While I was reading chapter 13, the thought of pathos and emotional appeals made me think of only one thing: the BC SPCA commercial featuring Sarah McLachlan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gspElv1yvc
I'm almost positive that everyone has seen this commercial at some point or other. When it first aired, I remember everyone talking about how sad it was and how they cried watching it, but I hadn't heard a single person with such emotional reaction to it actually donating any money to the BC SPCA. I'm not sure if anyone else agrees, but I think the producers of the commercial might have gone to the extreme with their use of pathos. Although there was a point where logos was brought in when Sarah McLachlan shared the number of animals abused each year, the whole commercial focused on the emotional response to such cruelty and how to fix it. I don't know that this commercial was a success in their aim to raise money for the organization, but I know for certain a lot of people won't forget it.
The problem about this ad is that it make you so sad you end up changing the channel. So nobody ever ends up doing anything. Sure its sad but all it does is motivate some serious crying instead of serious action.
ReplyDeleteIt's possible they may have gone overboard with the pathos, but considering the ad deals with the SPCA it's almost appropriate. Plus, people may have ended up donating money anyway.
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