Friday, February 18, 2011
"I've got you in the palm of my hand"
Manipulation of one's mind is what is happening once another is using the "Appeal to Emotion" fallacy in order to change the opinion of an individual. Not only is the mind being manipulated, but the emotions. In the terms of Epstein, the fallacy is committed to change one's opinion into accepting a claim to be true. When a person's emotions are being played with, the mind no longer has control or even functions clearly due to the way a person is feeling. This fallacy is used everyday and people do not even realize it; they don't realize that they are under a spell. Advertisements and commercials use this fallacy to get buyers to purchase their products all the time. I would think that this is the most used fallacy in the media. Advertisements that present products to help change or better an individual's outside appearance is what gets to one's emotions. People feel that their outside appearance is not good enough or up to par with the media, which is why they turn to these products in order to feel better about themselves. Another example where this fallacy is committed is when people in relationships argue. One end of the relationship can tell the other that they are still in love with them keeping an invisible hold on them but at the same time this end is hurting them physically. The feelings and the love that the person who is being abused has is overpowering their true thoughts and thinking. Emotions are very powerful. If one cannot control their emotions, they can be controlled by anybody.
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I liked your insight into how the advertisements of everyday life are like the appeal of emotion fallacy. The media does definitely get people's emotions by invoking something within people, whether their looks or desires. I also liked how you linked personal relationships and the arguments with the appeal of emotion too. That's definitely a good one! Overall good analysis and this helped me see where there are certain appeals of emotion in daily life. I guess it is just a very good tactic to use on people if you want to them in the palm of your hands!
ReplyDeleteEmotions are so important to how people move and act. Many politicians use emotions to get people to vote. Emotions can scare people into doing one thing or not doing something. Fear mongering is probably the biggest play on emotions going on in politics. If emotions were taken out of politics, it would not be such a dirty game. Yet, politicians are smart people too, and will always play off emotions. There is a danger there because this is where fallacies can come into play. Someone might twist some words around to get an emotional reaction, when what was really said was nothing of the sort.
ReplyDeleteI really like your post about how manipulation and how emotion is very potent. I must admit I have a tendency to be very manipulative, especially on getting things I want since playing on another person’s emotion is very powerful and persuasive. An example would be using guilt trip like making the other person feel bad. Yes, yes, I know it’s a horrible habit, but I try not to use it, I remember learning about persuasive in speech, and I remember emotion appeal was in one of them. I agree that in many advertisements, they use emotion appeal to get consumer’s attention, such as those Pantene commercials.
ReplyDeleteThe Appeal to Emotion is a very strong manipulation and it does happen in a lot of situations such as your first example. And although I do understand your example about relationships and how the Appeal to Emotion manipulation is used a lot of the times in relationships, I also feel that this manipulation doesn’t always work for relationships. There are many people that try to use this manipulation in their relationships but many times the other partner sees right thorough the lie and doesn’t let their emotions take over. Manipulating emotions is a very potent thing to do but only if you let your emotions take over. It was a great example but I just think there are so many different variabilities to this manipulation.
ReplyDeleteManipulation is one idea that I am definitely not a fan of. You are absolutely correct in the insight of emotion and the ability is has to change someones thoughts or feelings. Manipulation is definitely a play on somebody else’s emotions. Advertisements are an excellent example of just how well they are able to appeal to your emotions and somewhat manipulate your mind into thinking or feeling like you must have certain products. Though I am not much of a fan for that type of emotional control, we do experience it on a daily basis and must learn to recognize it and fight against it. Emotions are very powerful and that is usually what creates issues and controversy is the amount of emotions that become involved in a situation. I loved your insight
ReplyDeleteI love to read your posts! They are eloquently written and so straight forward. I can definitely agree that advertisement suck, and they are the worst type of fallacy there in existence. The commercials I hate the most are the Jenny Craig and Nutrisystem. Not so much NutriSystem because my aunt did it, and it worked for her, but the raggedy Jenny Craig commercials where the BEFORE/AFTER pictures are zoomed out really far. I feel bad when I watch those commercials because I know there is a “larger” person out there dialing their “800” number hoping to shed those pounds.
ReplyDeleteI like how you connect manipulation with the whole appeal to emotion. It's crazy how one can toy with people's emotions in order take control of what they think about. I do believe the media is one of the stronger forces that apply manipulation to its audiences. The way they show people through the boob tube captivates the minds viewers in to hopefully being like them one day. One of the most horrendous things I have seen that may appeal to people's emotions is the actions in the Jersey Shore. Although most viewer may think that the way these group of people are controlling themselves is ridiculous, the younger generation finds these people to be role models.
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