Shad - Brother (Watching)

From Crackle: Shad - Brother (watching)

Shad argues that by finding and pursuing their own passion in life, black youths can break through stereotypes and societal expectations. Shad’s video aims at young black North Americans. He argues about the issue of the media creating stereotypes of blacks and that young people feel forced to conform to these messages.
The enthymeme could be that if young black men and women find their passion and pursue it they will overcome media stereotypes because by pursuing whatever their dream is they will pave the way for others to follow their example.

Shad’s logical appeal in the video are the images of the homes and TVs. He dramatized decades of black history in personal life and the media that provided evidence for what he said in the lyrics. By standing and rapping into the camera for a prolonged period of time, Shad gained credibility as a rapper by showing that he can perform outside of a recording studio. Filming in black and white also has a sense of historical credibility.

By looking straight into the camera Shad appealed to the emotions; he appears committed to what he’s saying. More emotional appeals came when the video cut to a kid and what his life is like, then panned through images of several decades of black homes. The homes’ images really pound in the point of the lyrics. It is sufficient, but doesn’t tell you everything. This style lets your imagination and emotions do the rest of the persuasion in your head.

The homes and TV scenes seemed typical of the times they represented. The combination of logical arguments in the lyrics and the evidence for it shown in the video made everything seem very accurate. For the times, this issue is relevant. Blatant racism is much less common in current society, but stereotypes still exist and are very powerful. If people both listen to the lyrics and watch the video they can’t help but be persuaded, at least in part, that Shad is right.

The Flying Scissors

This film’s producers argue that “The Flying scissors” is a funny movie. Their target audience is 18 to 35 year olds with a quirky sense of humor that they perceive as non-mainstream; the kind of people who watch “The Office”. The trailer claims that the audience will enjoy “The Flying Scissors” because it fulfills the audience’s sense of humor.

The film is logically illogical (you can’t misunderstand the weirdness). The trailer also appeals to two emotions: humor and curiosity. It hopes to amuse and gain interest enough that, in theory, it will persuade people to see it. Mockumentary films have some of the same subconscious credibility as documentaries because the actors appear more real.

Unfortunately, I felt like the trailer was insufficient. The first 30 seconds were effective, but it dropped off and didn’t hold me in. In order for a trailer to be “sufficient” today, it must be short and to the point. This trailer lost a lot of potential audience members by trying to pack in too many jokes. In a trailer, one lame joke can ruin 20 good ones.

The untypical nature of this movie and trailer are actually quite typical of the independent, edgy comedy genre. The comedy was exactly what I expected and it made me laugh exactly the way I expected—just not as much as I expected. As a member of the target audience, I thought that the film accurately depicted the people I would expect to be Rock-Paper-Scissors fans. The humor used is relevant because the producers don’t care about people who aren’t in their target. The lines/scenes they chose best fit the typical comedy style that this audience watches.

Brigham Young (Discourses of Brigham Young, pp. 216-217

In his talk regarding women’s duties, Brigham Young spoke to male members of the Church. He argued that women should be able to study and work in any field that they choose and not be thought of as mere housewives. He claimed that women are just as intelligent, just as capable, and have just as much right to higher education and pursuing a career as men do.

The enthymeme he unconsciously used could be summed up in this way: by allowing women in higher education and following a career path, women please God because by pursuing education and careers women “answer the design of their creation.”

Brigham Young appealed logically, not starting out by saying that women should leave the home and become doctors and lawyers. Such a bold statement would offend many LDS men of the day and would go against their logical understanding of the doctrinal teachings about home and family. Instead President Young tells the men that they have women who, if they had opportunity to study, would make just as good professionals as any man. After laying this doctrinal foundation, the prophet built logically upon by teaching that women should be given the opportunity to pursue these career and educational paths.

Implying that women are not given opportunities to study in professional fields when they are able brings a degree of sympathy from men who have had that opportunity for themselves. Also, implying that men sometimes think of women as only useful at home invites a little guilt to the audience.

Brigham Young, as president of the church, commands great authority in himself since what he says can be considered scripture by the Latter-day Saints. He also, at the end, said women “answer the design of their creation,” reminding the Saints of their scriptural commandment to fulfill their divine purposes. This brings in the authority of God, saying that by studying and practicing careers, women fulfill their Heavenly Father’s plan.

