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Joined 2 years ago
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Cake day: June 11th, 2023

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  • I’m going to give you an argument describing why i think you’re correct but also why you’re getting pushback. I’m basing this off the greek discursive appeal structures i’ve been reading about lately, because its fun to try to apply them here.

    Firstly, if people say its a great ‘scientific study’ where you hear it, correct them. Its sad but thats often all we can reasonably do. If they refer to it as a great study in humanity, then maybe it is. After all Supersize Me was about the mostly unconsidered and wildly successful upselling technique that had passed into the culture of the time. So, what does that say about us?

    Pathos

    Supersize Me is an exercise mostly based on an appeal to Pathos. An argument based around an emotional appeal.

    My stab at the key emotional switch employed would be turning the blasé attitude around the then common, comfortable upselling practice “would you like that supersized?”, to a feeling of angst when those words are spoken. I think Supersize Me was largely successful in that appeal.

    Emotional switch: Blasé->Angst.

    I found Michael Moore’s documentary styles also relied heavily on Pathos. So maybe the style was de rigeur at the time.

    The big question is, did these documentary makers pass from persuasion into manipulation? This is the same as the question your asking when refering to his undisclosed alcoholism during filming. Which is why i think you’re argument that the documentary wasn’t fairly done is right. Theres a manipulation at its heart.

    But that doesn’t defeat the very real effects that emotional switch from blasé->angst about the practice had.

    So a successful but manipulative documentary?

    Logos

    The argument i read in your comments assumes the documentary should primarily appeal to logos. Or a persuasion tactic based in logic. No controlled experiments for example.

    While there are probably plenty of examples of this throughout the documentary, I wouldn’t say this is the primary appeal he relies on.

    The obvious conclusions of the poor diet is a good example of an appeal to logos. But not very persuasive on its own, because no one needed to watch it to draw the conclusion that poor diets equal poor health. At least most didn’t.

    Another thought,

    Its a documentary, its not necessarily an exercise in absolute honesty. Few documentaries can claim such an authoritative place.

    I think its maybe why Louis Theroux has belatedly become so highly respected. Not because he was authoritative in the beginning, but so much of what he presented has since been borne out. Maybe his documentary series matched the changing realisations of the times, so have had a kind of Kairos?




  • Wow! The Mary Rose… you just sent me down memory lane. I hadn’t thought about that ship in decades. So i saw that ship when it was still going through that water treatment business. Blew my mind then, i’s really young at the time.

    And now i realise i’ve been to Portsmouth, we were staying over in Eastbourne at the time.

    The trip was full of museums and castle visits all over the south of England at least between Battle and Tintagel. So we could easily have been to the Explosion museum as well. I’ll have to dig out the old scrap books and see if somethings written in them about it.

    The years ticket to all of those sounds like a great way to spend some weekends, get to enjoy the harbour as well.






  • Look random people on the street might find it a fun interlude to their day :) I know you weren’t completely though due to the personal example you referred to a couple comments back.

    However, you didn’t specify a method, said brother-in-law enters into the political discussions. From an outsider’s perspective, (me), there was no indication.

    Also,

    will also

    I used these words in my first reply, not to deny your experience, but to add to it. The general nature of the word,

    people,

    in that part of your comment followed by an absolute statement spurred my entry. I think it’s important to highlight varied reasons people have for doing the same things.

    You spoke in one part of the comment generally, the other part specifically. My reply attempted to accept your specific experience, while engaging in the general discussion indicated about ‘general people’ happening alongside it.


  • While i find your derogatory comments about concussed goldfish disappointingly predictable, the point is by saying ‘both sides are the same’ or ‘both are as bad as the other’ isn’t really a political opinion.

    Its a statement that withdraws from engaging in the differences in party positions on specific subject or policy positions by broad brushing them as the same.

    For instance, a flounder might say to a butterfly fish, that, goldfish (concussed or not), are all the same, just to stop talking to the butterfly fish and get out of its reef! :)