Food For Thought:
Challenging Big Food/Media’s Monopoly Over Our
Media Culture
“Moopheus” image from “The Meatrix” at www.themeatrix.com
You know the old saying – “you are what you
eat”? Many Americans don’t give much thought to the
food and drink we consume daily. We are busy and over-extended – trying to
work (to put food on the table, remember?), pay our bills, raise our families,
and find some time in our days for rest and re-creation. We are overwhelmed with
too much information. And, we are conditioned to accept certain ways of thinking
about our relationship to food, a value system shaped by family, habit
tradition, and the endless “food-related” stories told by a
corporately-owned media culture supported by the advertising, marketing, and
public relations power of giant multinational food-producing corporations (Think
McDonald’s sponsoring of “Sesame Street,” or Archer Daniels Midland’s
underwriting of National Public Radio.)
Americans
often don’t consider what “cheap food” means to the whole agricultural
system. Factory produced, highly processed, inexpensive food in our grocery
stores means below-poverty income levels for family farmers across the U.S.,
and, as global trade expands, across the world. Just as some citizens have
become more aware of what it means for young workers in Asian countries when we
buy a pair of Nikes, consciousness is being raised around what cheap meat, milk,
and grain means for our farmers and farm workers. The global food supply is
becoming horizontally and vertically integrated in much the same way as the
global media is, and studying agricultural issues can open windows though which
to view media consolidation. Knowledge is power. Even one simple fact – i.e.
one out of every ten dollars American consumers spend on food goes to one giant
corporation (tobacco giant Altria – formerly Philip Morris) – can begin to
shift thinking about the importance of designing and supporting alternatives to
our current food production, distribution and consumption patterns.
“Food For
Thought” is an ACME-created collection of activities and resources designed to
use media literacy education – teaching ourselves how to access, analyze,
evaluate and produce media - to help us raise important questions about our
relationship to our food. “Food For Thought” is especially interested in
focusing on how powerful media players, including large multi-national
corporations, and large corporate agribusiness organizations use our media
systems to persuade us to adopt certain ways of thinking, buying, and eating
that run counter to our long-term concerns: health, wealth, wisdom, and
sustainability. “Food For Thought” also seeks to offer viable food-based
alternatives and grassroots solutions to challenge and change the monopoly Big
Food/Big Media has over our “eating culture.”
Food For Thought:
We encourage you to
adapt these activities to suit your own purposes. We also suggest proceeding
with sensitivity, as our relationship to our food is an incredibly personal one.
Have fun, exercise respect for others, and learn much!
Food For Thought:
Here are some introductory activities you may consider doing with students to
begin asking questions about our relationship to food. Have students make a list
of their favorite foods together. Then, have them each select one favorite food
item, and write about why it is their favorite food. Encourage them to talk in
personal terms. Share their stories with each other.
Follow
this up with some fun investigative research, including questions like:
Ø
Who makes their favorite food?
Ø
Where is this food made?
Ø
Who grows the ingredients, and
where are they grown?
Ø
Who is the food’s
“processor”?
Ø
If produce, how much of the
retail dollar goes back to the farmer?
Ø
How is the food produced,
packaged and transported to market?
Ø
How is this food advertised, if
at all?
Ø
Who pays to advertise for this
food?
Ø
What is this food item’s
nutritional content?
Ø
How does this nutritional content
compare to the amount of nutrients added to the soil where the food is grown?
Ø
How many calories of energy are
expended for each food calorie produced?
Can
students chart, graph or creatively present any or all of this information for
their class or community? All of the above questions and activities are fun ways
to begin raising questions about why we eat the kinds of foods we eat.
Food Survey: Deputize
your students to be “food” reporters. Together, develop a short list of
questions related to “media and food,” and have students go out into their
classrooms, cafeterias, and communities to find out why people eat what they
eat. If possible, have students bring clipboards and/or video cameras when they
interview. Then, share your findings and develop some sort of a chart, graph,
Power Point, or iMovie presentation to share with the larger community.