As a prophet, the evidence Brigham Young uses is sufficient for the audience. He does not say “thus saith the Lord” or “as the prophet I command.” He uses enough reasoning, considering his audience, to back up his authority. The speech seems typical of Brigham Young’s teaching style, so the audience would receive it without seeming out-of-place. However, instructing women to go out to do business would be strange for the time. It’s possible that some would have discounted it. President Young also gives an accurate description of women’s situation during that time and of the struggles they faced as housewives. As such, the information and instruction was very relevant for the men and women of Brigham Young’s day.

Passive Parents

Artist Zhong Biao argues in this painting that Chinese parents are not taking an active role in raising their children; therefore the westernized media is raising them to become violent and forget their traditions and values. His audience are working class Chinese parents. Westernization, over-worked parents, and forgotten children are all very relevant issues in modern China. The people that Zhong Biao wants to reach are the people who relate with the parents in the foreground of the painting.

He asks what the consequences are of parents taking a passive role in their children’s lives on the negative influence that their children pick up from westernization. Parents who are passive about raising a child will cause the child to become violent and insensitive because not having a parent around means that the child will be more strongly influenced by negative Western media, symbolized by McDonald’s and two Western children.

The argument works logically. When no adults are around, children think and do what they please. If parents don’t even know what their children are doing, how can they teach them correct values? The parents in the painting are obviously more interested in taking time for themselves to relax than to be with their children.

The parents on the couch also look very comfortable and relaxed. They seem to have both just finished a long day at work and look forward to some much-deserved rest. The image is very typical and I think that most adults have felt like this. We’ve felt the expression on the painting’s parents’ faces before and can picture ourselves in their situation very easily. With ourselves in the picture we become much more emotionally involved. Also, kids with guns are a powerful picture, even if they’re toys. That image hits home hard.

The manner of dress for both the parents and the children is an accurate depiction of what a working class family in China would afford to wear. Even the sport coat on the father is extremely typical of working class Chinese men.

McDonald’s has one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. Mixing this symbol of Westernization with the symbolism of a gun, Zhong Biao links the concept of Western influence with increased youth violence.

There isn’t significant enough information about what to do after a parent sees this image. I think that the art effectively communicates its point, but it may not effectively cause the audience to change. Even if a parent sees that the lack of attention given to their children is a problem, they still both have to work 6-7 days a week in order to support a family. What can they do to reverse the problem if they can’t change their lifestyle?

Shad, "Brother (Watching)"

In his song, “Brother (Watching)”, Shadrach Kabango (Shad K) explored how media-created stereotypes of Blacks impact career and life choices facing young Black Canadians (and Americans). He claims that these stereotypes are so ingrained into society, including into Blacks themselves, that many young Blacks and African-Canadians cannot see themselves becoming anything but the stereotypes. Rapping, basketball, and drugs are the narrow paths that too many young people envision their future taking.

Shad argues that by finding a personal passion in life, youths can break through stereotypes and societal expectations.

Considering his argument and how he composed it, it seemed clear that Shad’s target audience—the people he hoped to change and persuade—were the people who he saw as being in the same situation as himself: young, Black Canadians trying to find themselves amid bombardments of media stereotypes about what being “Black” means.

Shad hopes to persuade his audience to look past popular perceptions created by the media. Once they realize that they don’t have to conform to preconceived ideas of what a Black person should be like, they can become anything that they want to be. Ultimately, through this new form of activism—people perusing their dreams—the stereotypes and misleading expectations of Blacks will be thrown out. Black and non-Black members of society will see that race and background doesn’t dictate a person’s identity and future.

Shad built his credibility throughout the song with lines like “where I’m from”. He wanted to show the audience that during his life he has experienced what being Black is like. He’s someone who’s been there and experienced what he’s rapping about personally. Fans who know Shad’s background recognize him as even more credible in that he practices what he preaches. Shad earned a business degree from Wilfred Laurier University in Ontario and is currently working on a Masters degree at SFU, while still remaining one of Canada’s most popular hip hop artists. I think that he used this authority to give him the right to speak honestly about his chosen topic without risking offensiveness.

Shad described, at the beginning of the song, an image of young Blacks growing up surrounded by “white and affluent dudes” and expected to fit a prescribed mold of what a Black person should be like. This appealed to the emotions felt by his audience themselves. Then, at the end of the song, he gave a message of hope, describing “the new black activists”, who go after their dreams in spite of stereotypes. Several recordings of African parents talking about their hopes for their children’s futures are also played to arouse positive emotion.

