Massumi: The Autonomy of Affect

In the second Massumi reading, Massumi relates a story about how President Reagan, known as the Great Communicator, was seen as incomprehensible by patients with global aphasia and tonal agnosia. The aphasics couldn't understand words as they were and got meaning by following body language, while the agnosiacs couldn't catch tone or any extraverbal indicators, relying on grammatical form and semantic or logical content. Surprisingly, both groups found Reagan to be a poor speaker who failed to persuade. "To the aphasics, he was functionally illiterate in extraverbal cueing; his body language struck them as hilariously inept... The agnosiacs were outraged that the man couldn't put together a grammatical sentence or follow a logical line to its conclusion" (Massumi 40). Why then was he so effective to most others? Massumi reasons that Reagan was "affective, as opposed to emotional" (Massumi 40). Reagan's "jerks" as Massumi calls them, didn't inhibit his effectiveness; instead, they opened up the potential for greater effectiveness. In other words, the content of his speech didn't really matter but what mattered was what it was doing to us affectively.

I admit that I'm still lost on the concept of potentiality and how it made Reagan more effective despite his apparent incomprehensibility. Whenever I read "jerk" in Massumi, I imagined someone slamming the table during a speech to make a point (or wake up an audience). I can see how that would be effective but I don't fully understand Massumi's point that Reagan's "jerks" conveyed confidence.

The Transmission of Affect

In The Transmission of Affect, Teresa Brennan "deals with the belief that the emotions and engergies of one person or group can be absorbed by or can enter directly into another". Brennan uses the example of walking into a room and feeling the atmosphere, i.e. feeling tension if two people had been arguing before you came in. I was more interested in Brennan's discussion on transmission in groups though. Brennan goes through a brief history on the topic before offering her own views on it and in later chapters, the implications of the notion of the transmission of affect ("My affect, if it comes across to you, alters your anatomical makeup for good or ill" (Brennan 74)). Brennan discusses the idea of entrainment or "the concrete mechanisms of transmission" (Brennan 68). The notion of images and sound affecting you and tying you to a crowd was somewhat familiar to me; the idea that pheromones can affect you in the same way was wholly different. It gave me a whole new outlook on the expression "smelling fear" since, apparently, you literally can smell fear.

I wish there had been more on the topic of crowd violence with specific examples. It's always seemed obvious to me that being part of a crowd lended itself some anonymity, thus allowing people to do things they normally wouldn't. I know that I often get caught up in the crowd during a sports event, whether I'm at the event live or watching it on TV with other people. Sometimes there's a weird situation where I'm caught up in the action that I'm seeing on TV while I remain oblivious to the fact that everyone else in the room is pretty bored. Situations like that support the idea that images are powerful in terms of entrainment but it also supports the idea of "feeling" the atmosphere since the only way I noticed my peers' change in mood was through an odd, somewhat intangible feeling.

Keeping Austin Weird

Rhetoric: it's alive! Or at least that's the sense I got after reading Edbauer's "Unframing" piece. I had always thought that "Keep Austin Weird" was just a slogan honoring Austin's unique quirkiness; I had no idea that it was envisioned as a stand against big business in Austin. I think that living in the dynamic age of the Internet has made me much more open to the idea of rhetoric as an ecology. For example, we see countless YouTube videos of people offering their own take on a current issue. It's natural then to imagine rhetoric as dynamic and changing in the public sphere, where we have to be attuned to the "processes that both comprise and extend the rhetorics" (Edbauer 19). I don't think this completely dismisses a more static model of the rhetorical situation like Bitzer talks about; rather, I think it's a great extension to the framework we have of rhetoric right now. The notion that you can understand what part of the city is good and bad were great examples of the affective experience; I know that I feel different from when I'm around campus then when I'm back home on Riverside.

Final Project: LeBron Feeling the Heat

LeBron Feeling the Heat

            Sports events, like many other forms of entertainment, are subject to swells of emotion and energy. Just as a musician belting out a particularly high note will bring an audience to its feet, so too does a baseball slugger’s home run or a quarterback’s Hail Mary pass to the end zone. For the home team, such actions often bring joy and excitement to the crowd; it is quite the opposite for fans of an away team. In that vein, any sports team visiting another arena for a match will likely be exposed to a certain amount of heckling and derision during the game, with every mistake magnified with boos and appropriate sound effects from the stadium’s particular sound system.

            If your name happens to be LeBron James, the effect is startlingly more pronounced. James, the starting small forward for the Miami Heat basketball team, has experienced a level of directed hate rarely seen even in the most heated of rivalry games. In fact, when James visited the New Jersey Nets for a game on October 31, 2010, he was greeted by “an inquisition by the news media” and “loud boos from the fans” (Kaplan). James, once regarded as the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) next great player and one with the “ability to transcend the sport” (DuPree), was now one of the most reviled players in the league. James’ reputation dropped to the point where he was named the sixth most disliked sports personality by the Q Scores Company, a firm which polls the general population about their views on celebrities (Rovell).