Cereal Box Design: A
fabulous media production activity! Collect old cereal boxes, and then have
students design their own brand of cereal by decorating a box with construction
paper, logos, saying, and the like. Throw down a challenge – design TWO cereal
brands – one that is for a “hyper-sugary” cereal and one that is for a
“healthy” cereal. (This will lead to a conversation about what makes a
cereal healthy or unhealthy.) OR one that is “corporate” and one that is
“local” – what local products could be used to make a cereal, and how
would the student market it? This activity can be adapted to create ANY
food-related piece of media or package in student-centered small groups. When
the boxes are done, have each group present their boxes to the rest of the
class, and talk about the various media techniques they used to make the cereal
seem appealing. Take photographs of your students with their boxes! Create a
digital slide show! Display the boxes in your school hallway!
Farm Tour:
Take students on a tour of a local farm or farmer’s market. Farmers are busy
people, but see if you can arrange a conversation with a farmer about some of
the challenges and rewards farming presents. There are many opportunities for
this across the country. In Vermont, there is the FEED program, run through NOFA
VT that works with farmers and educators to do just this. Similar programs exist
in other states as well.
Fast Food Franchise Tour:
Take students on a tour of a local fast food franchise. Develop some questions
to ask before you go, and have students chart their observations as you tour.
Afterwards, discuss their findings. Follow up with deeper questions: Does our
fast food culture condition us to desire the same kinds of food throughout the
year, instead of “eating with the seasons”? What are the trade-offs of this
kind of relationship to food?
Market Mission:
Have students “tour” their school cafeteria or community grocery store.
Together, develop a set of questions to answer as they tour. How much of the
available food is local? Organic? (The changing definition of what makes a food
“organic” makes for fascinating conversation.) How much of the food is owned
by large corporations? How much of the food is purchased locally? Regionally?
How is the food packaged? How much advertising and product placement (shelf
space, which products get which shelf locations in a grocery store, is
fascinating) is present?
Compare the
perimeter of the store to the aisles – whole food vs. processed food. Also,
ask store manager how shelf space is allocated. What is the cost to the
wholesaler? Note corporate advertisements in store and how displays are made to
highlight these items (look at the end caps, especially). Find some products
that have a farm name in their label or have a farmer’s picture on the package
(or a farm animal). See who is actually selling this product, where are they
located? Are they a corporation or a farm? Are any farmers benefiting from the
way this product is marketed?
Exploring The “Organic” Label’s History: “Organic” is a process based, marketing
designation. A great activity for older students would be to explore the history
behind why organic standards were
first implemented and how large agricultural corporations are trying to change
the standards to fit their model of agriculture. Have students find news items
about these issues in magazines, trade press, and major newspapers (or local
ones, for that matter).
Student Debate: Select
a “media and food” related debate question – “Should McDonald’s be
allowed to sponsor “”Sesame Street” or other programs for young
children?” – and have students research, write, and debate the question.
This would be an interesting debate to conduct after reading Fast
Food Nation. Another question: Does the “Got Milk?” campaign help dairy
farmers? It would be interesting for students to learn how check-offs, which all
farmers pay, are funneled to Big Agricultural corporations to run multimedia
advertising campaigns to influence consumer buying decisions. Example: The pork
producers and the beef producers just sued over the pork and beef check-offs
because they were actually hurting family farmers. The case was recently heard
in the Supreme Court, and a decision is pending. Students could find many
articles on this case and the 10-year struggle these farmers have been through
to get to this point.
Community Information Night: Sponsor a “Food For Thought” community
information night, and invite school and community members to an informal night
of presentations, dialogue, and fun around food-related topics. Show clips of
various “food related media,” including student work! Invite local farms and
restaurants to help co-sponsor the event and provide free or low-cost food items
to sample! Have students create information sheets on various “media and
food” related topics! Have fun and educate each other!
Born To Buy
by Juliet Schor (2004). Sociologist takes a hard look at the marketing
relationship between large multinational corporations and our kids. Revelatory.
Chelsea Green Press
(www.chelseagreen.com). This
Vermont-based independent publishing house prints books about sustainable
living, agriculture, and health.
Consuming Kids:
The Hostile Takeover Of Childhood by
Susan Linn (2004). Center for Commercial-Free Childhood director examines how
our corporately-owned media culture targets kids as consumers from birth through
adolescence. Eye-opening.
