Sunday, August 9, 2009
I Wonder...
This is what i am wondering about in my head right now: Could the way we express ourselves show how much we don't think about things such as what we buy or how we listen to a person? In chapter four of Postman's book, Postman goes over the Lincoln-Douglas debate to tell the reader that this debate was a "preeminent example of political discourse in the mid-nineteenth century" and "illustrate[s] the power of typography to control the character of that discourse". He is basically saying that the way that they presented themselves in this debate got the audience's attention and "controlled" them so that they were on whoever's side they chose to be on. What I am really asking is: Could the way someone presents themselves change the way we think about a certain subject? It's kind of like saying would you listen to someone who really puts their mind and soul to a subject that he/she really cares about, or listening to some type of cartoon character that we like because of how they sound or if they're on your favorite show? It confuses me a little. Could anybody help me out here?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"Could the way we express ourselves show how much we don't think about things..."
ReplyDeleteYes
"Could the way someone presents themselves change the way we think about a certain subject?"
Yes
The study of rhetoric and persuasion is focused on this issue exactly. If you sit quietly and think about these questions a little more, you'll be able to come up with dozens of examples of how this works in your own life. Advertisers DEPEND on your unconscious compliance, and often, so do policy makers and politicians.
My job is to help you WAKE UP, to leave my class at least understanding what forces are at play in communication. What you do with that information is entirely up to you. You can fall back asleep, and go through your life not understanding why you prefer Tylenol to Advil, why you want to vote for Candidate X, why you think gun control is for sissies, why you think vouchers will help public education...and when you try to sway another person, you will write obedient little essays that don't express your humanity, and in an argument with your [fill-in-the-blank], you will just try to be the loudest, most threatening voice, or the most pathetic, whiniest voice in the interaction.
I totally think that how someone presents themselves affects how much attention will be paid to them. Think about it, if Michael Moore didn’t really seem that passionate about the NRA or George W. Bush, would he still have followers? I doubt he’d get many people to watch his movies if they were filled with half-hearted phrases like, “Guns are kind of bad,” or, “Well, Bush tried but he’s not that great.” But since he is so forceful with his views, people pay attention. The way ideas are showcased is just as important as the ideas themselves.
ReplyDeleteP.S.- I like Tylenol better because it doesn’t have a yucky aftertaste :)
I agree that the way someone looks dictates the amount of attention and seriousness they receive. Plus the way they present themselves is a factor as well. The thing is that we now in our society have a certain view of how smart people look. Furthermore, we know what a smart person that is right and will do something in the word looks like. We know what liars and truth-tellers look like. We see the difference between a bad guy and a hero... or at least we do. We have a picture in our head when words like pedophile and murderer are mentioned, but what if these are just illusions of the truth created by the media we live in. This could be very dangerous in court because the members of the jury are the ones that decide the fate of another. What if they are corrupted by what they think is the truth. In modern society I think more and more people are having trouble differentiating between reality and media. I mean why else would the terminator become the Governator so easily?
ReplyDeleteNo offense.