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LETTERS FROM THE RIGHT: CONTENT-ANALYSIS OF A LETTER WRITING CAMPAIGN By James McEvoy Assistant Project Director Institute for Social Research The University of Michigan With Richard Schmuck Mark Chesler Associate Professor Acting Project Director Group Dynamics Center Institute for Social Researcr Temple University The University of Michigan CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON UTILIZATION OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE April, 1966 PREFACE This research was sponsored by the Office of Research Adminis• tration of The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan; administered by the Institute for Social Research, Center for Research on Utilization of Scientific Knowledge. We gratefully acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Dr. Rudolf Schmerl, Dr. Floyd Mann, Dr. Lawrence Phillips, Elizabeth McEvoy, Sharon Pietila, Louis Paskoff, and Esther Schaeffer in securing and completing this project. Our largest debt, however, is to the magazine which supplied us with these letters- and to the letter writers themselves James McEvoy was responsible for the writing and data analysis; Richard Schmuck and Mark Chesler were project directors and advisors in the construction of the code. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Preface ii List of Tables iv List of Illustrations v Introduction . r . 1 Demographic and Comparative Analysis of the Letters ... 10 Sex Differences Between the Two Studies 20 Indexes of the Social Status of the Authors of the Letters 21 Literacy 24 Group Salience and Literacy 28 Group Salience and "Pressure Tactics" 30 The True Believers 36 The Socio-Economic Status of the True Believer 38 Group Salience 42 Religiosity 44 Conclusions and Implications for Further Research .... 47 Bibliography of References " 51 General References on Super-Patriotism 53 Super-Patriot Literature by Areas of Concern » 55 iii LIST OF TABLES Tables Page 1. Length of Letter 11 2. Type of Stationery 12 3. Size of Writer's Home Community 13 4o Population of Writer's Home Community (Michigan Study) 14 5. Distribution of 1018 by States 15 6c Distribution of Population by Census Region ... 17 7. Sex of Writers 20 8, Writing Implement 9e Levels of Literacy Compared With Requests for Explanation 27 10, Literacy Related to Group Salience (Would make 10, contact with others on this topic) 29 110 Literacy Related to Group Salience (Reaction of others cited) 29 12. Population of Writers' Home Towns As Related to the Use of Direct Quotations 39 13. Use of Quotations Related to Value Orientation . 40 14e Ambiguity Related to Use of Quotations 41 15, Relation of Those Who Threatened.Cancellation With the Use of Quotations . 6 42 iv LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Early Vote Intention 18 v Introduction One of the most significant political phenomena of mid-twentieth century America is the vigorous growth of extreme conservatism8 Variously called extreme conservatism, right-wing extremism, radical rightism or super-patriotism, this movement is a reflection of the ideologies and energies of many Americans who protest the style and content of contemporary American life, Super-patriotism, as President Eisenhower called it, is characterized by political conser• vatism and fervent nationalism, by an active participation in social and political organizations, and by the perception of a major and dangerous internal Communist conspiracy in many areas of American life (Schmuck and Chesler, 1963a)0 Some of the areas most prominently focused upon as targets of right-wing protest are those involving international relations, civil rights, educational progressivism, and community health services. Also, in many cases, super-patriots see many of the mass media, including television, radio, news magazines and current popular literature as 'channels through which Americans are brainwashed by the "Communists-," A story in a recent issue of a national magazine seemed to super-patriots to be an example of just'such usage of meass media. This story told what happened in a major American institution when this institution was taken over by Communists. It depicted the rapid and dramatic takeover of a group of children's minds through the use of rather crude techniques of "brainwashing," In a few minutes, a "new teacher" was able to convert a group of children's beliefs in -1- the authority of their parents, their allegiance to their country and their faith in God, into faith in and adulation of "Our Leader," a figure with a strong likeness to the "Big Brother" of Orwell's 1984. Included in the story were the destruction of the American flag, the teaching of atheism, and the encouragement of disrespect for parents. This story was interpreted by Robert Welch, founder and leader of the John Birch Society, as being strikingly anti-religious, un-American and generally subversive. In the monthly Bulletin of the John Birch Society, the following text