Market Research

I’m a huge proponent of free speech (I’m a blogger, duh), and encourage people to voice their opinions on a wide variety of subjects. That’s part of what makes this country great.
Of course, I always encourage people to think before they speak, particularly when interacting with people of differing opinions. Indeed, it would make sense to do a bit of research to see how well people react to your message prior to publishing it, particularly if you’re trying to convince people to come around to yoru point of view.
Why do I mention this?
Dead babies.
[readers look puzzled]
Yes, dead babies. There’s an anti-abortion-rights group on the university mall today (the same group was here last year, and were here for a week; I expect them to be here the same amount of time). Normally, I wouldn’t have a problem with this. Free speech and all.
However, I do have a problem with these guys: they’ve setup 30′ tall graphic pictures of aborted fetuses and a variety of equally gruesome photos.
While I certainly see where they’re coming from, the fact that they’re displaying gigantic photos of dead babies is a wee bit of a turn-off for me and doesn’t convince me to adopt their viewpoint. Quite the opposite, in fact.
I suspect that a bit of market research would have helped them out a bit. It probably would have told them that people don’t react well to huge pictures of dead babies, particularly in the middle of a university right next to the student union where everyone goes to eat food. I’m curious what their overall responses were in the years past, and if they expected anything different this year.
Moral of the story: think before you speak, and try not to gross out people you’re trying to convert.

2 thoughts on “Market Research”

  1. The best (read worst) part of the display was that they were displaying pictures of ILLEGAL 3rd trimester abortions to get people to think negatively of the perfectly legal 1st trimester abortions. Now, I won’t take sides in the argument, but it’s just false advertising.

  2. The point of such displays isn’t to convince the pro-abortion people of the error of their ways, it’s to reinforce the (self) righteousness of protesters.
    In 1991 I photographed a pro-abortion march for the Trib as they walked down Washington as they marched towards Wesley Bolin Plaza. On the same day, an anti-abortion march came down 17th Ave. towards the steps of the Capitol, and the quarter-mile or so along Adams where they faced each other was a orgy of hatred and screaming on both sides the likes of which I hope never to see again. Enlightened liberals and sainted Christians both yelled at each other with such vitriol and disgust I felt like taking a bath afterwards.
    I am pro-life, and a Christian. But my testimony is something I am not willing to sacrifice for that cause.

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