David’s Weblog

Once again, there was another cliché article on hagwons and how Korean students struggle in U.S colleges. I have to admit that these news articles do hold some truth, because many Korean kids drop out of college simply because they lack independence. The fact that many Koreans are unable to “think on their own”

However, I personally disliked this article, because it was very stereotypical by making it seem as if all Koreans rely on hagwons and have poor English skills. Even though this is definitely true for some Koreans, there are others who are very good at essay writing and do not depend on “outside help” during college. In addition, I thought that the Koreans being described in this article did not apply to students in SIS. For example, I found the passage

“Many Korean students still write cut-and-paste essays, which is considered to be plagiarism here in the U.S.”

to be ridiculous, because everyone in our school (especially due to the turnitin system) do not “copy and paste” their essays.

Therefore, I thought that this article was flawed, because it uses hasty generalization by making it seem as if every Korean student has academic problems in college.

Hagwons

The second article was about cheating, which is another common topic when it comes to problems in education. I was very surprised by the statistics I found.

“Overall, 30 percent of students admitted to stealing from a store within the past year, a two percent rise from 2006. More than one third of boys (35 percent) said they had stolen goods, compared to 26 percent of girls.”

This piece of data shocked me, because even though I knew some students cheat, I never thought the percentage of students cheating would be this high. Like the first article, I think the second article does not apply to our school, because there seems to be a lot less cheating (but still some cheating) in our school compared to the stats given in this article.

Overall, I think both students and schools should be blamed for cheating. Students should be disciplined not to cheat because it cheating is unfair and unethical. However, many schools do not realize that students often cheat because they are pressured by the heavy work load they must keep up with. Therefore, if a school is more reasonable by lightening some work load, then cheating may decease.

Cheating

Marlboro Man

3. Write a concise one-paragraph analysis of the ad as an example of visual argument (what is it that the ad is trying to portray or imply?)

This ad shows the Marlboro Man in a cowboy suit, smoking a cigarette. The picture clearly displays the Marlboro Man as a tough, “manly”, and relaxed figure who smokes Marlboro cigarettes. This image implies that smoking Marlboro cigarettes is responsible for making him look “cool” and attractive. Therefore, the main logical fallacy in this ad is correlation implies causation, because the advertisement makes it seem as if smoking cigarettes caused him to become an attractive, desirable person. Overall, this ad is trying to send the message that anyone can look tough and attractive like the Marlboro if they start smoking Marlboro cigarettes.

4. Look at the Marlboro parody (”Bob, I’ve got emphysema”). What is the point of this parody? How is it an effective example of a visual argument?

Marlboro Man Spoof

The main point in this parody is that smoking is harmful and can kill. This is an extremely effect visual argument, because it uses humor to mock and ridicule the well-known original Marlboro Man ad.  In addition, many actors who posed as the Marlboro Man actually died from emphysema or lung cancer – so the fact that this parody is “true” adds an ironic twist that makes the ad even more effective.

This ad basically represents how college life is tough, difficult, and is like “drinking water out of a fire hose.” Everyone knows that drinking from a fire hose is impossible and dangerous, because it is hard to control how much water is released from the hose. Similarly, college life is also tough, because its difficult to keep track of what’s going on.

The picture seems to imply that every student will have a rough time at college. Therefore, hasty generalization is one of the fallacies used in this image – not every single student will have a hard time adjusting to college life. Another logical fallacy is standing the deck. Based on what the ad shows, college is a miserable place. However, this is far from the truth, because there are also many good things about colleges as well.

One question mentioned in the Merchants of Cool was whether the media reflected what teens liked; or teens were controlled by the media to like something that was “cool.” Commercials and advertisements in the media show that the latter is true – the media actual controls teenagers to use a certain product by using logical fallacies that make teens believe they can become cool if they purchase the product.

Many of the ads shown in the video used fallacies to convince their target audience to buy a certain product. For example, many of the MTV ads featured celebrities, which included singers, actors, and “superstars”. This shows how the media uses appeal to authority in order to tempt teenagers into buying a certain product. The Sprite Company also used logical fallacies. Like MTV, they used celebrities, such as rappers and basketball players, to endorse Sprite. By creating a link between Sprite and hip-hop culture, the company experienced a huge increase in sales. Therefore, it was Sprite’s unique method of advertising that made the drink so popular. This indicates how the media uses certain propaganda techniques to increase the popularity of a brand.

