blog post 9!

An overarching strategy that institutions use to keep social movements from achieving their desired change is the strategy of counter-persuasion. This tactic is seen often, sometimes too much, in daily new reports on social movements and even arguments with friends. When people begin to give up in a dispute, they will attack the leader or members of social movements as a way that shows they are better than the other, which shows the person is subconsciously weakening and giving up. We all have been in arguments where one person begins to name-call the other as a way to make them look stronger in the disagreement. The people are trying to justify themselves by employing labels and unnecessary names to the leaders and members, instead of focusing on the movement’s issues and demands to say that they are wrong.

 An example of how someone can put the blame is on others and use counter-persuasion is seen in CNN’s article on how the UN is blaming humans for causing global warming. It talks about man-made climate change that within the last 30 years man has caused too much damage to the Earth through our carbon footprint. The article states the last 30 years are the worst we have seen in the last 1,000 years. This article is trying to put the blame on something obtainable, humans are an easy way out. I believe that scientists are not sure where the growth in environmental problems has occurred so they find it easy to blame on humans. We are becoming a more technologically advanced world, it only makes sense that we are seeing change but also Mother Nature has her own way of doing things. I don’t think it can be justified without research, facts, and statistics that humans are the sole cause for global warming. This article employs the instruments of counter-persuasion. CNN is trying to make all humans look corrupt for causing this impending issue.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/27/world/climate-change-5-things/