Fast Food Nation
by Eric Schlosser (2003). Rolling Stone
journalist reveals the “dark side” of the fast food industry in this
well-written, comprehensive and engrossing investigative book, which is a
“must-read” for all Americans.
Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy Of Industrial
Agriculture by Andrew Kimbrell (2002). Powerful examination of
the failures accompanying our dominant agricultural paradigm.
FedCo.
This Maine-based seed company provides an exhaustive and humorous catalogue of
garden seeds, including organic and heirloom varieties, for purchase.
Food Politics:
How The Food Industry Influences Nutrition
And Health by Marion Nestle (2002). This insider’s account explores the
relationship between public health, government policy and corporate lobbying.
Gene Traders: Biotechnology, World Trade, and the
Globalization of Hunger,
edited by Brian Tokar (2004). A short and comprehensive examination of the
trade-offs involved in the production and use of genetically-modified foods.
This little book is an excellent resource for high school and college
classrooms.
Inside The Bottle: An Expose of the Bottled Water
Industry by Tony Clarke (2005). An in-depth investigative
look at the nature of bottled water corporations. Eye-opening!
Kids Can Make A Difference: Finding Solutions to
Hunger by Stephanie Kempf (2001). Engaging classroom
lessons for middle and high school students on the roots causes of and real
solutions to domestic and international hunger. A fine teaching resource!
Mad Cow USA:
Could The Nightmare Happen Here? by
John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton (1999). Eye-opening book that looks at the
dangers “mad cow disease” poses to the U.S. food supply.
Mothering magazine
(www.mothering.com). This New
Mexico-based bi-monthly regularly publishes courageous articles related to food,
nutrition, and health.
Reversing Addiction.
Produced by the Mew Mexico Media Literacy Project (www.nmmlp.org),
this CD-ROM features six different multimedia presentations that include dozens
of TV, movie and video clips teachers can use to teach about commercialism, fast
food, substance abuse, and obesity-related issues.
Seeds of Deception: Exposing Industry and
Government Lies About The Safety of the Genetically Engineered Foods You’re
Eating by Jeffrey Smith (2003). This book’s title says
it all. A well-researched and engaging read for an older audience.
Understanding Media.
Produced by the New Mexico Media Literacy Project (www.nmmlp.org)
, this ground-breaking CD-ROM introduces basic media literacy education concepts
connected to dozens of Big Food-related media issues, including advertising,
marketing, and sustainability.
Worldwatch Institute.
This non-partisan think tank regularly reports on sustainability and “the
state of the world” in their magazines and annual report.
This
continental coalition of organizations champions critical media literacy
education, independent media production, and grassroots media reform and justice
initiatives.
www.commercialexploitation.org
A national coalition of health care professionals,
educators, advocacy groups and concerned parents who counter the harmful effects
of marketing to children through
action, advocacy, education, research, and collaboration among organizations and
individuals who care about children. Download their FREE “marketing to kids”
Fact Sheets!
Center
for Science In The Public Interest
www.cspinet.org/nutritionpolicy/
Fabulous resource for communities and classrooms
interested in transforming their relationship to food, including their “School
Foods Tool Kit.”
Commercial
Alert
http://www.commercialalert.org
This non-profit’s mission is to keep the
commercial culture within its proper sphere, and to prevent it from exploiting
children and subverting the higher values of family, community, environmental
integrity and democracy.
http://www.iatp.org/enviroObs/library/uploadedfiles/Costs_of_Cheap_Food_The.pdf
As Americans, we are told that cheap and abundant
food is the backbone of a thriving economy. The fact is that cheap
food often
comes with trade-offs that are often not reflected in the supermarket price tag.
Find out more here.
Crop Choice
An
alternative news source for agriculture issues.
http://www.factoryfarm.org/resources/books/
This web site provides a wide
array of print resources related to factory farming.
Farm
Aid
This
is a useful site for challenging factory farms, and supporting small organic and
family owned farms. Willie Nelson’s twenty-year effort has raised millions of
dollars annually to keep small farmers on their land and educate the public on
food safety issues.
Food
Project, Boston
A
youth-focused agricultural organization whose mission is “to grow a thoughtful
and productive community of youth and adults from diverse backgrounds who work
together to build a sustainable food system.”
