Looking specifically at the two recent protests we examined, I would say that both had their positives and negatives as far as ethos is concerned. Starting with Malachai Richter, his protest was not as successful due to some damage to his credibility. Here is a guy who was known by those around him as a loner and a guy who seemed to not have a desire to form close relationships with people. Though his beliefs were strong, his final act of suicide is questionable. He was not a well known public figure, particularly outside of the Chicago music scene, and it was proven when the news media did not even cover his story until a week after. Many people who hear of his suicide might pass him off as crazy or someone who was just seeking attention. His own son even claimed he was an alcoholic and battled depression. Not to say that Richter had no passion or cause, but there could have been better decisions made.
In contrast to Richter, we have Cindy Sheehan. A woman whose ethos is a little stronger, and whose voice is a little louder. This does not excuse her from her mistakes however. The thing that helps her case the most is her first-hand experience with losing a son to war. The emotional connection with her and her supporters is present and allows for her to have a good level of credibility. Despite this, she does go overboard in certain instances regarding her protest. She comes off as overbearing and overcritical at times, especially when it comes to George Bush. She once claimed that he was an even bigger terrorist than Bin Laden, which is pretty extreme considering what the latter did to this country. It is one thing to feel passionate and emotional about a cause, but it is another to attack without good logic. This ties in with 'emotion without logic'. Her logos was not as strong as her pathos, which in turn may have hurt her ethos. Nonetheless, she garnered much attention and many supporters, through her courage, powerful voice, and ability not to back down.
Both parties, Richter and Sheehan, were not without faults, but each could be looked on as admirable for their strong beliefs and die hard support for a cause.
I feel as though in order to have the best ethos, one must have a good reputation with the people. This includes someone who is looked upon by others as a respectable, trustworthy person. Also, it is important for the individual to have experience with the subject of their protest. For instance, Fannie Hamer's first-hand experience with prejudice and abuse, or Stokely Carmichael working with Dr. King. This lends the emotional connection and establishes stronger credibility.
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4 comments:
Malachai Richter may have had a strong passion for his cause. But the fact that his own son described Malachai's alcoholism and depression made the act of suicide much more questionable and less effective as a choice of protest.
what you said about "emotion without logic" was an interesting point (and good quote) i think. it seems like that seems to be the case in a lot of protests, richter's included. many people such as Sheehan are just upset over something bad happening but they don't look at the other side or how best to go about protesting
I like how you specifically mentioned the emotional connection between Cindy Sheehan and her targeted audience. I do believe that she is able to build a stronger case for support for that very reason, as opposed to some who only had strong opinions and lacked personal motivation for change. I am in no way a Sheehan supporter, but she does have an edge over many anti-war protestors.
I agree that there must be logic in a protest in order to persuade people. Lots of people chanting some slogan can get attention, but if none of those people can provide the facts behind their case, then no case can be made.
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