kids just happen to be their excuse
We have to skirt the politics, so this statement will be vague...
I've touched on this already, but I find any
policy suspect when it's framed with 'think of the kids'.
In formal debate, it's known as a 'plea for pity' or an 'appeal to emotion'. It makes those folks who are against it be 'against protecting the children'. Nobody wants to be in that category.
It's also a really effective way to get people on your side. It silences critics at the same time.
Sadly, we no longer teach people critical thinking or reasoning. We also don't teach civics these days, though it's touched upon in a class often called 'social studies'.
It makes me glad that I managed to get a solid education. Unfortunately, the average voter is stymied by anything longer than what fits on a bumper sticker. We've turned to jingoism and using outrage as a currency.
And, no... No, I don't know how to fix it. While I have some ideas, they wouldn't fit on a bumper sticker.
It takes longer to counter 'think of the children' than it does to say it. They know this. They count on this.
Yeah, I'm a bit frustrated with the whole mess.
Maybe an asteroid will come and wipe us out, and we can start again. For the sake of the universe, I sometimes hope that significant numbers of humans don't actually make it out of this gravity well we call the Earth.