            James’ precipitous fall from grace began with what many perceived to be a lackluster performance in the 2010 Eastern Conference Finals, with his Cleveland Cavaliers facing elimination in Game 6 from the Boston Celtics. James and the Cavaliers would lose the game, and James was heavily criticized for his poor performance and seeming lack of heart. It was James’ actions in the off-season, however, that truly injured his public image. During the off-season, James held a hour-long live TV special on ESPN which he titled “The Decision,” in which he announced that he would be leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers after 7 years to join fellow NBA superstars Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat. James, who had been heavily recruited by many other teams, was roundly criticized for the way he announced his decision and also for his decision to leave Cleveland. Cavalier fans were especially hurt, as team owner Dan Gilbert publicly called James’ actions a “narcissistic, self-promotional build-up” and a “cowardly betrayal” (Gilbert). The aftermath in Cleveland was such that fans publicly burned their LeBron James jerseys and other LeBron memorabilia in the streets as fans across the nation generally sympathized with Cleveland fans.

            In an effort to restore his popularity to its once great heights, James partnered with his shoe endorser Nike and released a commercial titled “LeBron Rise,” carrying the following description: “This isn't about what LeBron James has done, or hasn't done. This is about the difference between the expectations others may have of him versus the expectations he has of himself. What should he do? The answer is a question.”

The video begins with James sitting on a set surrounded by camera crew, looking solemnly at the ground. James then turns his gaze toward the viewer asking “What should I do? Should I admit that I made mistakes?” The view then switches to a shot of James as a high school student, looking longingly at a school trophy case while James continues to ask “Should I remind you that I’ve done this before? Should I give you a history lesson?” The set then changes again to James in the present, driving past Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio as his long-standing giant poster is dramatically dropped as James continues to ask “What should I do? Should I tell you how much fun we had?” The next shot shows James in an empty banquet room giving a speech for his Hall of Fame acceptance as James wonders “Should I really believe I ruined my legacy?” The ad then switches quickly through various shots of James getting his tattoos removed, of an advertisement for his new shoes, black and white shots of James on the basketball court, and James as a stereotypical Western villain. Throughout these shots, James continues to ask the viewer “What should I do? Should I have my tattoo removed? Want to see my shiny new shoes? Should I sell shoes? Should I tell you I am not a role model? What should I do? Should I tell you I’m a championship chaser, that I did it for the money, rings? Should I be who you want me to be? Should I accept my role as a villain?” James finally looks at the camera and whispers “Maybe I should just disappear?” as the view cuts off a la a television screen shutting off. The image returns to a floating head of James surrounded by floating heads of his friends and the text “blah blah blah” as James asks “Should I stop listening to my friends? They’re my friends.” James then asks “Should I try acting?” as the ad shows James in a Miami Vice parody complete with actor Don Johnson. James then asks “Should I make you laugh? Should I read you a soulful poem?” accompanied by a sequence of James delivering a poem in what appears to be a poetry slam café. James then asks the viewer “Should I just clear the decks and start over?” while he takes a bulldozer to a basketball court. The advertisement ends with James again asking “What should I do?” while quick shots from the commercial are flashed on-screen until the viewer sees one last image of James driving a basketball to the hoop, leaving the reader with one last question: “Should I be who you want me to be?” The commercial then ends with the words “JUST DO IT” imposed on a plain background followed by the Nike logo.

            James’ ad with Nike is a somber, sometimes humorous, response to the outrage he faced after his decision to join the Miami Heat. In that vein, James and Nike attempted to redirect the flow of animosity away from James and create a new, more human image of James. Shots of James as a teenager and his driving past Quicken Loans Arena are examples of Nike attempting to portray James in a more sympathetic light, as an individual who had no bad intentions when going through his decision. James’ rhetorical question “What should I do?” itself serves as a response to the heavy burden he bears as a high profile celebrity, one that often robs celebrities of personal freedom and expression. James’ final question to the viewer at the end of “Should I be who you want me to be?” is perhaps the most powerful line delivered, evoking Muhammad Ali’s own defiant desire to be his own man in an era where racial prejudice was more prominent. The advertisement itself features little music in it, contributing to the somber tone that attempts to evoke sympathy and understanding for LeBron and his Decision.

            In contrast to the more serious moments of his advertisement, James also utilizes humor to bring levity to the situation. Scenes of James acting in an episode of Miami Vice with actor Don Johnson and reciting poetry are all ridiculous scenarios for the athlete to find himself in, but here they are presented as a means of highlighting the ridiculous nature of the controversy surrounding James. At the end of the day, James is merely an athlete playing a sports game. In a world filled with issues like poverty and genocide, a man switching teams loses significance. Furthermore, humorous situations like those shown in the advertisement humanize James in a different way from the more somber approach described earlier; humor shows that James, a two-time MVP in the NBA, is not above poking fun at himself and making himself look silly. By combining humor with a more serious rhetorical narrative, James seemingly had the right material to soothe the public’s anger against him.

            Unfortunately for James, the public remained as angry as ever. James’ advertisement, released in October 2010, seemingly did little to affect the public’s opinion of him as evidenced in his precipitous drop in popular according to the Q Scores Company. Cleveland Cavaliers’ fans in particular were even more scathing of James after his ad, as they “peppered him with obscene chants and booed every time he appeared on the giant TV screens beneath the scoreboard” and even produced their own video response deriding their former hero for his actions. Can we explain the ineffectiveness of James’ advertisement despite its rhetorical quality both visually and verbally?

