The Yes Men

I thought the Yes Men used great tactics in presenting their protests against the World Trade Organization. They were hilarious, which definitely gave them a certain amount of ethos, but they were also very knowledgeable about the WTO. However, they didn’t always display this knowledge in their presentations, and relied way more on shock value and ridiculousness. For some groups this tactic was very ineffective. It was ineffective for the older men and women that witnessed the gold suit, for they just went along with it and clapped. I found this really discouraging for society because out of all the people that were listening to their presentation, not one seemed to notice it’s ridiculousness (even the electronic chip in the worker’s shoulder). It was as if these people have been brainwashed by the WTO to believe everything the organization said. Even though Mike and Andy may have discredited their ethos by lying, the point that they get across (which is that the WTO has waaaay to much power over us) makes all the lying worth it. I was really happy to see the presentation to the college students, not only because it was hilarious, because it proved that not everyone has been brainwashed by the WTO. It proved that the human population has not completely lost against the WTO, and that there are still people willing to take a stand against something that they don’t believe in, even if they are the only ones. I found the Yes Men to be very inspiring for they showed how you can care enough about an issue to spend your life trying to expose it, even with the possibility of getting in trouble. I feel like these are the kind of people our world needs more of and it will be a terrible time when no one else is willing to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of our society.

PETA and The Guerrilla Girls

I think PETA is awesome. I am all for animal rights, and any organization that gets people thinking about animals in that sort of way definitely has my support. PETA uses a very effective strategy to make their arguments by taking the readers question and completely turning it around and putting it under a different light. For example when the questioner asks why it’s unethical to have dominion over animals if the bible says so, PETA responds by saying the humorous line about how even though the Queen has dominion over her subjects, that doesn’t give her the right to eat them or wear them. PETA also uses celebrities as a way to capture their audience. I kind of think this is an easy/obvious approach, but hey, if it gets people changing their views about animal rights then why not?

I also thought the Guerilla Girls campaign was great. I love their use of humor, and find it to be a very effective tactic. I like their protest so much because they aren’t shoving information down your throat or making you feel bad about yourself, but instead they are making clever jokes about the realities of society while also providing shocking statistics. Their strategy is effective because they grab your attention with the ridiculousness of their pictures, but then prove their point through the use of logos.

Critical Mass

Critical Mass is an organization formed by hundreds and thousands of people all across the world who want to make a difference. They believe in challenging societal norms and benefiting the earth while doing so. In the documentary, “We Are Traffic” many of the Critical Mass members criticize our society as being too materialistic. We are constantly worrying about what we need to buy or have in order to be accepted and we are forgetting about the things in life that really matter, like a community. In the documentary someone says that we don’t have a community anymore, “just a place to drive in.” The members of Critical Mass are peacefully protesting against what our society has become and encouraging people too get off their “assphalt” and do something better for the environment, like riding a bike.

I think this group’s tactics perfectly match their purpose. They are benefiting the environment by riding their bikes, and proving to everyone else in the cars that riding a bike isn’t only helpful but its fun! I think this is a wonderful protest and if I ever had the opportunity I would love to join. Anything that gets people together and fights for a common good should never be discouraged.

Appeals to Ethos

The Freedom Marches we viewed this week appealed largely to ethos by demonstrating themselves as good, peaceful people. In each march they protested in a nonviolent manner putting themselves under a good light, while all the white people were viewed as extremely violent and irrational. They were very patient and submissive, even asking the police if they could pray, which gave them even more credit for not wanting to cause any harm. These marches gave African-Americans a great deal of ethos, for it showed that they are truly good people who do not deserve any of the hardships they have had to overcome. Even after being beaten, criticized and sent to jail, they continued to fight for what they deserved, proving their perseverance (which is another very credible trait).

Cindy Sheehan also created a strong ethos through her extensive knowledge of the Iraq War, and her perseverance in protesting against it. She set up camp outside President Bush’s Ranch in Texas for weeks protesting against the war. That kind of determination definitely adds to her credibility. However, after watching her demonstration in front of the White House, I found the Freedom Marches to be more appealing. I agree with a lot of what Cindy Sheehan had to say, but I felt like she expressed her views in a more aggressive way. I felt as if she was almost attacking the audience for not giving up all their “stuff,” even though I highly doubt she has, which in turn decreased her credibility. Even though Cindy Sheehan and the Freedom Marches both protested in a non-violent way, I think the Freedom Marches established a greater appeal to ethos, which in turn has made me more supportive of their protests.