In conclusion, the evident logical fallacies shown in ads directed towards teens indicate that the media is responsible for what teenagers do or buy. Media isn’t merely a reflection of society – it actually controls society.

Power of the Media

This advertisement attacks John McCain by showing a clip of him saying “The fundamentals of our economy is strong” the day when the Lehman Brothers collapsed and America was in an economic crisis. The main logical fallacies involved in this advertisement were appeal with emotion, correlation causes causation, and straw man. Appeal With Emotion was a major logical fallacy, because this ad tries to manipulate the audience’s thoughts by using fear. Correlation implies causation is another fallacy used, because this ad tries to convince the audience that just because McCain’s infamous speech and economic crisis occurred at the same time, means that one caused the other. In addition, when McCain appears with Bush, the ad implies that McCain will support and follow Bush’s economic polices. However, just because the two presidents were together doesn’t mean that they both share the same ideas and values.

This video contrasts McCain and Obama by talking about only good things for McCain, but bad things for Obama. Standing the deck is clearly the rhetorical fallacy used here, because this ad only focuses on one side of the argument while ignoring the other. In this case, it is only focusing on the good things about McCain and the bad things about Obama, but it is not doing the reverse – focusing on the negative side of McCain and the positive side of Obama.

Part 1: Use a dictionary or dictionary.com to look up definitions of the following words, paste them to your blog, then paraphrase them in your own words:

• Parody – Something that is used to mock or humiliate an original piece of work
• Rhetoric – Language that is used to influence or persuade others
• Campaign (as in a political campaign) – An organized effort that is used to persuade others to vote or support a particular candidate or group
• Logic – Reasoning and judgment
• Fallacy – A flaw that comes from faulty reasoning

Part 2:

Watch the following video clips more than once each:

History of personal attack ads in politics at Slate

“Time for Some Campaignin’” at JibJab

Part 3:

As you watched the video clips a second time, what words or phrases are used to influence the viewer’s point of view? Try to include at least three specific examples using direct quotes you heard from the audio.

Quote #1: “Gather conservatives give me a hand – unless you want this liberal wuss in command” -McCain
Quote #2: “Like the change we must change to the change we hold dear, I really like change, have I made myself clear?”
Quote #3: “He talks as if he’s the new leader of the people, but he can’t tell us where he’s gonna lead us.” (Referring to Humphrey.

Part 4:

Perhaps the language is not the only factor that influences the viewer. Did you see anything important? How about the basic situation? Was anything implied or suggested, but not directly stated?

Implied #1: When McCain said this quote, he was driving on a tank that ran over Obama. This implies that McCain is a very forceful person who uses war and combat to solve many issues. Meanwhile, Obama is “crushed” by McCain’s tank. This indicates that Obama is a weak leader (the opposite of McCain in fact) who opposes using force.
Implied #2: Obama in a colorful forest with many other animals when he states this quote. There is a cheerful and “sunny” setting in the background as well. These visual elements helped imply that the “change” Obama will bring can help improve the nation and make the world a happier place.
Implied #3: This quote is attacking Humphrey, by saying that he will be a terrible leader simply because he has no idea where to lead us Americans the first place. Therefore, the speaker is saying that Humphrey should not be elected, because he is clueless and has no idea about the direction he will lead the country in.

Part 5:

Are any fallacies present in either of the clips? List them below the titles of the two clips.

History of Attack Ads fallacies:
-Attacking the person
-Appeal to authority
-Appeal to ignorance

Time for some Campaignin’ fallacies:
-Straw Man
-Standing the Deck
-Attacking the Person
-Appeal to Emotion

Part 6:

Pick one of the clips we watched. Write a detailed paragraph analyzing the video clip, including your own original commentary. Comment on:

• the language used
• basic situation
• fallacies present

The “Time for Some Campaignin” clip was a cartoon that showed Obama and McCain asking for support. This video also included other poltical figures, such as Hillary Clinton and Bush. Every politician in this clip was mocked or humiliated in some way, so this was definitely a parody. Overall, this animation was very hilarious and did not have a serious tone, because the cartoon figures (as well as the singing and dancing that took place) in this video made the clip seem silly and immature. Despite the fact that this video does not have a serious tone, it still used logical fallacies. One important fallacy was straw man, which is attacking minor and unimportant points while avoiding the main issue. Examples of straw man inclue McCain mentioning his “swollen left gland.” Another fallacy was appeal to emotion, because this parody used humor to try to convince the audience that they should participate in the U.S. elections.

Obama and McCain Parody