            Teresa Brennan, Sara Ahmed, and Jenny Edbauer can all help us contextualize LeBron’s plight through a variety of different theories. In her book The Transmission of Affect, Teresa Brennan deals with the belief that emotions and energies can be transmitted among people and perhaps more importantly, that there is no distinct barrier between an individual and his/her environment. This lies in contrast to the commonly held belief that individuals hold emotion and affect within a discrete barrier that is closed off from the world. As such, affect can be transmitted easily through crowds, almost like a contagion. This affect “can override an individual’s personal affective response,” thus allowing an individual to be caught up in the flow of emotion surrounding him or her (Brennan 68). In LeBron’s case, the transmission of affect is one possible contributor to the public’s rage-fueled frenzy against him. A crowded basketball stadium is the perfect scenario for an individual to “’become an automaton who has ceased to be guided by his will’” (Brennan 54). This individual, surrounded by angry fans and detractors of James, will also become an angry LeBron James hater. Indeed, the very image of an aggressive crowd can raise testosterone levels in men; more broadly, any image can set off an increase or decrease in certain hormone levels (Brennan 72). Thus, “the crowd becomes more than the sum of its parts” (Brennan 72) and anger at James reaches an unprecedented fever pitch.

            Sara Ahmed’s “Affective Economies” adds another layer to the heated emotions surrounding LeBron and his ill-fated “Decision.” Ahmed proposes in “Affective Economies” that “affect does not reside in an object or sign, but is an effect of the circulation between objects and signs” (Ahmed 122). That is, emotions are not contained within a subject like LeBron James but are circulated among multiple subjects. Ahmed specifically mentions the emotion of hate, noting that “hate does not reside in a given subject or object. Hate is economic; it circulates between signifiers in relationships of difference and displacement” (Ahmed 119). In this scenario, James is not the sole subject of hate; instead, he is part of a larger narrative in which he aligns “different figures or objects of hate” (Ahmed 119). James is then the unifying subject in which concepts such as betrayal, cowardice, and disloyalty are figuratively “stuck” to James. Consequently, James’ decision to leave his former team did not positively make anger or hate reside within him but it did bind the public against him. The difficulty for LeBron then becomes “unsticking” himself from the words “coward” and “disloyal,” just as it is difficult for “the bodies who

“could be terrorists” are the ones who might “look Muslim.” (Ahmed 132). Indeed, Ahmed notes that “The work done by metonymy means that it can remake links… even when arguments are made that seem to unmake those links” (Ahmed 132). In the case of LeBron’s advertisement, images like LeBron sitting in a set similar to the one in which he announced his decision to leave Cleveland and the dramatic drop of his poster become painful reminders of James’ seeming betrayal. As a result, the affect of hate continues to be circulated around LeBron, unaffected by any of the humor or serious appeals made by LeBron in his advertisement.

            Jenny Edbauer’s “Unframing Models of Public Distribution: From Rhetorical Situation to Rhetorical Ecologies” provides another unique outlook on the failure of LeBron to repair his public image through his advertisement. In her article, Edbauer argues that “rhetorical situations operate within a network of lived practical consciousness or structures of feeling” (Edbauer 5). In contrast to traditional models of the rhetorical situation as a rather static framework focused on audience, exigence, and constraints, Edbauer suggests that rhetorical situations are more organic and ecological in nature. Edbauer’s proposal of a shift from rhetorical situation to rhetorical ecologies uses the popular “Keep Austin Weird” slogan as an example of public rhetoric changing according to its situation; in the case of “Keep Austin Weird”, from a stand against big business to a broader badge of honor for a city. Edbauer observed that the “Keep Austin Weird” rhetoric changed to suit different audiences, even spawning popular counter-slogans like “Make Austin Normal,” thus illustrating that “counter-rhetorics directly respond to and resist the original exigence” (Edbauer 19). Nike’s “LeBron Rise” also spawned two prominent counter-ads, which served to undermine James’ attempt to restore his image by challenging James’ original message. The first of these counter-ads was made by a group of Cleveland Cavaliers fans, in which they offered scathing and unsympathetic responses to James’ rhetorical questions in his advertisement. The second counter-ad was created by Tom Hinueber, a 21-year-old college student at UNLV, by splicing footage of “LeBron Rise” with an earlier commercial done by basketball legend Michael Jordan in 2008 titled “Maybe.” Hineuber’s edit, titled “Maybe You Should Rise,” saw Jordan respond to LeBron’s questions within the context of his own legacy, telling James “Maybe I destroyed the game. Or maybe, you’re just making excuses.” Both counter-ads are examples of Edbauer’s ecology of rhetoric, in which LeBron’s advertisement was shaped by different rhetors with a different exigence. I posit that these counter-ads, which received significant attention themselves, reinforced an affect of hate toward James by rhetorically emphasizing his shortcomings through the fans themselves and through the words of a legendary sporting figure.

            What can be said for LeBron James’ future? Theorists like Teresa Brennan, Sara Ahmed, and Jenny Edbauer provide us with many useful frameworks for examining James’ current predicament with his once adoring public. Brennan’s theory on the transmission of affect offers a compelling explanation for the unusual animosity displayed against James at games, showing that the frenzy of hatred toward a subject can be and oftentimes is extremely contagious.  Ahmed’s theory of affective economies demonstrates the difficulty in breaking the circulation of certain affects because of the fact that affects do not positively reside in a subject or object, a dilemma for James and his public attempt to redirect the anger currently pushed on him. And Edbauer’s model of rhetoric as an ecology helps explain the existence of counter-ads made by third-parties, which in turn refocus hostility toward James. The lessons here can just as easily be applied to an actor or a politician wishing to remake a public image or shape a new one.