Farm Bureau
Farm Bureau
“educational” website features “ag mags” for kids sponsored by corporate
agribusiness. Also has a “teachers toolbox.”
http://www.humaneteen.org/farms_as_factories/default.asp
Written for
high-school students and their teachers, Farms
as Factories explores the problems associated with modern methods of animal
agriculture. Complete with recent statistics and color photographs, this
32-page, full color booklet also contains a wealth of critical-thinking
questions, writing assignments, citizenship projects, and meaningful activities
appropriate for student activists or animal protection clubs. Included is an
extensive list of resources.
Global
Agrimedia
http://global.agrimedia.com/go.php?sid=e63cde3330dc844621227637b6460bd9
Bringing you
agribusiness publications from around the globe, with a bookstore for
publications about feed, grain, potatoes and much more, and a web directory that
offers many useful links to agricultural resources.
IATP’s
Agribusiness Center
http://www.agribusinesscenter.org/
An online
resource for activists, academics, and citizens housing a clearinghouse of
information on the impacts of agribusiness firms on consumers, investors,
farmers, workers, and the environment. Also provides links and information on
organizations and campaigns around the world that are working to hold agri-food
companies accountable for their actions and to promote more sustainable food
systems.
http://www.factoryfarm.org/docs/GFFP_Brochure.pdf
This fact
sheet answers the basic questions about factory farms and their impact on the
environment, human health, animal welfare, and family farms. Includes
information on sustainable solutions and how to take action. Can be freely
printed or quoted as long as the GRACE Factory Farm Project is credited.
Offers a
“Community Action To Change School Food Policy” Organizing Kit. Very useful!
The
Meatrix
Narrated by a well-dressed
bovine named “Moopheus,” this short and clever Flash animation movie exposes
the trade-offs embedded in the corporate meat industry, and has an excellent
“activism” resource and links collection.
National
Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
An information
service featuring up-to-date news on sustainable agriculture and organic
farming.
New Farm
Network
This is a great site for farmers to get the latest updates on
new farming trends, organic farming nationwide, updated news, laws, and
resources for farming environmentally.
The best site for finding out the latest news on organic
farming, products, organic foods in schools, legislative action, environmental
concerns, and organizations to support.
http://checc.sph.unc.edu/rooms/school/whole_hog/index.htm
Food
For Thought:
A
Sampling Of Useful Films and Videos
Deconstructing
Supper (2002) - 47 minutes
www.bullfrogfilms.com
/Bullfrog
Videos/1-800-542-2164
Canadian chef John Bishop
travels from his restaurant to England and India, talking with scientists and
activists about GMO issues and the food supply. Good production and graphics.
Fed
Up (2003) - 58 minutes
www.wholesomegoodness.org
/ 415-339-7866
Excellent look at genetic
engineering, industrial and sustainable agricultures, including use of old TV
and film clips.
Food
for Thought (YEAR) - 30 minutes
www.videoproject.net
/ 1-800-4PLANET
This video contains interviews
with half a dozen people, including farmers and activists, and provides an
informative introduction to GMO issues, with engaging production and graphics.
www.NFB.CA
(Nat’l. Film Board) / 1-800-542-2164
This film provides a solid,
informative, critical look at GMOs with good talking head information.
Some previous knowledge about GMO issues would be useful for audiences.
Global
Banquet: Politics of Food (2001) - 50 minutes
www.olddogdocumentaries.com/vid_gb.html
/212-929-9557
Divided into two 25-minute
segments. Deals with a variety of food issues: trans-nationals, sustainability,
family farms, GMOs, pesticides and animal cruelty are addressed. GMOs are only a
small part of the video, but it is very good for putting many of these issues in
context.
Globalization and Nature (2001) - 30 minutes
www.envirovideo.com
/ 1-800-ECO-TV46
Excellent discussion of food
issues with a lot on GMOs, with a broader perspective on related subjects.
Vandana Shiva ties together diverse threads together well.
Grains
of Truth (2001) - 12 minutes
This film features interviews
with farmers, primarily about how GMOs affect their livelihood. Good
introduction for lay audience.
Killing Seeds (2002) - 45 minutes
Focus on Canadian farmer Percy
Schmeiser and his battle with Monsanto. Good presentation of how GMO issues
impact farmers.
