We cry and grieve for the lost children, the life long agony of their families, the incomprehensibility of our country’s continued gun fetish.
We, you and me, and your friends and my friends read Michael Tomasky (Daily Beast) & Adam Gopnik (New Yorker). We ask big, discourse–worthy questions about society and our democracy. 

 We frame the gun problem using things like criminal justice studies, social pathology, cycles of poverty and economic interests. We speak of the ethical and the moral.

We ask?

• What does it say about a society that has more handguns per capita than war-torn countries like Yemen,?
• How can we accept the fact that 5,740 young people died from gunfire in the United States, just in 2008 and 2009.
• Why can’t our children go to school, shopping malls, movies, concerts without the threat of being slaughtered by someone with a war weapon?
• How can we allow elected officials to accept millions $$$ from the NRA?
• Why can’t this great democracy pass sensible gun legislation?

BUT who is fueling the pro gun movement even at this moment. We’re familiar with the usual argument frames:

• freedom from state tyranny
• constitutional rights
• militia madness

But with the Florida HS shooting I found myself consuming lots of commentary, trying to make some meaning out of the chaos.

I discovered (PragerU) “Short Videos Big Ideas”.  Their website boasts:

Our videos make it easy to get smarter five minutes at a time

I’m writing in this entry about a specific “show’ they have presented by Katie Pavlich

 http://bit.ly/2Bzb1CW

Here the narrative is more pernicious. 

It has critical elements of persuasive argument: (I’ll use Aristotle here circa 386 BC)

1.  She has a STRONG INTRODUCTION
                   “My Glock 43 is my equalizer”
                    “Don’t you want equality between men and women. 
 
2.  She speaks  in an honest,  straight forward style. (Ethos)

                 “How is a woman supposed to defend herself” – against a man who is bigger and stronger.

3.  She asks the viewers to explore together “let’s just think bout this”.  (Pathos)

4.  She uses compelling real world, real people evidence for her argument, with clear, easy       consumable visuals (logos).

5. She “closes” strong.