The NRA’s latest advert is a call to arms that pits gun-toting Americans against those supposedly destroying their nation – addressed only as an ambiguous ‘they’. By leaving its aggressors anonymous, the spot is armed with little more than an invitation to indulge in rage. We explore the insights behind the ad, and explain why extreme opinions often win in politically polarised populations.
In the National Rifle Association’s advert, radio host and spokesperson Dana Loesch paints a picture of America in anarchy. With a video montage of riots and violence erupting in the streets, she discusses an unnamed ‘they’, who are misusing everything from media outlets to education systems to propel forward a ‘resistance’. Amid the footage of smashed windows and burning cars, Loesch invites the NRA’s followers to “fight this violence of lies with the clenched fist of truth.”
While the NRA has never had a reputation for being unifying, this particular spot has taken its perceived perspectives to extremes. “I think the @NRA is telling people to shoot us,” tweeted Democratic Senator Chris Murphy. “Now might be the right time to cancel your membership.” But its sentiment doesn’t seem too out of place in an America that is, by many accounts, more divided than ever. Ideological camps have been drifting apart for years, making it harder to see eye to eye with the opposition – if a person’s filter bubble lets them see the opposition at all – and campaigns that provoke rage have only served to widen that gap further.
As America fractures along lines of age, education and political beliefs, the ‘us and them’ narrative continues to grow more prominent. The NRA’s video, originally posted on Facebook where it’s drawn more than six million views, doesn’t ultimately pin ‘them’ to any particular group, but lets viewers slot in whomever it serves them to demonise. By leaving the threat unnamed and unproved, the NRA plays off the dramatic flair and fear-mongering that’s popular in post-truth politics, where emotional resonance means more than facts. And given that 36% of Republicans and 27% of Democrats consider the opposing party to be a threat to the nation’s wellbeing, drumming up some fear shouldn’t be too hard.
Mira Kopolovic is a behavioural analyst at Canvas8, which specialises in behavioural insights and consumer research. She has an MA in creative industries, which focused on artist-brand collaborations, and spends her spare time poring over dystopian literature.
