TODAY Produce Show NOTES: Propaganda techniques Read and discuss: Frank Luntz’s “The 11 Words of 2011” HOMEWORK: “Postable” article Come up with ideas with segment before end of semester! Festivus is only 9 days away! Festivus: A non-denominational holiday to be celebrated by those frustrated or jaded with the commercialism and pressure surrounding the Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa season. Logical Arguments Logical arguments are statements made up of opinions which can be supported by REASONS and EVIDENCE. Succeeds with… Reasons - statements that justify or support an action or belief. Evidence - language consisting of facts, opinions, statistics, examples, anecdotes, or quotations, etc., to support a reason. Flawed Persuasive Techniques Testimonial This technique uses the transfer method of persuasion. An authoritative source or celebrity will endorse a product, and the advertisers hope to make positive connections or transfers between you, the celebrity and the product. You buy because you want to be like the endorser. [Example] Pro athletes that endorse Nike: If you buy/wear these shoes, you’ll be like them. Flawed Persuasive Techniques Bandwagon This is a technique that encourages people to act because everyone else is doing so. It plays on our fear of being left out. Example: “Everyone is dressing up on Classy Wednesday. If you don’t want to be the only one left out, you need to join in.” Flawed Persuasive Techniques Card Stacking Presenting only partial information which gives an inaccurate or slanted impression. Example: “Vote for Phil Davison for Stark County treasurer because he has several Master’s Degrees.” (Not said: He is nuts.) Flawed Persuasive Techniques Loaded Language/Name Calling Words that create a strong positive or negative attitude--toward a person, group, product or thing--through the effect of the words’ connotations. (Ex: pushy vs. confident) Example: “Do you really want some Socialist Muslim running our country?” Flawed Persuasive Techniques Circular Reasoning What may look like a reason is simply restating the speaker’s opinion. Example: “Our dress code should be abolished because dress codes should be abolished in the modern world.” Flawed Persuasive Techniques Stereotypes A biased belief or attitude about an entire group of people, based on insufficient evidence. Example: All tall people play basketball. Flawed Persuasive Techniques Faulty Reasoning Begging the Question: Irrelevant Evidence: Assumptions that imply the truth of a statement before it is proven. Impressive information that may have nothing to do with the argument being made. EXAMPLE: “You need to be wide awake during your exams, so be sure to drink lots of caffeine and you’ll get a good grade.” EXAMPLE: “The merchandise at Designer Mart is top quality; the products are shipped from all over the world.” Flawed Persuasive Techniques Faulty Reasoning [cont.] False Premise: An implied starting point for an argument or case which is an untrue, distorted, or unproven assumption. EXAMPLE: “The teachers at this school are the best in the county….The students’ standardized test scores are top notch.”