            In the end, LeBron James may simply have to ride this current hatred out and hope that the public’s memory is a short one. Other superstar athletes like Kobe Bryant and Ben Roethlisberger have recovered from sexual assault scandals to return to a state of public adoration. While advertisements like “LeBron Rise” may not be effective in changing public perception, a championship ring just might do the trick. Until then, James will just have to deal with the heat in Miami.

Works Cited

Ahmed, Sara. “Affective Economies.” Social Text 22.2 (2004):117-139. Web. 4 May 2011.

Brennan, Teresa. The Transmission of Affect. Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2004. Print.

DuPree, David. “King James’ next conquest.” USA Today. 21 Apr. 2006. Web. 4 May 2011.

Edbauer, Jenny. “Unframing Models of Public Distribution: From Rhetorical Situation to Rhetorical Ecologies.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly 35.4 (2005):5-23. Web. 4 May 2011.

Gilbert, Dan. “Open Letter to Fans from Cavaliers Majority Owner Dan Gilbert.” Web. 4 May

2011.

Kaplan, Thomas. “James Faces Jeering, but Little Competition.” The New York Times. 31 Oct.

2010. Web. 4 May 2011.

Rovell, Darren. “LeBron's Q Score Takes Huge Hit.” CNBC. 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 4 May 2011.

Wieden+Kennedy. “LeBron Rise.” Nike. 2010.

           

           

Final Project: Draft

https://docs.google.com/document/d/17LzGjZsi6nIlvFTxhZ4c6JQMRhhFBDYPCvIvbctJAYg/edit?hl=en&authkey=CM6X7voG

Visual Argument Revision

Revision notes: I changed the title of my Prezi to more accurately match my analysis. I also tweaked my claim and goals within my analysis.            

             In my presentation titled “The End of a Dream,” I make the claim that the American Dream is a delicate and fragile goal in today’s world. Most of us are familiar with the concept of the American Dream and we all strive to reach that promised land of success and prosperity. However, many Americans are also critical of those who have seemingly failed to achieve the American Dream, claiming that those individuals are simply lazy and unmotivated. In doing so, we often scorn and deride those who ask for help in reaching their goals. My presentation aims to remind us that the American Dream is a fragile concept that is often shattered despite our best efforts.

            My first image is of a group of young college graduates smiling triumphantly after what one would assume is their graduation ceremony. For many Americans, graduating from college is the first step towards becoming a true adult and finding a career that will sustain you for the rest of your life. As college students, most of us identify strongly with the goal of graduating and finding a job, thus eliciting some emotions of eagerness, hope, and happiness. The following image is of a young couple surveying the classic American home complete with green grass and a white fence. For many Americans, home ownership has been symbolic of the American Dream, the surest sign that one has made it in life. These two images together are designed to remind the viewer of the common goals that we all share in our pursuit of the American Dream, evoking a sense of fondness, content, pride, and optimism.

            The next series of images are more somber as they depict a kind of fall from grace. The third image is a black and white photo of a man clutching his head in seeming grief as the stock listings loom before him. This image is representative of the financial crisis that we are all familiar with and more specifically, the first step that led professionals like the ones depicted in the second image toward the end of their dreams. The next image is a photo of a child crying as her parents argue in the background, an image that probably became more common as families across America began to feel the stress and pressure from the crisis. These two images inspire not only anger at the financial crisis but sadness and sympathy for those who suffered as a result of the financial collapse. The fifth image is of a young woman looking despondently at a past due bill notice. This is another image that likely became more common as people lost their jobs and livelihoods, thus preventing them from meeting their financial obligations. The sixth image is a cartoon of a man evicted from his home, another image all too common as part of the housing collapse. The fifth and sixth images both evoke sadness and pity in the viewer as they can sympathize with the trials that many Americans were forced to face as a result of the financial crisis. The seventh image shows a long line of people standing in front of a Californian Employment Development Department while the final image depicts a homeless man holding a cardboard sign stating "Will code HTML for food." In conjunction with the previous images, these two photos show that not only do the ranks of the homeless include those who held reputable jobs but that they are still human beings who continue to look for work but simply cannot find any. As a result, the viewer feels not only sadness and pity, but also shame as they realize that many of these homeless were once people well on their way to achieving their personal American Dream.

            Together these images are designed to make the viewer feel sadness and shame with the intent of making them rethink their views on how secure and attainable the American Dream is today. The sadness felt by the audience at the plight of regular people who become homeless combined with the shame felt as the viewer realizes he or she has unfairly demonized human beings who may just have been victims of circumstance translates those emotions to a new belief: the American Dream is no longer something that one can secure through hard work and perseverance, but is now a far more fragile goal that is more vulnerable to outside influences. With this in mind, I hope the viewer can rethink their concept of the American Dream and of how they view people who seemingly cannot or will not pursue that goal.

