Gabrielle

The Race 

             American society has come to the conclusion that we are in a day and age where we are dealing with such a little acceptance of minorities and differences. Despite this, we could flash back to the 1950s when the first national gay rights organization, The Mattachine Society, was being introduced. Jumping further along the gay rights timeline, we could stop in the 1970s to look briefly at Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected into public office. There is no denying that those historical movements were less accepted than the ones in our generation, merely because of the amount of exposure during the different eras. In the past, if someone was, or thought to be gay, it wasn’t broadcasted nationwide. With the advancement of technology and media, the present day exposure of anything and everything LGBT is unavoidable. Our contemporaries have shown America the most acceptance and tolerance that we have seen to date. Unfortunately, the acceptance of different ideas, people, and even new laws, fuel the anger of those who are still unwilling to accept all of this. These discriminative people feed off of weaknesses and insecurities, making them bullies. The more progress made in the gay rights movements, the angrier the unaccepting become, perhaps being the reason for all the hate crimes we have seen in our recent news. This is what LGBT activists are still dealing with, and those specific people are the ones that all these movements are targeting. Although the acceptance has become more prominent, there is still a population of unaccepting people, however, measures are being taken to encourage acceptance over the contrary outlook.

            Activists and organizations strive to show people the cruelty of their discriminative actions. In many cases, people who are unaccepting are closed minded and will not see the true colors of their actions. How will they be able to recognize the severity of their own doings if they are blind to the results? The use of analogy is used to indirectly compare ones harsh actions to another idea that is commonly seen as cruel in our world. This rhetorical technique can be seen in many areas when dealing with LGBT works. A highly established and well recognized campaign for equal rights is the NOH8 Campaign. Their mission statement reads that, “the NOH8 Campaign is a charitable organization whose mission is to promote marriage, gender and human equality through education, advocacy, social media, and visual protest.” (NOH8 Campaign) It is notorious and commonly known for their widely recognized duct tape photographs. The organization uses a variety of subjects in their photos, ranging from well-known celebrities, to the “average Joe” that lives next door. One of the photographs NOH8 has published stars the highly famous, Kim Kardashian, where the use of analogy, along with allusion, is apparent. In this photo we see a thick piece of duct tape over Kim’s mouth. The comparison of duct tape and voices being silenced is made. The photograph serves as an analogy for anyone whose voice has been lost due to the unjust laws that are in place. Similar to other organizations, the NOH8 campaign has a goal for this photograph, and there is an intended message that is to be retrieved after viewing this image. The use of Kim Kardashian can be seen as an allusion that adds to the use of analogy. By using a famous icon, NOH8 alludes to the idea that this human rights issue is a national controversy, and goes beyond the boundaries of one’s neighborhood or community. If this controversial issue is being modeled by someone who is known worldwide and broadcasted on the media, one can assume that this affair is beyond relevant in our current society. The organization wants its viewers to realize that LGBT citizens are not given the same treatment as the rest of the population. There are laws that restrict their complete freedom or take away their “voice”. When placing duct tape over an object, the adhesive strip seals the object shut, not allowing it to open. The photograph uses the technique of analogy to allow others to see what pieces of legislation are doing to certain people. The image makes a point; LGBT citizens might as well have duct tape over their mouths, for as their voices aren’t being heard in ways that they should. The duct tape restricts the ability of being able to not only say, but do all that can be said or done. This creates a tone of anger, frustration, and confusion for the audience. The idea of putting duct tape over ones mouth is blatantly cruel, but how is that different than what unaccepting laws and people are doing?

            The use on analogy is becoming popular in the LGBT circles. During the pop star and equal rights activist, Lady Gaga’s speech in Portland, Maine regarding “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, a comparison is being made, much like the comparison in the NOH8 photograph. In this speech, Lady Gaga refers to her speech entitled, “The Prime Rib of America”. Throughout the duration of the speech, Gaga refers back to this idea of the comparison between American and a piece of meat. She points out that prime rib is equality, and states, “equality is the prime rib of what we stand for as a nation.”(Lady Gaga) With this act of assertion, the audience is forced to take in the information that was given to them and examine what they believe to be true. This statement also contributes to the tone of the source by giving her presentation a sarcastic or degrading feel.  Our country’s constitution was built upon the idea of equality and freedom, and in this context, our country, and all it has to offer, is the meat. However, Gaga’s mission is to reveal the unjust flaws that have been created. If you are gay, you have to pay more to get these same luxuries, or as Lady Gaga says, “I don't get to enjoy the greatest cut of meat that my country has to offer.”(Lady Gaga) The use of analogy in the speech helps to better understand that we have built a land that is known for, and ensures equal rights, yet, this only applies to you if you are not gay. The techniques used in this speech can’t help but make the audience feel agitated, distraught, and under supported by our own country. If you are gay, you cannot delight in the liberties America has to offer, or in this case, you cannot enjoy the “greatest cut of meat”. Similar to the NOH8 Campaign, the use of analogy in Lady Gaga’s speech, “The Prime Rib of America”, assists by giving an easier understand, and other way to view the reality of the discriminative actions.