Life
Out Of Control (2004) – 90 minutes
Provocative and wide-ranging
exploration of the “bioengineering revolution.”
Super
Size Me (2004) – 90 minutes
Director
Morgan Spurlock puts his body on the line, literally, in this humorous and
provocative look at the fast food industry.
Think Globally, Eat Locally (2003) – 27 minutes
This
GreenWorks video walks viewers through an explanation of why supporting local
food alternatives makes sense.
Toxic
Sludge Is Good For You (2002) – 50 minutes
An in-depth look at the public
relations industry and the various techniques the PR industry uses to construct
“realities” that aren’t necessarily true, with an excellent focus on a
variety of food and sustainability issues.
This short animated video
explores the true costs of food in an entertaining and provocative way.
Privatizing
the World (2003) - 52 minutes
www.isca@videotron.CA
/ 1-514-273-9795
Focuses on the relationship
between corporate capitalism and the “public commons.”
(If you know
of a Vermont resource not listed here, please contact ACMEVermont at http://www.acmevermont.org
and we will add it!)
American
Flatbread
http://www.americanflatbread.com
The
nationally-renowned pizza production company seeks to re-define American
consumers’ relationship to food through a remarkable blend of the pragmatic
and philosophical.
Center For
Whole Communities (www.wholecommunities.org)
Located in
Mad River Valley, this farm and retreat center offers a wide variety of
workshops and retreats on issues related to food, agriculture, land
conservation, and sustainability.
Chelsea
Green Press (www.chelsegreen.com)
Based in
White River Junction, this independent press publishes a variety of resources on
food, agriculture, and sustainability.
Farmer’s
Diner (www.farmersdiner.com)
Tod
Murphy’s Barre diner features traditional diner food with a fabulous twist –
just about everything on the menu is acquired from business partnerships with
local and regional farms.
Food Works
at Two Rivers Center (www.tworiverscenter.org)
A
Montpelier-based organization that “empowers people to take control of the
food they eat by cultivating sustainable food systems that are firmly rooted in
each region’s natural and cultural heritage.”
LOVE IS...PEACE program (www.rootswork.org)
Stands for “Let Organics Vitalize Everyone In School,
Partnering Education, Agriculture, Children and the Environment.” Currently
working with the six local elementary schools in Mad River making strides
in designing local gardens and transitioning healthy, local, organic foods into
schools.
Northeast
Organic Farming Association – Vermont (www.nofavt.org)
This
organization provides information and support for northeast organic farmers.
Rootswork – (www.rootswork.org)
The Mad River Valley’s local community non-profit
organization to support sustainable agriculture and small organic farmers and
food producers. For several years, Rootswork has made progressive changes in how
the Mad RiverValley relates to agriculture and environment.
Rural
Vermont (www.ruralvermont.org)
A
Montpelier-based nonprofit farm advocacy group that represents those who are
opposed to corporate industrial agriculture, and committed to supporting a
strong rural economy that is environmentally sustainable and economically just.
Vermont
Farm-Fresh Network (www.vermontfresh.net)
The Vermont Fresh Network, located in Montpelier,
builds innovative partnerships among farmers, chefs and consumers to strengthen
Vermont's agriculture.
Vermont
Guardian (www.vermontguardian.com)
Independent
subscriber-supported statewide news weekly devoted to consistent coverage of
issues impacting the state of Vermont, including farm policy, GE seed labeling,
and other “media and food” related issues.
Questioning Media
Ten
Basic Principles of Media Literacy Education
ACME
at www.acmecoalition.org
1.
Medium: a
form of communication – i.e. television, a video game, or a magazine article
– that transmits messages, tells stories, structures learning, and constructs
a “reality” about the world.
2.
Media Literacy: an
educational approach that seeks to give media users greater FREEDOM and CHOICE
by teaching them how to access, analyze,
evaluate and produce media.
ACME-style media literacy education emphasizes: knowledge, skills, and activism!
3.
“REALITY”
CONSTRUCTION/TRADE-OFFS: Media construct our culture and involve trade-offs
(goods and bads).
