite book}}
: Check|isbn=
value: invalid character (help) - ^ McVeigh, Robbie (1995). "Cherishing all the Children of the Nation Unequally: Sectarianism in Ireland". In Patrick Clancy (ed.). Irish society: sociological perspectives. Institute of Public Administration. p. 631. ISBN 1872002870.
- ^ http://www.pbs.org/outofthepast/past/p5/1977.html
- ^ "Referendum Supporters Gather at Morgue, Hoping Assault Weapons Victims Can One Day Stop Showing Up There". Common Dreams. 2006-08-09. Retrieved 2008-06-13.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Image Gallery - Vote for Me".
- ^ "Vote Green, or your grandchildren will be really pissed off!".
- ^ "Michelle Obama: "We Gotta Move Forward". April 30, 2009.
- ^ "China Faces Criticism Over New Software Censor". June 10, 2009.
- ^ "Hate on Display: 14 words". Anti-Defamation League. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
- ^ "Wu-Tang's O.D.B. Bumrushes Grammy Podium". MTV. February 25, 1998.
- ^ Kristen N. Fox. "Won't Somebody PLEASE Think of the Children?". Conscious Creation. Retrieved 2008-06-13.