If midterms have been plaguing you for the past few weeks, you might have missed the ads run by Americans for Prosperity (AFP), an organization that fights for free market economics. The latest ads encourage us to stop Congress from wasting money on “green” programs in response to recent climate change, also known as global warming. Be sure to watch with caution, as these advertisements, particularly the television ad with Carlton, are extremely effective because they include the classic three means of persuasion: ethos, logos, and pathos.
The commercial starts off with a posh man introducing himself as a “wealthy eco-hyprocrite” named Carlton, intended to represent former Vice President Al Gore, Nobel Peace Prize winner. He comes from old money and endorses the government’s current direction towards green programs that are footed by us, the taxpayers. Carlton notes that using resources on these programs could cause unemployment, higher energy bills, and make the recession even more severe. He concludes that he might profit from these programs. The commercial ends with a voice-over that asks: “Isn’t it time Congress listened to us and got its science and priorities straight?” This particular commercial targets average taxpayers who have felt the recent economic stress.
The first rhetoric appeal, ethos, is an ethical one that attempts to build credibility. With a name like Americans for Prosperity, who would dare question its authority? Names such as this follow in the footsteps of previous legislation such as the Patriot Act or the No Child Left Behind Act. The names alone lead us to believe that dissenting from an organization called Americans for Prosperity makes us unpatriotic and economically backwards. Past commercials have also had an ethical appeal. In a different commercial, AFP quoted John Coleman, the founder of the Weather Channel. Coleman states that global warming was a hoax and “the greatest scam in history.” Quoting a television weatherman adds a figure of authority, but is also very misleading. One person, whether he be a weatherman or a Nobel Peace Prize winner, should not be the sole voice on an issue, particularly a scientific issue. Coleman’s opinion was just that, an opinion. Many scientists will defend Coleman’s views, but many more have done studies that reject them.
According to Aristotle, logos is the appeal to reasoning. In contemporary times, reasoning gets muddled by biased facts. AFP realized this and kept their facts to a minimum, increasing its effectiveness in the process. Its Carlton commercial includes real — yet distorted — facts at the bottom of the screen. One such fact informs us that “man-made CO2 is less than one one-hundredth of one percent of the atmosphere.” This fact suggests that human impact on the environment is irrelevant. What the commercial fails to mention are the correlations between increased carbon dioxide emissions and the rise in global temperature since the Industrial Revolution.
AFP does not stop there with its reasoning. We realize that there is a recession and keeping our jobs and saving money have become top priorities. When someone like Carlton, or something like Congress, presents themselves as obstacles to our economic progress, it is natural for us to feel worried. AFP realizes that economic issues are more immediate than environmental issues. If we push environmental concerns into the background, we would be playing into its hands.
The appeal to pathos is the most apparent rhetorical tool. The genius is only apparent if the ad hominem fallacy — any personal attack — is overlooked. Carlton is portrayed as an old-money, fancy elitist. He consumes more than his share of energy, but still talks about saving the planet. This hypocrite elicits anger from the hard worker that pays for programs that benefit people like him. This emotion forces the audience to disagree with everything Carlton says, and they eventually resent everything that he represents. Associating Carlton with manipulative advocates of clean energy is nothing short of genius.
The days of fear mongering have been ousted by the return to classical rhetoric. Unfortunately, AFP uses these rhetorical tools so effectively that we end up believing them. Their arguments may be logical, but they also require ignorance on our behalf. If we take what they say as pure fact, we would be allowing the new wave of misleading advertising to dominate our actions. The antidote is simply to inform yourself on the issue and find ways to deal with climate change.
Hung Vu is a Viewpoint Writer for The Cavalier Daily.
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