Photo Credits:

First image: http://www.cs.wayne.edu/~suj/Retention/index.htm 4/4/11

Second image: http://austinpubliclibraryblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/rethinking-american-dream.html 3/30/11

Third image: http://www.world-crisis.net/ 3/30/11

Fourth image: http://nwso.net/2010/05/20/co-parenting-skills/ 3/30/11

Fifth image: http://blog.gocollege.com/the-college-students-guide-to-personal-finance/ 4/4/11

Sixth image: http://www.foreclosuredataonline.com/blog/foreclosure-crisis/foreclosure-crisis-the-booming-foreclosure-crisis/ 3/30/11

Seventh image: http://www.the-iss.com/2010/05/alternate_careers_for_when_the_1.php/ 4/4/11

Eighth image: http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/has-the-american-dream-been-outsourced 3/30/11

A Perfect World Without Rhetoric

Lloyd Bitzer presents a theory of situation in his piece "The Rhetorical Situation." I personally found this to be a nice change of pace from the material presented in Edbauer-Rice, Massumi, Brennan, etc. Bitzer writes that "It seems clear that rhetoric is situational" (3) which I agree for the most part. That is, I agree that "Rhetorical discourse is called into existence by situation" (9); Bitzer uses Kennedy's assassination as an example of the situation generating specific types of rhetorical discourse that included an explanation of the events, reassurance that the transfer of government would be orderly, etc. I think overall Bitzer presents a nice theory of rhetorical situation, although it is perhaps a little one-dimensional and it certainly doesn't involve the way we've discussed how affect surrounds us.

Instead, I want to focus in a bit on something Bitzer says near the end of his piece that "In the best of all possible worlds, there would be communication perhaps, but no rhetoric — since exigences would not arise" (13). I have to disagree strongly with this sentiment. It seems to me that communication inherently involves exigence even with Bitzer's definition of exigence as "imperfection marked by urgency" (6). Bitzer's supposed best world sounds, as Professor Davis mentioned in class, a hell. Perhaps I am being too nitpicky on a single sentence but it just seems difficult for me to conceive of any world as being better without rhetoric; I suppose things might be clearer and more direct but I'm sure that life would also be infinitely more dry and boring.

Final Project Proposal

Final Project Proposal

Overview: I plan to do a rhetorical analysis of a television commercial advertisement that is the equivalent of an 8-10 page research paper. This analysis will utilize the theories of various authors we've discussed in class and argue for a specific interpretation of the kind of emotional appeals being made visually and verbally in the advertisement. The final project will be linked to the webfolio and condensed into a 4-5 minute presentation for the class.

Specifics:

1) I will be using Nike's television commercial titled "LeBron Rise" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdtejCR413c) as the focal point of my analysis. I intend to analyze the rhetorical situation surrounding the production of this commercial and inform my audience of the various ways that Nike and LeBron James attempted to appeal to an audience beyond basketball fans. I also intend to use a fan-made edit of the same commercial as a comparison to highlight the different appeals being made (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEVCjUG1Mww).

2) I will develop a claim, which tentatively is “LeBron James' commercial is an example of emotional appeals attempting but ultimately failing to change the public's disapproval of James' character and actions."

3) My analysis will involve:

• A visual and verbal analysis of the content of the commercials 
• An analysis of the context surrounding the commercials drawing on outside sources
• Evidence for the claim through the use of one or more of the authors studied in class and other statistics

4) My presentation will utilize PowerPoint as accompaniment to my oral comments. This presentation will be given in class on May 3rd/May 5th.

5) The project will go through an oral workshop on Tuesday, April 26th and a formal peer review on Thursday, April 28th.

7) The final project will be posted on the blog and linked to the webfolio by May 5th.

Visual Argument

           In my presentation titled “The Fall,” I make the claim that not all homeless people are crazy substance-abusers who don’t deserve our help and pity. Most of us have interacted with the homeless in some fashion and we often do our best to pass them by, whether it’s by stuffing our headphones into our ears or simply ignoring their calls. The homeless have commonly been characterized as substance-abusers or people too lazy to get on their feet, which leads us to view them oftentimes without pity and even disgust. My presentation aims to remind us that many of the homeless are just victims of circumstance and deserve as much compassion as any other person.

            My first image is of a group of young college graduates smiling triumphantly after what one would assume is their graduation ceremony. For many Americans, graduating from college is the first step towards becoming a true adult and finding a career that will sustain you for the rest of your life. As college students, most of us identify strongly with the goal of graduating and finding a job, thus eliciting some emotions of eagerness, hope, and happiness. The following image is of a young couple surveying the classic American home complete with green grass and a white fence. For many Americans, home ownership has been symbolic of the American Dream, the surest sign that one has made it in life. All of us identify strongly with our homes, something the homeless no longer have.  These two images together are designed to remind the viewer of the common goals they and the homeless all share in our pursuit of the American Dream, evoking a sense of fondness, content, pride, and optimism.

