Alexandra’s response:
“Within the reading “Arguments Based on Character: Ethos”, the authors discuss how one becomes a credible source and how to build trust with the audience. Arguments based on ethos depend on trust and people tend to trust experts or professionals on the topic. When arguing about cultural or other issues sometimes it can be difficult to know how to get the audience to trust you. In some scenarios, it may require a joke at the beginning so that the audience can relate to the speaker and be at ease. People can even establish ethos by connecting their own beliefs to core principles that are established such as Frank Bruni’s editorial “I’m a White Man: Hear Me Out” and then starts his column with “But wait. I’m gay,” and is then able to establish credibility and seems approachable.
In Judy Gold’s essay “Say That Again, and I’ll Wash Your Mouth Out with Soap”, in the book excerpt the audience gets a good understanding of her credibility based on her education and her career success, however, in this essay she builds the trust of the audience by stating things that can’t be said elsewhere. Things are “triggering” and there are certain things that people cannot say without offending other people. Gold says that it is impossible to know all the triggers for every person, so we shouldn’t worry about it and people shouldn’t ridicule them for saying something that may be offensive, but in the speaker’s defense, how were they supposed to know? Even in her own communities, such as the Jewish one, she cannot say certain things because it might offend some people, but that is part of being a comedian, to find something that can be funny to people, comedians don’t intend to offend people.”
Peer response:
After reading Alexandra’s response I could find similar points we both talked about on using humour as an ice-breaker for the audience to build trust and credibility for the speaker. For Gold’s essay, we had some distinct points where she focused on “stating things that can’t be said elsewhere”, things that may trigger some people and realising that you may offend some people unintentionally.
group activity:
Francesca Cortellessa Hale, Yvonne Tan Yu Yan, Aaman Shah
Ellen Degeneres (Pre-Scandal): talk show host
- “Be Kind” – frequently connects and interacts with people of less fortunate situations
- Famous for talking to famous people
- Environmentally conscious
- Community engagement/ giving back to people less fortunate like its no big deal
- Products: low waste coffee, foundation/nonprofit organization
- By bringing celebrities on her daytime talk show and asking them about the coffee (a day time drink), she is able to get the endorsements of the other celebrities
Edward Snowden: whistleblower regarding national security
- Home safety, ring camera, data privacy, VPN services
- Connects with the masses by agreeing that privacy is important and showing support by revealing the documents/ he is with the people not the government and hence trustworthy
Tom Brady: fitness star
- Products: fitness supplements, protein shakes, energy drinks
- With his illustrious career, there is the assumption that he knows whether or not fitness products would work. Hence, when he endorses said fitness products, he doesn’t even need to show how effective they are, because his credibility as a sports professional would convince others of the effectiveness of the product.
Beyonce: It’s Beyonce.
- High class; avant garde; luxury
- ‘ started from the bottom now we’re here’ – relates to masses and gives them hope of reaching at her level by suggesting products she endorses.
- Drugstore makeup: you could be just like me (i’m just like you and I use all the cheap makeup that you use)
- Champagne: expensive, classy, you can be like her if you drink this
