'Rights' have been the best way to persuade people since at least Bernays' 'Torches of Freedom' campaign on behalf of the cigarette manufacturers.
This may have arisen from the realisation that after the First World War, people weren't simply going to do what they were told by authority any more. The people needed to believe that the alternative was being withheld from them, in order to provoke an emotional reaction which would cause them to side with whatever it was that the manipulator wanted them to do in the first place.
And so 'they are trying to take your right to smoke away' eventually became 'they are trying to take your right to abortion away' and now 'they are trying to take your right to die away'. In each case, there are powerful economic incentives in emotional manipulation.
The Victorian feminist Josephine Butler is worth reading up on, if you're not familiar with her. She supported prostituted woman, but was against sexual exploitation. We needed decades of emotional manipulation to arrive at 'sex work' being a right, which is contingent on abortion being a right, of course. However in the UK there is still no legal right of either kind; society just acts as if these rights exist already, which led to the tolerance of grooming gangs.
I live in Western Australia, WA Health is number 12 on the list of providers.
I was friends with a couple around the corner. The 75 year old husband died last March via Voluntary Assisted Dying.
From diagnosis (terminal cancer) to death, I think it was less than one month.
He was terrified of hospital and was in a lot of pain. It was his choice and he was completely compos mentis.
I personally have no problem with the above.
However....
The day after his return from Perth with his diagnosis, his wife went to 2 parlours... the funeral parlour, then the beauty parlour for a Mani Pedi. I visited that day. She was really chuffed with her nails.
I brought up the subject of at home palliative care which she was not interested in hearing about.
Their adult son was totally composed. Their adult daughter was completely shattered. I think it was far too quick for her.
In the 4 or 5 months prior to his death, the wife had their 3 dogs euthanased. The first was due to illness. I can't remember the reason for the second. But the 3rd was "because she sleeps all day". This dog wasn't being walked at all and had just lost her 2 best friends.
The wife also told me I should think about having my dog euthanased.
I'm not friends with her anymore and haven't seen her since she told me "I don't miss him you know" a few days after his death.
I refer to her as "that woman who euthanased her husband" now.
My God. What an atrocious story. And that poor man. I wonder if his death was 'dignified' after all? Did you watch the Catholic TV video in the post? The Bishop speaks of the word 'compassion' actually meaning to 'suffer with' - not to get ones nails done. These people need to find God. Something utterly sinister about that.
Another Australian story... you remind me of. When friends/family of Aboriginals here are suffering, they do, what translates to, 'sit with'. They just arrive and sit with their loved one. 😊
Great article. Very informative.
'Rights' have been the best way to persuade people since at least Bernays' 'Torches of Freedom' campaign on behalf of the cigarette manufacturers.
This may have arisen from the realisation that after the First World War, people weren't simply going to do what they were told by authority any more. The people needed to believe that the alternative was being withheld from them, in order to provoke an emotional reaction which would cause them to side with whatever it was that the manipulator wanted them to do in the first place.
And so 'they are trying to take your right to smoke away' eventually became 'they are trying to take your right to abortion away' and now 'they are trying to take your right to die away'. In each case, there are powerful economic incentives in emotional manipulation.
That makes a lot of sense - bait and switch. Abortion! That has been totally co-opted. I do wonder if/when sense will prevail there
The Victorian feminist Josephine Butler is worth reading up on, if you're not familiar with her. She supported prostituted woman, but was against sexual exploitation. We needed decades of emotional manipulation to arrive at 'sex work' being a right, which is contingent on abortion being a right, of course. However in the UK there is still no legal right of either kind; society just acts as if these rights exist already, which led to the tolerance of grooming gangs.
Yes all woven together. I will check her out thanks!
I live in Western Australia, WA Health is number 12 on the list of providers.
I was friends with a couple around the corner. The 75 year old husband died last March via Voluntary Assisted Dying.
From diagnosis (terminal cancer) to death, I think it was less than one month.
He was terrified of hospital and was in a lot of pain. It was his choice and he was completely compos mentis.
I personally have no problem with the above.
However....
The day after his return from Perth with his diagnosis, his wife went to 2 parlours... the funeral parlour, then the beauty parlour for a Mani Pedi. I visited that day. She was really chuffed with her nails.
I brought up the subject of at home palliative care which she was not interested in hearing about.
Their adult son was totally composed. Their adult daughter was completely shattered. I think it was far too quick for her.
In the 4 or 5 months prior to his death, the wife had their 3 dogs euthanased. The first was due to illness. I can't remember the reason for the second. But the 3rd was "because she sleeps all day". This dog wasn't being walked at all and had just lost her 2 best friends.
The wife also told me I should think about having my dog euthanased.
I'm not friends with her anymore and haven't seen her since she told me "I don't miss him you know" a few days after his death.
I refer to her as "that woman who euthanased her husband" now.
My God. What an atrocious story. And that poor man. I wonder if his death was 'dignified' after all? Did you watch the Catholic TV video in the post? The Bishop speaks of the word 'compassion' actually meaning to 'suffer with' - not to get ones nails done. These people need to find God. Something utterly sinister about that.
Yes, exactly.
Another Australian story... you remind me of. When friends/family of Aboriginals here are suffering, they do, what translates to, 'sit with'. They just arrive and sit with their loved one. 😊
There is a reason why the old ideas survive. It's because there is something true and good in them, eh?
Humanity at work