One of the points that Jon Stewart makes on Crossfire is that too often news reporters waste what could be valuable and noteworthy news time to allow two or more people with completely different and uncompromising views to argue with each other.  He argues that this is often pointless because people from two extremes rarely if ever will be able to agree or compromise with one another.  

After reading the responses to the blog post I am following, I could not find a good illustration of Jon Stewart’s argument because all of the people who posted something generally agreed with one another and each brought up constructive ideas.  One reason that their weren’t any differing opinions could be because the blog post was located on a website called The Center for Food Safety where people who support GMOs aren’t generally going to “be.”  One thing that was a little disappointing on this blog is that no one really responded to specific, previous blogs which again could be because everyone agreed with everything that was stated.  Perhaps another reason that no one posted anything in contrast to the majority opinion is because very few people support GMOs.

On the Al Jazeera website I found several results under my search terms and many of them represented a global perspective.  Some articles had results from actions taken in the Philippines while others discussed the EU or Sri Lanka. The article entitled “Lively Debate on GM Food” can be found at the url http://english.aljazeera.net/archive/2004/02/2008410122015602439.html argues that GM foods haven’t proved to be anything they had initially claimed to be such as cheap or better quality.  The article also shows how the US seems to be one of the only countries unconcerned about the effects of GMOs.  The other article I found on Independent Media Center, http://publish.indymedia.org/en/2007/03/882915.shtml, discusses the fact that the Secretary in the Department of Agriculture has recognized the threat of one GM crop and denied its approval.  This action signifies one of the few actions taken against GM foods in the U.S. and enforces the idea that GM food is potentially dangerous to our health. 

Among the differences between the two articles, most obvious might be the fact that IndyMedia provides links to articles written for other websites while my article on Al Jazeera seems to be written solely for them.  They are both similar in that they are against GMOs and both are short, news release/updates.

Initially I was discouraged because I couldn’t find any videos promoting GMO’s but then it occurred to me that companies are not required to label their foods as such and considering the negative attention GMOs receive, are most likely not going to advertise this fact.  So in order to show the counter argument, promoting foods with GMOs, I will find commercial clips for foods that fail to mention the harmful ingredients they contain but do in fact contain GMOs. My plan is to find commercials for foods with GMOs such as many soy products, corn products, drinks with high fructose corn syrup, etc. I think there are several websites that contain information about companies that use GMOs.  

My audience for this video will be young adults and people who are familiar with commercials in the media today.  My perspective on this issues is that food industries need to say whether or not their food contains GMOs directly on the packaging like it is required in many other countries.  I also believe that GMOs need to be more closely studied before it is widely consumed by the public.  I plan on finding a video promoting a GM food perhaps with a happy family around the dinner table and then inserting clips of research findings on how GM food can be harmful to humans, the environment and other animals.

Onslaught

In the age of the 21^st century technology has enhanced visual imagery and made it near impossible to avoid.  Gorgeous and flawless women can be seen everywhere from magazines and billboards to commercials and TV shows.  In a society that values good looks, these air-brushed women set the standards high for the average person who doesn’t have the money or time for a make-up artist and wardrobe staff. Resulting from the plethora of seemingly perfect women at every turn, many “real” women as Dove has called them, develop a discontentment with the way they view themselves. This frustration can and has resulted in self-esteem issues, depression, and eating disorders among women and girls alike. 

            Dove has since sent out the message that they are going to combat this issue by using models that defy the typical standards of beauty such as young or thin.  In accordance with this intent, Dove has developed a website with tools and videos to help girls, sponsored workshops about redefining beauty and has partnered with several other national organizations promoting female empowerment. One such result of their movement can be seen in the short video entitled “Onslaught.”

            “Onslaught” is a short, yet emotional roller coaster of a video by Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and can be seen on YouTube, TV and on the Dove website. As its wide array of availability suggests, this video caters to an equally diverse audience, however its general focus is geared towards women and mothers of young girls. This targeted audience is made obvious at the end of the film with the words, “Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does” and can be deduced by the line of products Dove sells including shampoos, lotions, etc.

            In order to grab the targeted audiences attention Dove has utilized strong appeals to pathos.  Within the first 20 seconds of the film we are shown a young, elementary school aged girl whose hair blows in the wind as a shy smile slowly spreads across her face.  This girl is innocent, sweet, sensitive to her surroundings and very perceptive to how well she fits in.  In high contrast to this scene of innocence and trust the music changes from a woman humming an unidentifiable tune to a man repeating the ominous words, “Here it comes, here it comes” and the audience gets the feeling that something terrible might happen to this unknowing and trusting girl.