            The next series of images are more somber as they depict a kind of fall from grace. The third image is a black and white photo of a man clutching his head in seeming grief as the stock listings loom before him. This image is representative of the financial crisis that we are all familiar with and more specifically, the first step that led professionals like the ones depicted in the second image down the path to homelessness. The next image is a photo of a child crying as her parents argue in the background, an image that probably became more common as families across America began to feel the stress and pressure from the crisis. These two images inspire not only anger at the financial crisis but sadness and sympathy for those who suffered as a result of the financial collapse. The fifth image is of a young woman looking despondently at a past due bill notice. This is another image that likely became more common as people lost their jobs and livelihoods, thus preventing them from meeting their financial obligations. The sixth image is a cartoon of a man evicted from his home, another image all too common as part of the housing collapse. The fifth and sixth images both evoke sadness and pity in the viewer as they can sympathize with the trials that many Americans were forced to face as a result of the financial crisis. The seventh image shows a long line of people standing in front of a Californian Employment Development Department while the final image depicts a homeless man holding a cardboard sign stating "Will code HTML for food." In conjunction with the previous images, these two photos show that not only do the ranks of the homeless include those who held reputable jobs but that they are still human beings who continue to look for work but simply cannot find any. As a result, the viewer feels not only sadness and pity, but also shame as they realize some of their conceptions of the homeless may not be entirely true.

            Together these images are designed to make the viewer feel sadness and shame with the intent of making them rethink their views on who the homeless really are. The sadness felt by the audience at the plight of regular people who become homeless combined with the shame felt as the viewer realizes he or she has unfairly demonized human beings who may just have been victims of circumstance translates those emotions to a new belief: the homeless are not all crazy druggies and drunks who don’t deserve help and pity. With this in mind, I hope the viewer can look upon the homeless in a different and more sympathetic light.

Photo Credits:
First image: http://www.cs.wayne.edu/~suj/Retention/index.htm 4/4/11

Second image: http://austinpubliclibraryblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/rethinking-american-dream.html 3/30/11

Third image: http://www.world-crisis.net/ 3/30/11

Fourth image: http://nwso.net/2010/05/20/co-parenting-skills/ 3/30/11
Fifth image: http://blog.gocollege.com/the-college-students-guide-to-personal-finance/ 4/4/11
Sixth image: http://www.foreclosuredataonline.com/blog/foreclosure-crisis/foreclosure-crisis-the-booming-foreclosure-crisis/ 3/30/11

Seventh image: http://www.the-iss.com/2010/05/alternate_careers_for_when_the_1.php/ 4/4/11

Eighth image: http://endoftheamericandream.com/archives/has-the-american-dream-been-outsourced 3/30/11

Written Pathetic Appeal

My written pathetic appeal addresses the growing focus on athletic programs at American universities.  I argue that this increased focus is financially detrimental to most universities and fails to aid in the academic mission of universities in others.  In order to convey my message, I cite the works of others and use indignant language to express my incredulity over what I perceive to be a ridiculous and infuriating situation.  I also try to employ enargeia with a hypothetical scenario.  I hope my readers feel anger and shame after reading my appeal, which will move them to push for a reform of the current athletic model, or at the very least rethink their stance on university athletics.  It's my wish that readers will interpret their anger and shame as results of the deplorable behavior of many athletic departments, moving them to protest against the system and call for change.

Appeal

A Hoot in the Dark: The Evolution of General Rhetoric

George Kennedy presents a series of  theses arguing that rhetoric is prior to things like speech and writing, using observations on animal communication to do so.  While I was intrigued by some of his propositions, I did find myself questioning some of his theories.  I was particularly skeptical of thesis VI ("Among the traditional parts of rhetoric (invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery), delivery is prior to the others") and thesis VIII ("Rhetorical invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery are phenomena of nature and prior to speech").

While I agreed with Kennedy's assessment that "Physical motion in response to some exigence occurs in the earliest and most primitive forms of life" (Kennedy 12), I was not convinced that that meant delivery comes before parts of rhetoric like invention.  I can certainly conceive of delivery coming before memory, style, and arrangement, but it seems highly unlikely to me for delivery to always come before invention.  Although Kennedy notes that he is referring to "action, not subtleties of vocalization" (Kennedy 12) when talking about delivery, I find that even this can't be held as a good rule.  I don't think everyone makes a discernible physical motion in response to someone's speech, unless the action of opening the mouth counts.

My criticism of thesis VIII is similar to that of thesis VI, namely that I can't see Kennedy's listed categories of rhetoric as always being prior to speech.  Perhaps I missed something in my reading, but does a baby's first words necessarily indicate that rhetorical invention took place before he/she said something?  I understand memory and delivery coming before that, but I can't get my head around rhetorical invention being prior to speech.

Damasio - Feelings vs Emotions

In chapter 7 of Descartes' Error, Damasio discusses the distinction between feelings and emotions.  Damasio further divides feelings into three varieties: feelings of basic universal emotions, feelings of subtle universal emotions, and background feelings.  The discussion of background feelings is particularly interesting to me; Damasio rather eloquently describes it as "not the Verdi of grand emotion, nor the Stravinsky of intellectualized emotion but rather a minimalist in tone and beat, the feeling of life itself, the sense of being" (Damasio 150).  Damasio argues that these background feelings, which corresponds to "the body state prevailing between emotions" (Damasio 150), are so important that without them "the very core of your representation of self would be broken" (Damasio 151).  Drawing from this view, Damasio proposes that the reason anosognosics have irrational responses and inappropriate emotions and feelings is due to a lack of ability to sense the current body state, which is is connected with background feeling.

What I began to think about was the connection between this background feeling and instincts, but of a slightly different kind than the animalistic instincts Damasio discusses earlier in the book.  Rather, I wonder how this applies to instincts in activities like sports or music, perhaps what Aristotle would have called knacks.  Is there a difference in a person having a good feel for a sport and performing the right move or play, and in the ability of a person to respond appropriately to a situation? Or to ask a different question, would a pro athlete be able to continue his/her high level of play after suffering an injury like Phineas Gage's?  I guess it would be unlikely, but how does this explain the gifts of so-called autistic savants?

