How Media Literate Are You?

NAME: PERIOD:

How media literate are you?

See if you can answer the following questions. Then look for the answers during the media literacy PowerPoint.

Question / Your Answer / Actual
Answer
Children spend over what percentage of their days in front of an electronic screen?
What percent of all media is viewed on a screen?
What percent of teens own some type of cell phone?
By age 18 the average American child’s TV viewing has included 40,000 of these?
The average number of scenes per hour with sexual content in the top 20 TV shows among teenage viewers is (not including commercials)?
How many hours per week do American youth spend watching TV?
By the time a person becomes 55 years of age they will have spent 3 years of their lives doing what?
Excessive TV viewing has been linked to what condition?
How many “selling messages” are we confronted with on a daily basis?
How many times will the average teen ask a parent for products they’ve seen advertised before the parents give in?
On average, how much is spent a year on marketing to young consumers every year?
What percent of Americans get their news from a physical newspaper every day?
Where do most Americans get their political information from?
True or false: All media messages (including nonfiction media such as the news or documentaries) are made to make money or to gain power.
True or false: The media has embedded values and points of view.

The goal of persuasive writing and speaking is to convince your audience that your ideas are valid. TheGreek philosopher Aristotledivided the means of persuasion, appeals, into three categories--Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Review the notes below to learn how these appeals can be used.

· The ethos appeal is used to convince an audience that a speaker’s ideas are trustworthy and believable.

· Ethos can be developed by stating your credentials, showing where your information comes from, or by using language and tone that is appropriate for your audience.

· Ethos example:

“I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future." -- Democratic Presidential Candidate Acceptance Speech by Barack Obama. August 28th, 2008.

· The pathos appeal is used to convince an audience by connecting to their feelings.

· Pathos can be developed by evoking sympathy from an audience, inspiring anger, or drawing pity.

· Pathos example:

"I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed." – “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. August 28th, 1963.

· The logos appeal is used to convince an audience through logic and reason.

· Logos can be developed by using facts, data, and statistics and by presenting an argument that “makes sense” (is reasonable).

· Logos example:

"However, although private final demand, output, and employment have indeed been growing for more than a year, the pace of that growth recently appears somewhat less vigorous than we expected. Notably, since stabilizing in mid-2009, real household spending in the United States has grown in the range of 1 to 2 percent at annual rates, a relatively modest pace. Households' caution is understandable. Importantly, the painfully slow recovery in the labor market has restrained growth in labor income, raised uncertainty about job security and prospects, and damped confidence. Also, although consumer credit shows some signs of thawing, responses to our Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices suggest that lending standards to households generally remain tight." – “The Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy” by Ben Bernanke. August 27th, 2010.

· Aristotle believed that the facts (logos) should be most important. He felt that to be persuasive, you need to have the right evidence and that the facts should be enough. Aristotle also realized that logos, by itself is not enough. People often make decisions based on emotion and use the facts to support how they feel. In order to construct an effective argument, all three appeals must be used together.

1. A magazine ad shows people smiling and laughing while drinking Coke ______

2. Tiger Woods endorsing Nike products ______

3. “Advil provides 8 hours of pain relief” ______

4. “A glass of orange juice provides 75% of your daily vitamin C needs” ______

5. “Coke Zero is 100% sugar free” ______

6. “Sealy mattresses are the only mattress that does not hurt my back” ______

7. A dentist recommends using Colgate toothpaste ______

8. “If you want the most delicious food, you should go to Taco Bell” ______

9. “50% of Americans prefer chocolate ice cream over vanilla ice cream” ______

10. “English teachers suggest reading for at least one hour each day” ______

Sources: “Six Minutes: Pathos, Ethos, Logos” by Andrew Dlugan; examples from pathosethoslogos.com

Seniors are more cautious

By Charles “Doc” Anderson

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Some elderly drivers shouldn't be allowed to operate motor vehicles. Neither should any dangerous driver, regardless of age.

Proposed restrictions on elderly drivers, such as the bills introduced in the Texas Legislature, amount to discrimination against all seniors, including those with excellent driving records. The Senate version would require periodic vision tests starting at age 79, with potential driving exams starting at age 85. The House version would require only vision tests every two years, with no additional required road tests. The vision test requirement wouldn't start until age 90.

Both measures go too far. Blanket assessments of capability and behavior of a large population of folks is often misguided.

It's no more credible to say that elderly citizens are poor drivers than saying that all young people are good drivers.

Seniors are more cautious drivers. They tend to avoid high traffic times and routes. They don't often get out on major highways at peak traffic hours. Rather, they drive locally to provide for daily needs, such as going to grocery stores, church functions, doctor and veterinary clinics or senior citizen centers.

