Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Appeal to Emotion
Appealing to emotion is a common trend here in the United States. We often hear advertisements, see signs, and hear people talk about how we should do something, and they try to encourage our participation through an emotional response. There are various ways to appeal to our emotions such as through pity, fear, spite, and calling in our debts. I think that the appeal through fear is the one that interests me most. I find that all to often people make decisions based on fear, and I will admit that this saddens me. When I was growing up we went to t a church that required us to confess our sins every week. If we didn’t cleanse our soul then we might not make it into heaven. So, the argument is fairly simple. Do the right thing, give money to the church, and confess your sins or you will be condemned to a life in hell. Not a great way to think about things at 6 years old.
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Journey,
ReplyDeleteI actually really enjoyed reading your post because I could relate to it as I have had some kind of a similar experience. When I was younger, my grandparents used to take my brother and me to church every sunday. We were told that sex, lying, drugs, etc. were all very bad sins, and that if participating in such actions, we would be condemned to a life in hell. As you said, it is not all that great to hear. Instead of bringing me closer to church, it actually drove me away from it.
I completely agree with you that appeal to fear plays a huge part in our lives and that it is kind of saddening to see. I see so many people nowadays who make bad decisions based on fear instead of trying to understand the problem.
Good post :)
Elsie-