Critical Analysis

Sarah Palin was the keynote speaker for the first National Tea Party Convention in Nashville Tennessee, and spoke out against President Obama, and how he is dealing with different matters in our government. She talks about the economy, national security issues, and poses the idea of having another revolution. She discusses her ambitions of running for the 2012 presidential election, and expressed how she felt honored to be a big part in the recent election.
In the CNN News article, “Palin to Tea Party: America Ready for another Revolution,” Sarah Palin criticizes President Obama, and asked the people of the convention, “How's that hope-y, change-y stuff working out for you?" Her rhetoric is challenging Obama’s campaign slogans, which is ultimately a propaganda technique geared towards pathos. Another tactic that Palin uses, is telling the people of the convention that, “I will not benefit financially from speaking at this event. Any compensation for my appearance will go right back to the cause." She is letting the people know that her intentions are pure, which can ultimately allude to the fact that President Obama’s intentions are not pure.
Palin goes on to talk about our country’s National Security and the terrorist crisis that could have occurred on Christmas Day. She criticized Obama’s stance on foreign policy by stating that, “It's not politicizing our security to discuss our concerns because Americans deserve to know the truths about the threats that we face.” This is yet another use of pathos within Propaganda, because the mere mentioning of a terrorist crisis that has to do with planes, can trigger memories about 9/11 and the crisis it left our country in.
However, this article not only discusses the elements of Sarah Palin’s speech, but it also questions her overall knowledge and understanding of key issues in the world. It talks about the book, Game Change, and how “McCain quickly grew troubled with Palin's lack of understanding on key issues, including the job of the Federal Reserve, the difference between North Korea and South Korea, and the purpose of the war in Afghanistan.” This statement serves the notion of rhetoric in a more liberal sense, and supports the idea that maybe Obama is right for the job. Logos is used here to dissuade any propaganda tactics that Sarah Palin had previously made during her speech at the Tea Party Convention. Overall, I think CNN did a great job recapping the major points in Palin’s speech, as well as showing the readers her motives behind her rhetoric. There was a great twist at the end, where CNN turned Palin’s own Propaganda against her by reminding the readers that many people are skeptical about her knowledge and lack of experience within politics. It leaves its readers with the question, are we ready for a Palin Revolution in 2012?

Recognizing Propoganda in the World

It's a funny feeling when you start to realize that propoganda is all around us. Sure...you can easily stretch the definition of propoganda, but when you really break it down, it's all around us. I can't watch tv without even thinking about propoganda, especially when it comes to comercials. What really comes to mind is the ongoing battle between Verizon & AT & T. I am constantly viewing the same map of the United States with all the little dots showing the "best" service areas. Both companies use the same image, and I swear they are just switching the colors on the map to make them seem more credible. In a recent AT & T commercial Luke Wilson (celebrity) was talking about Verizon having a slower 3G network. He said that verizon takes a longer time to download, while AT &T is faster and more efficient.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoAuhptVF-g

When you watch the video, you can really tell it's propoganda through the images. When Luke Wilson downloads himself through AT &T...it is much faster than verizon. The verizon download of Wilson displays him without a head...symbolizing that Verizon is weak, "slow," and is unable to provide essential needs for the customer. At the end of the commercial, the advertisement checks off AT & T as the better provider, and tells its customers that AT & T is a "Better 3G Experience."

Here is another AT &T commercial with Luke Wilson that I thought some may enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQR67HXVt14