Elderly motorists generally avoid driving in adverse weather conditions. Seniors are not often given to alcohol or drug use that would impair their faculties and driving abilities. They are not often given to distractions of loud music or driving while using cellphones.

The proposed requirements would impose rules for everyone regardless of ability. I'm reluctant to classify everybody in the same boat and restrict these folks.

Seniors aren't the ones going down the highway at 85 miles per hour. They usually don't get on the highway at all. They rarely drive after dark.

Statistics can be misleading. Accidents involving seniors naturally involve more serious injuries. This is not a cause and effect but simply attributable to the fact that seniors are more prone to injury.

Threatening to remove or restrict driving privileges is very stressful to the elderly. Perhaps requiring an AARP type of driving refresher course would be the better way to go.

Scrutinize older drivers

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Trying to persuade Grandpa that it's time to give up his driver's license is likely to be met with an irascible, if not downright hostile, response. Seniors know that physical and cognitive abilities decline with age, but they also fiercely prize their independence. Too many are in denial about their fading driving skills and won't voluntarily release their grip from the steering wheel.

The case for that difficult intervention - if not from families then from state governments - has never been more compelling. Elderly drivers are more likely to be involved in fatal crashes at traffic intersections than are younger drivers, according to a report issued last month by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

By 2030, the number of licensed drivers ages 65 and older will nearly double to about 57 million - about one in five drivers. Yet efforts by states to evaluate the abilities of older motorists aren't nearly as stringent as new limits being placed on teens, who increasingly face restrictions on night driving, the number of passengers they can carry and other matters.

That's happening because motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among 15- to 19-year-olds. But drivers older than 75 are even more at risk, as you can see from the chart nearby. They deserve equal scrutiny, and according to a new study by Congress' Government Accountability Office, they aren't getting it:

•Only 16 states demand that seniors undergo more frequent license renewals than non-seniors.

•Only 10 states require older drivers to undergo extra vision assessments.

•Only five states require older drivers to renew their licenses in person.

•Only New Hampshire and Illinois require road tests for those 75 and older.

In addition, little is done to screen older drivers for dementia, a condition that's likely to affect nearly half of those 85 and older. The risk of a crash for drivers with dementia are two to eight times greater than those with no cognitive impairment.

When states fail to get dangerous senior citizens off the roads, the results can be tragic.

Almost four years ago, George Russell Weller, then 86, drove his car through a crowded farmers' market in Santa Monica, Calif., killing 10 people and injuring more than 70. He mistook the car's accelerator for the brake, his attorney said.

In Dallas, teen Katie Bolka was killed last year when a 90-year-old driver ran a red light and slammed into her car. A bill known as “Katie's Law” is being considered in the Texas Legislature to impose new restrictions, including required vision tests, for elderly drivers.

Tougher regulations would no doubt be inconvenient and perhaps insulting to older drivers. But for their own safety and the well-being of others, states and families need to act to avert preventable tragedies.

Methods of Persuasion

Advertisers use the following appeals to persuade us:

Logos: Logical Appeal / Facts, statistics
Ethos: Credibility Appeal / Showing where the facts came from
Pathos: Emotional Appeal / Stories, anecdotes, emotional language

Some ways that advertisers use logos, ethos, and pathos are:

Humor / Funny or crazy images.
Macho / Strong, tough, powerful – usually males. May carry weapons or be pictured in dangerous situations. Cowboys.
Friends / Groups of people enjoying each other and doing things together. Buddies, pals and friendship.
Family / Mother, father, children or a family. May also be intergenerational group.
Fun / Everyone is happy – smiling and laughing. Often images of people doing fun things and having a good time.
Nature / Outdoor settings – mountains, ocean, desert, snow, flowers, etc. May or may not have people included.
Sexy / Emphasis on physical attributes of models, usually female; may wear revealing clothing and be shown flirting through attitude or body language.
Cartoon / People or animals portrayed as drawing or animation, often humorous.
Wealth / Expensive and elegant places and things. Big houses, new cars, jewelry, designer clothing, etc.
Scare/
Exaggeration / Images, words, or stories that create uneasiness or fear. Made to scare consumer into buying, believing, or doing something.

Faulty Statistics

Too small a sample
Often, statistic gatherers will ask too few a number of people or study too small a sample of people, or study only one group to get the statistics they are hoping for.

Biased sample
Some statistic gatherers will only survey the group whom they know will agree with the “facts” as they wish to prove them.

Manufactured sample
Some groups will actually PAY a group of experts to follow their product or conclusion. This is not to say that the experts consciously agree with whoever is paying them, but if you knew you would only get on TV and get paid if you said you preferred Pepsi to Coke, what would you say?

Inappropriate sample
Some scientists will use an inappropriate group (say rats, or fish) when trying to prove something about human beings. Sometimes this is necessary, but it does not follow that their statistics are reliable proof.