Nussbaum - Emotion and Rationality

Martha Craven Nussbaum makes an interesting distinction between Aristotle and Socrates view of emotion when she states "Unlike the Socrates of the Republic, Aristotle does not believe that the good person, the person of practical wisdom, is 'sufficient unto himself' for eudaimonia, and therefore impervious to grief and fear" (Nussbaum 314).  As Nussbaum noted, Socrates berated his friends for their grief just prior to his death, as he believed it contrary to his "search for understanding without fear, resentment, or mourning" (Nussbaum 314).  Today, it seems that we've come to embrace Aristotle's view on the role of emotions.  That is, I feel that most people would agree with Aristotle's assessment that "it is right to grieve at the death of a friend, since that is an acknowledgment of the importance of the tie and the person" (Nussbaum 314).  Stoicism is now often seen as a sign of disinterest, a lack of passion, or plain rudeness depending on who you're talking to.  We expect people to be angry when a serious grievance is brought against them and to show grief when a loved one has passed on.  In this way, emotions become "recognitions of truth and value" (Nussbaum 316).

And yet I think there remains a popular domain in which Socrates' view that "there will be no room for the emotions of pity, fear, and grief" (Nussbaum 313): the male view of masculinity.  It seems that masculinity is often defined in ways that don't allow for men to show any so-called "soft" emotions.  Boys playing sports are told to "suck it up" or "walk it off" when feeling pain, even when that pain is terrible enough to bring tears.  Any sense of fear or grief is often met with any number of emasculating terms that I'm sure we're all familiar with.  The only socially acceptable emotions for people who subscribe to this viewpoint are emotions like anger.  Obviously, this isn't a hard and fast rule; there are plenty of cases where the "sensitive" male is appreciated and wanted, especially today.  However, it's a bit discomforting to know that the popular view of masculinity is still extremely prevalent in our society.  Nussbaum writes that "Rationality recognizes truth; the recognition of some ethical truths is impossible without emotion; indeed, certain emotions centrally involve such recognitions" (317); if this is this case, what happens to deliberation when we refuse to recognize these emotions?

Visual Analysis: Brand Irony 1 - Just Do It

          

            The image above was photographed by Sharad Haksar, an award-winning advertising photographer and founder of advertising agency 1pointsize.  I originally found the image on the blog Fresh Pics (http://freshpics.blogspot.com/2008/09/brand-irony-by-sharad-haksar.html) but the image is also available as part of Haksar’s portfolio on his personal website.  The image, though it appears to be advertising Nike, is actually part of a series entitled “Brand Irony” which portrays ironic juxtapositions of famous brands around India.  Besides offering a humorous look at ironic product advertising, Haksar's "Brand Irony" series seems to also address issues of globalization and overaggressive advertising.  Although Haksar’s photo is not advertising the Nike brand per se, it appeals to the same audience of young and active people between the ages of 16 and 40.  More generally, Haksar’s photo addresses anybody on the Internet with an interest in photograph and advertising, especially given its ubiquity on other advertising and photography related sites. 

            The initial emotions this image evokes stem from joy and surprise.  The famous Nike Swoosh and its accompanying slogan “Just Do It” immediately inspires thrill and excitement in the viewer, due in large part because of Nike’s large media presence and association with athleticism.  The image of the boy urinating on the wall as a dog looks on is humorous, especially in contrast with the bold Nike logo and slogan, creating a surprising twist on the phrase “Just Do It.”  On closer inspection, however, the humor and thrill associated with the boy and Nike give way to feelings of anger and sadness.  The impoverished look of the barefoot boy along with his dirty surroundings leads the viewer to feel sad and even pity, pity for a child who looks like he cannot afford the shoes that Nike often advertises.  Even the dog next to the boy is a tiny and ragged creature, one that probably scavenges anything it finds to survive.  One would probably feel a little guilt and remorse for partaking in the commercial enterprises of Nike, and possibly even anger at Nike for advertising its products in an area where most people probably can’t afford to get the latest high-performance gear.  Nike's controversial history with sweatshops in countries like India is also brought up with the grimy conditions of the image.  The slogan “Just Do It” then becomes a motto that brings shame to the viewer and anger against Nike; for this boy and many others, life doesn’t offer the opportunity to “Just Do It”.

            With that in mind, the purpose of Haksar’s image changes drastically.  Rather than asking its viewer to buy Nike products, the photo asks the viewer to reconsider the heavy commercialism of corporations such as Nike and how they affect the communities in which they conduct business.  In another sense, Haksar’s photo also brings attention to the poverty of children in India and around the world, children who are unable to afford the types of products that Nike offers and yet are exposed to its tantalizing allure on the street.

            A complicated set of interpretations leads the viewer of Haksar’s photo to reconsider Nike’s aggressive advertising and business practices in countries like India.  If the viewer doesn’t move past the initial humor of the image, they may interpret the image as a clever example of advertising and consequently be compelled to purchase Nike in the future.  The true interpretation, however, arises from the feelings of shame and disgust that arise as one realizes that the boy in the image is not only unable to participate in the world that Nike advertises but is also completely disinterested.  The viewer experiences these feelings and translates it to a sense of resentment or just reconsideration of Nike, its business practices, and the lives of impoverished children.  Ultimately, Haksar’s image asks its viewer to consider the ethics of Nike’s advertising and the truth of its famous slogan.

