In
our current society, millions of Americans watch the presidential
debates that occur every four years.
This trend was first started when John F. Kennedy debated with Richard
Nixon over live TV. Television
sets were becoming more popular in homes, and the broadcasting of the debate
led even more people to buy into the new technology, since they were
effectively being advertised indirectly by the future leaders of the US. What better reason should a family have to
get a TV when the most influential men in the world are arguing against one
another live?
The
result of this debate was that the relatively unknown senator Kennedy became
wildly popular overnight, since he appeared to do perform much better the sickly-looking Nixon. The results were so profound
in fact, that Nixon never debated on live TV for any other presidential
campaign.
As
more and more events became spread across TV channels, more people bought into
its’ influence, since powerful individuals and events were being broadcasted,
which essentially marketed the TV itself.
- Anderson
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ReplyDeleteGood point that TV allowed greater appeals to ethos because people could actually see speakers and better get a feel for their credibility. You could say a lot more about ethos though. Definitely could develop your points better.
ReplyDeleteHaving some of the most influential people in America- the presidential candidates, on television is a great example of ethos. They men running are clearly knowledgeable and have a lot of credibility, which leads the audience to really listen to what they are saying. Maybe you could describe some of the things Nixon and Kennedy said that drew on their ethos/ expertise more. I liked the part where Nixon is seen as sickly on television while Kennedy was seen as a young, fit, and handsome candidate. This is an awesome example of how media was a negative for Nixon, as his personal credibility/ trustworthiness and overall ethos decreased while Kennedy's increased dramatically. Clearly media did play a huge role in portraying peoples ethos and authority, especially during something like a presidential election.
ReplyDelete-Priyal Patel
Being able to see the candidates in a live debate really added to the appeals to ethos from the television. The fact that you could finally watch the debates allowed the people to really see how the candidates reacted to certain questions. Being a live show also added to the credibility behind the debate and the candidates. The invention of the television had a large impact on the result of the presidential election.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! the hyperlinks really made your post more reliable. your question above to picture also clearly points that you're talking about ethos.
ReplyDeleteOnly critique would be to add more hyperlinks other than to provide background info.
Simple and to the point. You made your point very well and explained why the role of TV made the 60s even more of a transitional period in american life
ReplyDelete