Consuming media always involves choices that enhance or degrade our lives. We
should ask ourselves, "What are the trade-offs of this media
experience?"
ASK: Who produced this
media? What kind of reality does this media create? How accurate is this
“reality”? What stories are NOT being told and why?
4.
PRODUCTION
TECHNIQUES: Media use identifiable production techniques. Advertisers, the public relations industry, and
other powerful media makers spend massive amounts of time, energy, and money
carefully creating media to influence the ways we think, behave, and buy.
"Deconstructing" or analyzing production techniques – camera angles,
lighting, editing, sound effects, colors, font styles, symbols, etc. - can build
awareness, leading to more careful and "literate" consumption of
media.
ASK:
What kinds of production techniques does this media use?
5.
VALUE
MESSAGES: Media contain ideological and value messages. Some
value messages are intended, while others are unintended. Messages can be
positive or negative, and messages target specific groups.
ASK:
What kinds of value messages does this media promote?
6.
COMMERCIAL
MOTIVES: Media are business and commercial interests. Most media are produced within the commercial
industry – researching questions of ownership, production, and distribution is
vital to fully understanding media’s influence.
ASK: What are the
commercial motives behind this media? Who or what paid for this media and why?
Who or what owns this media product?
7.
INDIVIDUAL
MEANINGS: Individuals construct their own meanings from media. If parents, teachers, students and citizens are to
learn about media, let’s honor, discuss and debate each other’s meanings.
ASK: What meanings do
YOU find in reflecting about this media? What differing meanings might other
individuals or groups find?
8.
EMOTIONAL
TRANSFER: Commercials and other multi-media experiences operate primarily at an
emotional level and
are usually designed to transfer the emotion from one symbol or lifestyle onto
another (usually a product or behavior).
ASK: What emotions does
this media tap? What might we consider if we think more deeply about this media?
9.
PACING:
Media Pacing - TV runs at 30 frames per second (movies at 24). The
conscious mind can process about 8 frames per second; hence television and
movies tend to keep us from conscious analysis and reflection about individual
messages and larger industry contexts.
Ask:
What do you observe about this media upon
reflection? (After showing media multiple times, slowing media down, or stopping
media regularly for discussion).
10. SYMBOLIC
RHETORIC/Techniques of Persuasion: Symbols, flattery, repetition, fear,
humor, powerful words and sexual images are especially common and effective
techniques of media persuasion.
Ask:
What persuasive techniques is this media using?
See
ACME at www.acmecoalition.org for
more information about media literacy education curricula, activities, and
resources.
From Persuasive
Techniques to Analytical Tools:
Developing A ML Language
ACME at www.acmecoalition.org
Umberto Eco
1.
Symbols:
Persuading through the use of idea-conveyances (an American flag on a lapel pin)
that associate one thing (a politician) with another (support for his speeches
or policies). Symbols are often
phrases (“Just Do It”), images (the famous “Earth seen from space”
photo) graphic brands (McDonald’s Golden Arches), or icons (well-known
politicians, athletes, or artists). Symbols are rarely used by accident or
chance; they are usually employed very carefully.
2.
Big Lie:
Persuading through dishonesty; not telling the truth about X. An easy technique
to spot in advertising (“Smoking makes you glamorous,” “Drinking makes you
cool”), but sometimes harder to spot in political propaganda. This is where
reading a variety of independent media sources comes in handy.
3.
Flattery:
Persuading by complimenting insincerely or excessively. Advertisers use this
technique all the time (“You deserve a break today”), and television
programs (including so-called “reality TV”) uses this technique in a more
subtle way, suggesting that the audience is more smart, cool, etc. than people
on the screen.
4.
Hyperbole:
Persuading by making exaggerated claims. Found all the time in advertising media
(“The best smoke ever!”), and often in political propaganda.
5.
Bribery:
Persuading through the offering of a bribe -
money, favors, savings, or a little something extra. Advertisements use
this technique all the time (“Act now and we’ll throw in extra X or save you
Y dollars.”)
6.
Bandwagon:
Persuading by insisting that “everyone’s doing X.” Works in both
advertising and political propaganda.
7.
Scapegoating:
Persuading by blaming problems on one individual or group (The Nazis blaming
Jews, for example, for Germany’s problems during the 1930s).
