Emotional approaches, including appeals to shame, probably carried a large part of the impact of the civil rights movement. But there’s a difference between “I am a man, a human being with thoughts and aspirations, and I believe I have a right to be treated with dignity,” and “what you’re doing is evil, and any attempt to justify yourself is sheer moral imbecility.”
Emphasizing the sheer moral weight of the arguments they’re dismissing by arguing for death might encourage them to consider that they may be doing something wrong, but calling their arguments stupid, or far worse, evil, is likely to signal to them that they’ve been targeted as an enemy, and cause them to dig in their heels.
Emotional approaches, including appeals to shame, probably carried a large part of the impact of the civil rights movement. But there’s a difference between “I am a man, a human being with thoughts and aspirations, and I believe I have a right to be treated with dignity,” and “what you’re doing is evil, and any attempt to justify yourself is sheer moral imbecility.”
Emphasizing the sheer moral weight of the arguments they’re dismissing by arguing for death might encourage them to consider that they may be doing something wrong, but calling their arguments stupid, or far worse, evil, is likely to signal to them that they’ve been targeted as an enemy, and cause them to dig in their heels.