            When dealing with personal beliefs, experiences, and ideologies, it is only natural that emotion will come in to play. Common to the rhetorical ecology of LGBT and equal rights movements, pathos is extremely prominent when looking into different texts. In the film, Bully, directed by Lee Hirsch, the focus is on the different subjects who are victims of bullying. An extreme amount of pathos is used throughout the entirety of the documentary, not only in the dialogue and stories themselves, but also in the film techniques. In the trailer of the film, footage is shown of a young boy being hit, and pushed around on the school bus. The clip is included to appeal to the audience’s emotions, because to most, this is an alarming and devastating act. This is sure to strike hard with one’s feelings and emotions. Complementing the use of pathos, there is a strong tone embedded in the film. With all the pathos, viewers may feel bothered and sympathetic for the characters in light. Being able to set a strong tone is crucial when the author is hoping to invite others to join the movement or contribute in some way. Along with this, the use of the text captions in the trailer contributes to the use of pathos. With the strategic choice to include the statistic, “thirteen million kids will be bullied in the U.S. this year,”(Bully) the author hopes to provoke emotion in the audience. With such a drastic number, it halts the reader and gives them a chance to fathom the large number of kids being bullied, and then allows the feelings to tell them that this number is strikingly too high and is quite shameful that society has allowed itself to reach that point. The director makes clever directorial decisions that show pathos in a more indirect way. One of these techniques is the use of music, which ultimately helps to set a specific tone. Towards the finish of the trailer, it is evident that the tone of sorrow and absurdity starts to fade into a much more upbeat tone. The use of music adds a different kind of pathos to the situation at hand. The music becomes upbeat, giving it an inspirational tone, which matches the footage behind the audio that shows people acting out to contribute to the cause. Music automatically provokes an emotion in us, which is why it is a clever way to add pathos to video texts.

            When analyzed, the NOH8 image can be seen as using a great deal of pathos. The angle from which the photograph is taken contributes to the emotional aspect of the image. Because it is a straight-on, front view, it shows the intensity of the photo, and emphasizes the subject. With nothing in the background to distract the viewer’s eye, we are forced to focus strictly on what is in front of us. It creates emotion because we are looking at a human being with a piece of duct tape over her mouth. Regardless of whom this person is, we associate this action as one that is torturous. The viewer automatically feels sympathy for the subject because one of their most important tools is taken away, their voice. The color of the photo, or lack thereof, plays an important role when dealing with pathos. Bright colors are often associated with cheerful situations, where no color at could be used to show the seriousness of a photo. The white of the subject’s shirt represents her innocence.  Also, with only the “8” having color, it draws the eyes of the audience directly to that part of the photo. Opposite in the purity and innocence of white, red can be seen as harsh and cruel. The NOH8 Campaign wants the conflicting message of an innocent person receiving harsh and cruel treatment. The juxtaposition of the two opposite qualities allows the audience to feel angry at the unfair and cruel treatment that is given to someone simply because of their sexual preference. The execution of pathos in the film, Bully, and the photograph effectively allow the audience to see the true colors of the people who are unaccepting of LGBT ideas.

            In many cases, the facts are shown about different statistic when it comes to LGBT bullying and similar idea along these lines. Perhaps an important technique used in these texts is the use of anecdotes. Giving specific stories makes places a name with the fact, ultimately making the statistics more personal. In Bully, the narrative is full of separate anecdotes of different children who are being bullied along with their families. The use of anecdote allows the viewers to connect on a personal level to the characters, making the film more realistic and allowing the film to be real to life. This connection made is crucial to keep the audience engaged, absorbed, and involved. It adds a personal and human dimension to the situation in focus. Complementary to the film, the NOH8 image also deals with anecdote. However, the use of this technique differs in a way that it is much less directly shown to the audience. In Bully, there is no mistaking the use of anecdote throughout the film. In the photograph, the anecdote is seen through allusion. The number “8” on Kim Kardashian’s cheek, and even in the organizations name, alludes to a historical event among the LGBT timeline. This event is California’s proposition 8, which overturned ruling that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. This is where the anecdote comes in to play, because we see this story of a piece of legislation that contributed to the lack of equal rights. Through anecdote, the audience is able to comprehend the idea the problem being addressed is not strictly about Proposition 8, but other pieces of legislation and discriminatory acts much like it that have silenced these voices.

            Various texts take different, strategic approaches in order to speak rhetorically about the controversial equal rights issue at hand. Being that, the individual works that implement numerable different techniques is one that is the most compelling, perhaps making it more effective when comparing it to others. Dealing with the film, Bully, the NOH8 image, and Lady Gaga’s speech, it has become apparent that the NOH8 image is the most effective in delivering its intended message. With the use of analogy, pathos, and anecdote, it gives the image several layers and dimensions along with viewpoints from which you can analyze from. One of the most effective aspects of the photograph is that it has a clear message that is to be received, but still allows room for the viewer’s own interpretation. With this allowance, the audience is able to connect on a higher level than it would than a text where all the information is directly given to you. The reason for this is because it invites the viewer to participate and forces their involvement with their own thinking. The image’s best technique is analogy, because it requires the audience to identify the comparison being made, and draw conclusions as to why this analogy is being illustrated. The image’s thesis of, “those that are unaccepting take away the privileges and liberties of others,” contributes to absolute idea that although we are at a time where acceptance seems to be winning the race, those who are still unaccepting restrain our country’s ability to fully make it across the finish line.

          

Works Cited

            Bully. Dir. Lee Hirsch. 2012. Film.

            Bouska, Adam. 2012. Photograph. NOH8 Campaign. Web.

            The Prime Rib of America. Perf. Lady Gaga. Speech