appeared: „oo[in a recent number of a national magazine a story appeared in which] "You are gradually given the impres• sion, but only the impression without any outright statement, that this is an account of the wonderful conditions which will prevail when the Communists offi• cially take over the educational system, and replace all of the patriotic and religious old hacks who now serve as teachers with beautiful and considerate young Commu• nists who are rruly dedicated to the children's education, welfare and happiness * Though, of course, the word Communism or Communist are never mentioned,, Even the instructions of the new teachers to the children to disregard their parents, her ridiculing of God and prayer, her cutting of the American flag into pieces and throwing the flagstaff out the window, are all handled very smoothly» In fact this is about the smoothest, while at the very same time being about the most brazen, and also the most infuriating, piece of propaganda against God and Country that I have ever read. As a result, several thousand letters were received by the author and editors; and while it is not possible to identify all of the letters as the direct result of the instructions in the Bulletin, or as in any sense being written only by members of the John Birch Society, the issue to which they were directed indicates that this sample of writers is exceptionally sensitive to patriotic and nationalistic content in the media to which they are exposed. -3- The editors of the magazine and the author of- the- story defended its theme and content as pro-American, claiming that it was an attempt to exemplify the subtlety with which a Communist takeover of the country might be performed. Despite what the authors'of this paper, the editors, and the author of the story all believe to be the unmistakable anti-Communism of this story (a view shared by several readers who complimented the magazine for ...its anti-Communism), it was, nevertheless, seen by more than two thousand people as subversive. It is the nature of their response to the story, their demographic, sociological and psychological characteristics, that is the subject of this monograph. The following two letters represent the two extremes of negative response received by the magazine: -4- Dear Editor: I should like to discuss.. <, The story is about the New Teacher who explains to her pupils "You're all going to stay overnight with jus" because under the new order parents are not competent to raise their children. The New Teacher admits that the children love their American flag, and so encourages them to cut up the flag in small pieces so that each seven-year old can keep a piece. Apparently the New Teacher is not too well versed in flag etiquette, which prohibits the destruction of the flag except by burning. Later in the first session the New Teacher advises her pupils that "Praying to God or anything or anyone for something is a waste of time." When the children's prayer to God for candy went unanswered she encourages them to pray to "Our Leader," during which activity she places candy on every desk. Johnny's father is described as a person who was sent off to school (somewhat against his will) for having "wrong thoughts," and who "wanted other grown-ups to believe them." The New Teacher says that since daddies and mommies have their own secrets it is quite all right for the children to have secrets from them. Is it the purpose of this story to break down American loyalties to God, country and family as Indicated by the examples cited above? Or is it a deliberate probe to test public reaction to collectivist and socialist rule in this country? I cannot permit such an attack on American institutions to go unchallenged... Very truly yours, (Stapled to letter in red marker) You haven't got the guts to print this but hope you have the GUTS to read it anyhow. Dear Editor: I PROTEST the article... It is a most infuriating piece of propaganda against God and country, I've ever read. It is an innocent way of brainwashing and beginning of psychological warfare for ALL of us in America. Believe you me, none of US will be spared, particularly private enterprise and I assume you are one. Do you believe for one instant that we don't know that we, the Public and Americans are being sold out by COMMUNISTS, some hypocritical, sanctimonious, psalm singing Leaders? This is Treason in its highest degree. What YOU stand for is apparent, by allowing such "RED" filth to be published and ready by uniformed [sic] people. Yours truly, BERIA HAS PLANS FOR ALL AMERICANS. -6- The method of study selected for these letters was content analysis. After reading several hundred letters, the following categories were employed in our analysis: L There were five demographic categories. They included the census region of the letter's origin, the sex of its author, his marital status, his occupation, and the population of the city from which the letter was maileda 2.
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