The simple concept dramatically played out in that ad is 'Freedom comes from the ability to defend ones self from oppression.'
If you are unarmed, you can not defend your self. Totalitarian rule only works well if the populous are unarmed.
For the rhetoric in the ad, it is a well worn and understood concept. So, they have a point. They defend your right, and promote safe usage of, firearms. They could have just said that.
"We are the National Rifle Association of America. And we are Freedom's Safest Place."
That would have been all they needed.
And why I am so not a fan of two party politics. It creates a polarization, and suddenly just because one side holds something sacred, the other side obviously hates it, them, and is evil or stupid. If you need an example, look at Gordon's and Steve's understanding of the other side of the political fence. Evil, evil, stupid. Sun Tzu would know why their party is getting so little in the way of donations right now.
Haidt brought up how Newt Gingrich produced this in a manner. Before the congress critters, blue and red, used to play together and intermingle, making friends and getting along. Post WWII they had worked together to win the war, save the world, and make everything great. Arm in arm. But after that, division came in and the bitter 60's and 70's, when people tackled high level social issues and started taking them down, sides started dividing the US. But we still had a connon enemy, the Soviet Union. Right as we sort that out, in pops Newt. You can see how the right became far more right, pushing out moderate conservatives and that was followed by the right doing the same. Positions became hardened, and then sacred flags, like Family First, or War on Drugs, or Multiculturalism, or Firearm Rights vs Firearm control all became much more sacred, protected. Extreme. Because there was far less activity between our Red and Blue representatives, and even now, between people who are moving to similar society in the US, who have a culture that matches theirs.
We have a political class. And we make the mistake of allowing that, in some defiance of the original plan to have regular people from society take turns being of the people, for the people. Now we have of the political class, for the political class. And that doesn't even interact with the people or each other. Happy little circles playing just with themselves, insular.
Haidt has been at the forefront of understanding this - I strongly, STRONGLY suggest looking him up, and watching as much as you can. His insight is just amazing. It is very easy to see how both sides tick when you realize what moral values people have, what they hold sacred, and why. He outlays a very interesting model of society, and why it needs these two positions, one to move forward, and one to protect us.
Also in that, he shows that the left have two morals they hold very high. Here is the definitions from wikipedia:
So, obviously, my moral value is Liberty, and that far out weights any other moral value in my opinion. I accept that is my flaw.
The Left, and this happens in almost every nation, hold Care and Fairness far above any other moral value, and far left often reject Loyalty, Authority/Respect or Sanctity.
The Right has a balance of all 5 moral values, for the most part.
And interesting side act of the project is when the Left tried to respond to a series of questions as if they were on the right, they couldn't. They didn't comprehend the mindset. The Right could respond and answer as if they were on the Left though.
Which perfectly explains the old saying "The Right thinks the Left is Stupid, the Left thinks the right is Evil."
Basically what we saw played out by Steve and Gordon earlier. They can not comprehend the right side of the argument, and express their understanding as a series of irrational conclusions on motivations that are far from the truth, normally as "Why are you evil?" Ha!
It comes from, as discussed above, staying in small circles, repeating the same BS, and when something comes up that might lightly affect your sacred totem keeping a very closed, tribal mind and response to everything.
Watch some Haidt. Fascinating work.
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