            Like the title of this video suggests, the film features an onslaught of beautiful women selling products to make you thinner, softer, lighter, and tighter. The succession begins rather innocently with beauty creams and athletic/fit women and then moves forward rather dangerously to plastic surgery, liposuction, diet pills and eating disorders. This quick succession of images powerfully appeals to pathos because it leaves the viewer feeling trapped and indicates that no matter how hard you might try to avoid images such as these they cannot be avoided. The ordering of images in this way however, contradicts the appeals to logos because it assumes the usual order of events a woman goes through when she is unhappy with her image will be extreme; from using beauty creams and exercising to plastic surgery.

            With more than half a million hits and a five star rating, it would be reasonable to say that this film is a popular one.  One way in which it may have earned this rating is that Dove appears to be a credible source.  As the film shows and many women know, most beauty companies make their profit by convincing women that they are flawed and in need of their product.  Dove has become popular and respected among women because women know the harmful affects that a simple marketing strategy can create and they appreciate Dove’s alternative perspective.

            In this particular video Dove proves to be a credible source by including actual commercial footage that we have all seen before of beautiful women selling their product. Dove further appeals to ethos by using “real” women for the models instead of the idealized and unrealistic female form that has caused so much discontent with women of all shapes and sizes.  Women are attracted to Dove products because they are made for real women which is just who the consumers are.

            Although Dove’s intentions seem good some might argue that Dove is trying to make a profit just like their competitors.  After watching the video “Onslaught” it appears that one of their marketing strategy is to exploit their competitors.  In this video Dove features a lot of leading beauty industries as if to say we are better than all of them.  Since Dove is trying to make a profit, we must ask ourselves, is everything they are portraying in this video actually true? The answer to that question is probably not.  Some might say Dove has over-emphasized the threat that beauty industries pose in order to win over patrons.  Certainly not all girls are going to be affected in the same way by the beauty industry as this video implies.

            Although Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty was created in an effort to include everyone, there are a few people who might feel excluded by this video.  Other beauty companies who sell their products by telling women that they aren’t good enough the way they are might find this video offensive as well as women who don’t agree with the implication that they will go to extreme measures as a result of the beauty industry’s advertisements. This fear based video suggests with its ordering of images that after viewing this unrealistic images women will progress to more and more extreme means to change their bodies.

            After effectively demonstrating a problem in our society while pulling forth the emotions of anger and fear, this film promptly suggests a solution: their Campaign for Real Beauty.  After the words “Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does,” we see “Find out more at campaignforrealbeauty.com” and “The dove self-esteem fund.”  Although the Campaign For Real Beauty is not actually a product the point of this video is similar to many product driven marketing ads; to win your support. Dove has utilized the credibility of their name, the logic of how abundant misrepresentation of the female form creates dissatisfaction in individuals and the emotions of fear and anger to motivate you into action and support their cause.  Although Dove appears to represent a product we can trust, we must still recognize that they are an industry distributing goods and as such depend on customer consumption and support in order to make a profit. 

On remixamerica the same principles are applied only in this case it is images that are rearranged or repeated instead of music.  Several of the authors took several clips from different film footage and cut them back to back in way that they found effective.  Many of these remixes are of presidential campaigns and the author is trying to persuade their audience to favor their view point.  Some videos did not cut between different images but were instead original and continuous film. These films were a little confusing to me because I thought a remix took something original and then added a personal touch to it.  Some films cut from image and image with written words between the transitions to get their point across.

The point of a remix is to allow the creator to change an original work whether it is theirs or someone else’s and imbue it with their own meaning and values.  Remix a video allows the creator to show connections that other people may not have considered.

 The rhetorical appeals utilized here, include most strongly the pathos appeal.   The producer does this by juxtaposing a sweet little 8 year old looking at you with innocent eyes and then follows this with an onslaught of commercials and products that are marketed towards “fixing” all of your flaws.  These commercials feature creams, diets, exercise regimines, and plastic surgery to name a few and instill a sense of fear that this perfect little girl will be unhappy with her self and her body when she grows up.  Going along with emotion, the song playing during this commercial repeats “here it comes” right before all of the images are shown in quick succession, giving the view a sense of being trapped.