            Haksar’s image doesn’t directly appeal to Aristotle’s stereotypical types.  Instead, Haksar’s photo depends on class classifications; that is, the photo relies on its viewer being part of the middle to upper-class of society, or some segment that can afford and purchases products produced by companies like Nike.  These are the people who probably view Nike’s creative advertisements and purchase Nike’s apparel without a second thought, which is the group that Sarkar is targeting.  On a very basic level, Sarkar assumes his audience believes in equity and humane treatment; otherwise, the image of a shirtless and shoeless boy peeing on a wall in a dirty street is an empty pathetic appeal.  In the end, Sarkar’s photo asks its viewer to consider one question: is life really so simple that you can say “Just Do It”?

Aristotle and the Young

In chapter 12 of Book 2, Aristotle describes the character of young people.  Among some of the things that Aristotle says about young men are that they "have strong passions, and tend to gratify them indiscriminately" and that "While they love honour, they love victory still more; for youth is eager for superiority over others, and victory is one form of this" (Aristotle 84).  Aristotle also writes that the young have "exalted notions, because they have not yet been humbled by life or learnt its necessary limitations; moreover, their hopeful disposition makes them think themselves equal to great things - and that means having exalted notions" and that "They would always rather do noble deeds than useful ones" (Aristotle 85).  In a very broad sense, I'd say that Aristotle is pretty accurate in his assessment of the character of youth.  After all, I think we've all had first-hand experience with the capriciousness of youth.

And yet I think the problems with Aristotle's fondness of categorizing things by opposites are also inherent in his description of youth.  Aristotle seemingly contradicts what he says about the young having exalted notions when he also writes "They are shy, accepting the rules of society in which they have been trained, and not yet believing in any other standard of honour" (Aristotle 84).  It seems to me that young people cannot be both accepting of the rules of society and be ignorant of life's "necessary limitations".  Furthermore, I feel like today's youth exhibit many of the characteristics Aristotle attributes to old people such as distrust and cynicism.  Maybe it's because of how accessible information is and the faster pace of life today, but I get the feeling that young people today are perhaps a little more jaded than how Aristotle described them.  Which isn't to say that Aristotle's guidelines shouldn't be used; rather, his descriptions in certain aspects need revision to be more applicable to today's audience.

Envy and Emulation - Aristotle's Rhetoric Book 2, Ch. 1-11

Aristotle discusses several emotions throughout chapters 2 through 11 of Book 2 and "how they may be produced or dissipated, and upon which depend the persuasive arguments connected with the emotions" (Aristotle 83).  The emotions he presents are all presented as opposites, as in Fear and Confidence.  For the most part, Aristotle's distinctions seem to make a lot of intuitive sense; for example, fear and confidence are two distinctively contrasting emotions that would be difficult to mix-up.  However, Aristotle's distinction between Envy and Emulation are less convincing.  Aristotle defines Envy as "a pain at the sight of such good fortune as consists of the good things already mentioned; we feel it towards our equals; not with the idea of getting something for ourselves, but because the other people have it" (Aristotle 81).  Emulation, on the other hand, is "pain caused by seeing the presence, in persons whose nature is like our own, of good things that are highly valued and are possible for ourselves to acquire; but it is felt not because others have these goods, but because we have not got them ourselves" (Aristotle 82).  Aristotle further distinguishes between Envy and Emulation in that "Emulation makes us take steps to secure the good things in question, envy makes us take steps to stop our neighbour having them" (Aristotle 83).

It seems to me that Aristotle's definitions of these two emotions aren't very good, at least considering a modern audience; when I am envious of someone, I feel it not only because other people have a good thing but also because I want it for myself.  While envy might make me try to prevent someone from having the thing I want, say by telling a friend a certain toy is sold out when I really want it for myself, it would also make me want to "secure the good things" as well.  I would also be hesitant to call Emulation as a painful emotion, since it seems to me that in feeling emulation I feel like I'm aspiring to better things, which in turn makes me feel happy.  I'm curious as to whether it might be better to consider Emulation as a type of Envy; that is, a person might be envious of a particular quality of a person but may not necessarily try to emulate him/her.  Maybe the two are too closely connected to separate cleanly like Aristotle does.  After all, don't most commercials simultaneously arouse envy and emulation in us by making us want their product so that we can be like the cool person using said product on TV?

The Race

Spectators in the stands buzz with anticipation and roar as their favorite sprinters, clad in the colors of their country, are announced for the 100 meter dash.  The vibration from the stands, the glare of the lights, the cool voice of the starter with his cap and gun, the clink of track spikes on the red track; all blissfully calming sounds for the veteran who has seen and felt all this throughout his storied career.  The veteran has raced and won against record holders but knows that no man outruns Father Time, knows that the aches and pains that run through his body even now are painful reminders of his pending retirement.  But as the starter commands the field to get ready, the hum in the stadium subsides into a perfect silence until the only sound is the veteran's heart, pounding as if it'll burst at any second.  The cool breeze, the softness of the track, and the beat of his heart; this is the time for pain, for prestige, for an old lion to roar gloriously one last time.

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