I thought Niaz Masharrof’s video, “America for Dummies” painted a compelling picture of American apathy. The documentary argued that Americans, and especially the youth were ignorant of the world around them. He also seemed to blame this on our education system, and our shallow cultural icons.
Why was this video so convincing? Well, besides great camera work, Niaz provided a powerful visual argument by appealing strongly to logic. The scene at the beginning with his friends studying the picture of Kofi Annon trying to rack their brains for his name, was funny and interesting choice of language using words like, “nigga.” At one time, this word incited social outrage, before that it was used to stereotype, but today it is synonomous with “dude.”
Naiz choice of photos was interesting. He chose powerful figures, Kofi Annon, Alberto Gonzales, and Donald Rumsfield, but not, unfortunately household names with the average American. This works, because his target audience is Americans. As an American, you would feel guilty and a little embarrassed if you did not immediately recognize all three of these figures. Making the viewer feel ignorant is a slam dunk for his arguments. If I don’t know who this person is, then certainly the majority of Americans don’t either.
When he switches to celebrity icons the viewer, like the people on the street, has to immediately recognize every photo. I have to be honest, my brain registered each of the celebrity photos in a split second, but I definitely had to think about the Secretary of Defense and Attorney General for a moment. This video reminds me of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and his segment called “jay-walking.” He would ask similar questions and receive equally ignorant responses. There are two rhetorical differences, that make Naiz’s video more compelling.
First, he establishes his own ethos. He is from Bangladesh. Already, he has a one-up from the average American, simply because of his ethnic perspective. He also tells stories of his own painful experiences with racial ignorance. His suffering adds to his moral credibility with the audience.
Second, using images, instead of just phrasing a question like, ‘who is the Secretary General?’ puts the viewer in the visual shoes of the people on the street.
Naiz also uses “experts” from his high school to persuade the viewer that this apathy stems from our educational system. Even though we don’t know anything about the credentials of these two men, it effectively provides the illusion of expertise.
Finally, Naiz pulls his visual argument together by pointing out the “why.” Why is it important to know who these men are? Well, they all held to positions of power when 9/11 happened. And, heaven forbid, we ever elect another president like George Bush. Bringing in his own political views here, takes away from his own ethos, in my opinion. But his point behind it is valid. If we don’t pay any attention to the world around us, then how can we be informed voters?
The call to action provides a strong finish to his argument. Overall, I thought the video was rhetorically excellent.