In terms of ethos some might argue that the video is not credible because it is sponsored by a company within the beauty industry. Although this may be a marketing technique it is very different from others and some might even say it would be counter productive by encouraging women to be content with themselves and their bodies rather than trying to fix it by buying a product. I tend to believe Dove would be a credible source based on several other commercials in which they have “real” women speaking and are promoting the message that women should be happy with the way the are.

The logic in this video seems to be well supported because it provides a countless number of beauty ads many of which we are all familiar with.  We know that the producer isn’t making something up if we have seen it before.

Another video I am considering is the coca cola commercial, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1NnyE6DDnQ which many people are familiar with, either from home or from the movie theater. In this commercial a man puts a quarter in a coke machine and a complex series of events with cute little creatures unfolds in order to produce the coke.  This commercial is a good one to analyze because it shows how one of the leading big businesses uses videos to advertise and appeal to its customers. Another bonus is that many people are familiar with this short video.

The final short video I am considering to analyze is India Arie’s music video to her song called “Video,” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHXEE7Pi6iQ.  I really like this song and I think that the words really carry a lot of meaning.  The video is pretty relaxed but there are still a few things I think I could analyze in terms of how they persuade the audience. This video is longer than either of the other two which would give me more to analyze but I would have to rely more on the words and less on the imagery. This song appeals to emotion with its imagery and words and logic as well.  In terms of credibility I think that India Arie is very credible considering the topic she is addressing–being happy with yourself, no matter everyone around you.

In each campaign aid the pathos, or what the audience values, has been assumed to be a combination of intelligent, makes decisions/passes bills quickly, listens to the people, makes the best choices for our economy, and knows the consequences of their actions.

The logos, or logical appeal, of these campaigns was portrayed clearly in Bill Clinton’s campaign ad as the opinions of highly respected others were shown supporting his decisions.  In other ads the logos was portrayed by showing the presidents in respectable places, working hard at their desks, speaking to soldiers, meeting with the people, etc.  All of this works towards the logic appeal of the people.

Once again Bill Clinton’s campaign aid is meant to be an ethos, or ethical appeal, by showing that other credible sources support his decisions. In the John F Kennedy one Kennedy is compared to other presidents who they portray as less capable than him.  

In each of these campaign ads the stylistic appeal targets everyday citizens which is evident in their use of common language, visual aids that most people are familiar with, etc.

The events that occur there range from the mundane to the deeply fascinating, from the casual weighing of deli salads and the swiping of credits cards to the showdowns between customers and employees.  As is common in most food industries a lot of gossip and drama unfold behind the counter and this wonderful little mom and pop restaurant is not exception.  The following are some of the many possible events that might occur there:

• Assessing an individual’s personality and mood within the matter of seconds it takes to place an order.
• Listening to coworkers talk about everything from their relationships to what they had for breakfast.
• Workers refilling food containers like a soldier during battle restocking his weapons.
• Washing a mound of dishes sometimes encompassing more than 3 sinks, wiping tables
• Customer conversations–work, schedules, laughter, silence.
• Making sandwiches… fast
• Inserting toothpicks, slicing the bread, applying the sauces, microwaving the meats and cheeses, adding a pickle
• laddeling soup
• Weighing out salads
• Rolling up sandwiches
• Listening to music
• taking orders in short hand and explaining to workers

Another wonderful aspect about La Bodega is that it attracts a wide spectrum of different people…some of which I will interview.

• Parents
• High-schoolers
• Teachers
• Earth Mamas
• Fashionistas
• Families
• boyfriends/girlfriends (couples)
• Friends out to lunch
• Locals
• Newbies (never been there before)
• Owner, manager
• Workers on a timetable
• Delivery guys

Some of the artifacts I have noticed there are crucial to the smooth functioning of the business while others are simply there either by decorative means or as storage These items include but are certainly not limited to:

• the cash-register (an essential item that can cause much stress to new workers such as myself)
• menus
• bistro tables and chairs
• plastic silverware
• plastic plates
• cooler, freezer, oven, sinks
• 1 old, temperamental toilet
• napkin dispensers
• 1 green ceramic tip jar with the word tips taped to it
• bottled beverages, from Orangina to Arnold Palmer
• display case and hand written signs
• An old door chime made from a cow bell, a bent spoon and fork