8.
Simple Solutions:
Persuading by offering a simple solution to either a manufactured or more
complex problem. (“Take these pills and lose all the weight you need!” What
about a responsible diet, regular exercise, the influence of genetics on one’s
weight, and a healthy sense of individual self-esteem despite being larger than
some?)
9.
Rhetorical questions:
Persuading through the asking of questions designed to provoke further
exploration or generate a certain predicted response. (“Do you want greasy
hair?” “Why did politician X lie about Y”?)
10.
Fear/Defensive
Nationalism: Persuading
by appealing to an enemy – Communists, terrorists, or godless liberals. (The
Bush administration has leveraged the 911 tragedy to attack so-called “rogue
nations” – Iraq, Korea, and Iran - that comprise an “axis of evil.”)
11.
Humor: Persuading through appeals to the funny bone.
Laughter is often the best medicine, especially if you don’t want people to
think too deeply about something.
12.
Testimonial: Persuading by invoking support from respected
individuals (like athletes, movie stars, and doctors) or institutions (Like
having the AAP approve media literacy curricula or a former Surgeon General
endorse pharmaceutical products.)
13.
Plain
Folks: The opposite of testimonial; persuading by
appealing to the common man or portraying yourself as “just one of the
guys/gals.” (Used in many beer advertisements, as well as by millionaire
politicians who stage “photo ops” of themselves chopping wood, fishing, or
reading to school children.)
14.
Repetition: Persuading through, you guessed it, repeating the
same image, word, symbols, or phrase over and over. (Advertisers use it –
“diamonds are ______” as do politicians – how many times have you heard
the phrase ‘weapons of mass destruction.’?)
15.
Nostalgia: Persuading through appeals to a more simple or
romantic (and often mythical) past. (See Brokaw’s book The Greatest Generation or any Hollywood World War II movie).
16.
Diversion: Persuading by diverting attention away from
damning information or an alternative point of view. (The alcohol and tobacco
industries use this technique in all of their advertising).
17.
Denial: Persuading by avoiding (or seeming to avoid) an
attachment to unpleasant symbols, moments, or stories.
18.
Warm
Fuzzies: Persuading with appeals by cute little children,
large furry animals, or anything else that warms your heart. (Think “Little
Debbie” snack cakes – a classic example).
19.
Beautiful
People: Persuading
through images of good-looking individuals to sell products, lifestyles,
behaviors, or ideas. Common in advertising and politics.
20.
Group
Dynamics: Persuading
by building a sense of solidarity; replacing the “I” aloneness with “we”
togetherness. Look for “we,” “our” and other GD power words. (“We the
people,” begins the US Constitution).
21.
Either/Or: Persuading by appeals to simplistic black and
white and either/or thinking. (To quote Mr. Bush – “you’re either for us
or against us.) Used all the time by lazy journalists and our mind-numbingly
shallow mainstream McNews culture.
22.
Maybe: Persuading with promising but “hedgy” language
– words like “might,” “could,” or “maybe.” (“Play the Lottery
– you could win a million dollars!”)
23.
Strength: Persuading by appeals to strong leadership – be
strong, aggressive, bold, firm, and “in charge.” (Watch any action movie or
State of the Union message).
24.
Scientific
Evidence: Persuading
with scientific (or pseudo-scientific) language – graphs, diagrams, charts,
statistics and “jargon.” (“4 out of 5 dentists surveyed…”)
25.
Card
Stacking: Persuading by taking information out of context or
not providing the whole story. (Movie advertising featuring critics’ one
liners – “the best movie I’ve ever seen!” – does this all the time).
26.
Name
Calling: Persuading with personal attacks that features
colorful, offensive, crude and humorous language. (Listen to Rush “FemiNazi”
Limbough or H. Stern).
27.
The
Race Card: Persuading through appeals to race, often mythical
notions of racial harmony (advertising) or race-based fear appeals (politics).
28.
Timing: Persuading through the orchestrating of various
story elements or production techniques to enhance media’s meaning and power.
(Study scary or tear-jerking movie scenes, or effective advertisements, to see
this at work).
Adapted from Bob
McCannon/New Mexico Media Literacy Project at www.nmmlp.org