Project idea

Well, I feel this is pretty much just duplicating what I said in class on Wednesday.

For my topic, I want to use as much as I can think of from Aristotle and just rip Testers ad apart. I am not a Rehberg fan, but Tester is pretty close to him in my lack of respect. Anyways, after seeing his latest ad we watched in class, I want to use that viewed ideology he is trying to use to persuade voters.

Also I want to focus on what enthymeme is being played on when he talks about the "Montana way".

Most campaigns are clouded with ethos, some logos (usually just b.s. stats), and our favorite one of all....pathos.

I just seem drawn to this latest ad of Tester's and the "unspoken words" are what I want to focus on.

I guess for me, I have met him, so I know how much a  blowhard he is...so its that much more easier for me to ridicule his ads. But again, its the unspoken words that I will focus on.

More trash talkin'

After watching the Mother Jones video yesterday, I just keep laughing at how Romney is just making himself out to be such a peice of crap. I also understand that for a lot of people, he still holds a special place in their hearts and income tax bracket.

The largest chunk of enthymemes that I really see is more or less equal to what others said in class. Romney talks about the followers of 'that guy' are going to vote on emotion. What he is really saying in my opinion is this:     "You are my people! We are all rich power people, lets face it, we are also smart and educated. We shouldn't waste our time worrying about the dumb hicks who love that guy. They are nothing to us but a burdone on our millions. We earned our money regardless of how many people we stepped on to get it!"

We all know that is what he wants to truly say! Bush Jr., got blasted from addressing a similar group years ago. He came in and said, "You are my people!"

Romney is using the unspoken words to say what he truly means...that 47% of Americans are garbage.

It also makes me think how much this boils down to race...."that guy" + Americans who 'expect' food, healthcare and such = look, you have a black president who has allowed these black welfare babies to sponge off the system too long....we are rich whites who need to take a stand and take this country back

Funny spin on campaign ads

I watched this commercial over the weekend, and just laughed.


http://www.fastcocreate.com/1681357/fedex-salutes-the-art-of-a-good-clean-political-campaign

Campaign Ad Tactics

I have to say, every time I watch Mitt Romney on TV, I just want to throw up!!

His whole goal on this ad is to feed off the emotional aspect of peoples fear of the global tyrants that want to come attack the US. In his actual interview (even though it is on 35 seconds long), he blames everyone for the defense cuts in the military. He blames Obama, all the Democrats, and even the members of his beloved GOP.

By declaring the defense cuts, he is preying on peoples fears that without money to defend ourselves, military personal will die. He doesn't say that, but whenever defense budget is mentioned, death is linked to the unspoken words.

He also mentions how Obama is sequestrating military spending. (sequestrate means to confiscate or to separate or seclude). Interesting how he uses big words, that really don't apply to anything he is talking about. If Romney means Obama is separating Congress, hell, that has been separated years ago. In that aspect, he is playing on the ignorance of the audience.

The he accuses Obama for violating a law that he put into place. Hmmmm, he complains about Obama supposedly violating a law, yet we invaded Iraq and violated every war policy that has been in place. Again, blame the guy in charge and get the audience angry and emotional, but use the smoke and mirror show. "Look at what Obama the big bad wolf is doing, but don't look the other way and see what Bush and Co. did to get the US into this mess!"

Who is the Rhetoric Master?

After reading Aristotle, Socrates and Plato, I can't help but ask the question, who is actually the Master behind the Rhetoric?

Presidents are deemed great speakers, but how many of them truly write their own speeches? Bush didn't, (you could tell when he shot off the hip, he made an ass out of the Republican Party), the speaker is merely relaying the words to the audience. I understand that the speaker is using tone, facial features and such to appeal to the audience, but without the writers, the speaker would be just standing there.

I am not meaning this as a way to discredit the president or any speaker for that matter. I just wish that when the political races are over, the writers would get the true credit for what is being said.

Socrates' words are just what we are reading as Plato transcribed them. Again, is it truly Socrates, or should more credit be given to Plato for clever writing tactics?

Campaign Tactics

Here is a link to good old Romney stating how military defense spending should go back up to the ridiculous amount it was before.

http://presspass.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/08/13750817-romney-president-gop-leaders-made-big-mistake-on-defense-cuts?lite

 

When did our democratic process become: "Vote for the Lesser of the Two Evils?"



Gorgias, By Plato

I have only read a few things involving dialect with Socrates. The first time was during my CLS class. I had heard of Plato, but had never taken the time to read any of his work. While reading this, the wording and style of speech came to no surprise. I find that Socrates could very easily talk his way out of any situation, and convince an innocent man of guilt. What really impresses me about Socrates, he was known for not writing things down. All of what he says comes from ‘shooting off the hip’. He isn’t using note cards in any form, just using his intellect and ability of persuasion.

One question that does come to mind is: since Socrates didn’t write things down, is it possible that Plato may have embellished how good Socrates was in speech? After all Plato was his student, and looked up to him.

I did like the section of when Gorgias explains to Socrates that a teacher of rhetoric can not be blamed if the student uses it for ‘evil’. But then it becomes an issue of morals, not a battle of good rhetoric versus bad rhetoric.

After reading this, I don’t think there is a clear cut answer to what is good or bad rhetoric. Morals differ from person to person, so it would be easier to measure:  effective rhetoric versus non-effective rhetoric.

All about me!

My story…hmmm, let me think….

I am originally from Boise, Idaho, and graduated in 2009 from Boise State University, in Drafting Design and Technology. A year before graduation; the market took a crap and the drafting field seemed to suffer in Idaho. I really enjoyed the mechanic side of the field so I started looking into Mechanical Engineering schools. I had applied and was accepted into the University of North Dakota, but a month before I graduated the town of Fargo flooded. After really researching the town, I found out that Fargo floods pretty much every year. Part of the student’s life every year is to help throw sandbags. I very quickly decided against moving up there. The next closest town was Bozeman.

We (wife and two girls) moved up here, and have been here ever since. I enjoyed the Mechanical Engineering side, but it truly isn’t a program for anyone who has a life. It is one of those programs that wants you to live, eat, and breathe homework. I don’t mind a challenge, but refuse to push my family away so I can spend all semester working on static formulas on beams and cables. I was unhappy with what I was doing and told my wife I was either going to drop out or had to change my major. So last year, I ran the gauntlet of paper work and signatures, and made it official that my new major is English with writing option, and a Minor in Native American Studies. My goal is to become a technical writer working with the Montana reservation colleges writing grants. Even if that is just a more ‘freelance’ job, I will still look for work as a tech writer, anywhere the need arises.

Along the way I have met a lot of great professors and added many people to my ‘friend’ list. I had the chance to meet Jon Tester in my last NAS class....interesting to say the least (and I am a Democrat).

I have loved the transition; just kick myself in the butt for not pursuing the English major to begin with. Oh well, isn’t life all about finding out who we are and what we want to become?