Shad also explained how we are saturated with negative images and, over time, we start to become attracted to what we watch. If we only see Blacks “actin’ the fool” on TV then often we imagine that blacks are all meant to be that way. Because of the media, young Blacks find it difficult to imagine themselves going to college or starting a career because they’ve never seen it. Although his argument is attached strongly to emotions, it also makes sense that something needs to change.

Snickers

This commercial argues that Snickers is a very different candy bar. Aiming at young men who watch sports regularly, it hopes to influence their snack-buying habits. The next time this audience is faced with a snacking choice, whether at the vending machine, the grocery store check-out, or the gas station, they’ll remember the ad and choose the Snickers. A positive image of the brand will stick with them.

Patrick Ewing is a former NBA player who’s biggest claim to fame is being the recipient of a brutally famous dunk by Michael Jordan. Using Patrick gives Snickers authority with the audience, who take people more seriously if they know and understand great moments in sports history. Having Patrick dunk on a poor, unsuspecting young man shows that snickers really understands the story of their commercial’s star.

The audience, even though they respect Michael Jordan, must feel—or have felt at some point—a little empathy for Patrick Ewing. He got dunked on by Michael Jordan. There was really nothing he could do about it (he was up against the best basketball player ever). Now Patrick’s back, taking revenge on helpless Snickers eaters. It’s funny on many levels. Even if someone did’t get the history, it’s still an amusing ad. Hitting these emotions will hopefully open the audience’s hearts to the product.

This is not a “logical” commercial, but with two exceptions. One, it makes sense for Patrick Ewing to feel bitter about the Jordan dunk and possibly look for redemption. Two, the clever word play—turning Ewing into Chewing—is a pretty logical pun.

A shortfall in this commercial might be the lack of a clear call to action. What does the audience do after they’ve seen it? They will not buy a Snickers bar based solely on this commercial. However, Snickers are usually an impulse purchase and this commercial is set up perfectly for that. It is very effective at sticking in the audience’s minds. When they see Snickers on a store shelf, they will be more likely to pick it up.

With my roommates as a case study, I have seen this commercial’s long-lasting effect. Months after it played on ESPN, they still quote it around the apartment, on the basketball court, and replay it on Youtube occasionally. It keeps a clever, quirky, and unique perception of Snickers candy bars fresh in their minds.

WWF Print Ad: "Before it's too late"

In this ad the World Wildlife Federation argued that the earth is in peril. Trees are the “lungs” of the earth and damage done to the earth’s forests can be compared to smoking’s damage to human lungs.

WWF does not target a specific age group, although their choice of media maybe selected certain demographics (I found this ad through Google, not in its original magazine or newspaper). The ad zeroed in on a narrow psychographic: people who have a soft spot for the environment. They feel a little guilty for the damage being done to the earth, but haven’t yet turned their feelings into action.

WWF aimed to persuade individuals to take action to protect the earth. More specifically, to go to wwf.org and (hopefully, through not hinted at in this ad) make a donation or join a cause.

WWF’s advertising agency used several tactics to make their point. They used WWF’s well-known logo and name as an appeal to the credibility of the argument. The beautiful and realistic illustration also gave the ad more authority. The comparison to smoking (scientifically proven and well-accepted to destroy lungs) adds authority to their claim, too. The thought of the earth dying tugs at the heartstrings of the ad’s target and the deforestation’s contrast with the natural beauty of the landscape compels the reader to remember his or her experiences in the great outdoors. Also, thinking about “before it’s too late” saddens and even scares readers into action. Thinking about it logically, if a human loses its lungs it dies. Therefore, if the earth loses its forests (its “lungs”) it also dies. “Before it’s too late” also makes logical sense. Once forests are gone they’re gone.

Everything considered, the ad successfully made the target audience feel regret, fear, and a little bit of anger about the destruction of the forest. However, the solution—or a course of action for the target audience to take to prevent the “too late”—isn’t clear. I consider myself a part of this target. Though the ad appealed well to my emotions, I would not actually go to their website or get involved with their programs in the near future. The long term effect of the ad is more positive, however. By changing my point of view on deforestation into seeing trees as the lungs of the earth and by helping me remember my passion for the environment, I am slightly more likely to help environmental causes that come my way in the future.