https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dk5YgbA1IM
This is a anti-drug public service announcement about cocaine from drugfreeworld.org.
What techniques did drugfreeworld.org use to portray their message about drugs? What are some examples of pathos, ethos, and/or logos in this video? Do you think that the ad accurately and successfully showed the cons of drug use?
I am responding using blog prompt number 1. The people who created the ad definitely portrayed many negatives to using crack. Relationships are huge at the teenage to young adult years, and the one shown is a broken relationship. This can lead one to understand the terrible effects of meth, and appeal to the younger kids to stay away. Secondly, the ad uses the same saying at the beginning as it does in the end(the girl saying he promised to stay with me). This can go a long way in showing how one can have an original belief, and that can all be changed by the powerful effects of meth. A once meaningful promise was slashed, and terrible effects ensued by continuing to be a part of the unhealthy relationship. Lastly, behavior can have a huge impact on the meanings of commercials or ads. For instance, the boyfriend seems to be very controlling, violent, abusive, and rude to his counterpart in the ad. On the other hand, she is very spastic, emotional, and has no self control and she is completely engulfed in using the crack with her boyfriend and staying in the relationship. Along the lines of behavior, the fact the the boyfriend was willing to run away and leave his girlfriend to the police shows what is more important once the addiction has occurred. A huge meaning from the behavior is that one is definitely willing to sacrifice a normal life to the devastating addiction to the drug in which a lot of normal inhibitions are greatly changed. Behavior, audio about a broken promise, and horrible conditions for a relationship are all used to portray just some of the negative effects meth can have on a young persons life. The ad is not to just show a crazy girl and boy, but much meaning is put into the details and scenes in the movie.
ReplyDeleteI am responding to Jacob's observations of this advertisement. I also interpreted the guy leaving his girlfriend behind as a message towards the effects of crack. It appears that the crack lead the man to prioritize his meth addiction over his girlfriend. Another thought I had however, is that the man was the one who got away at least briefly. The public service announcement may be making a point about the gender differences relating to drugs. The girl was much more emotional and was also the one that was caught by the police. The man, however, turned violent and put himself first when things turned bad. Maybe the announcement intended to show that men and women respond to crack in different ways, but regardless of who you are, the consequences are undesirable.
Deletein response to Jacob's comment: I agree that the promise from the boyfriend to the girl, saying that she would love him forever if she smoked crack with him, was her motivation for using the drug. The ad depicts this as the only reason why she got involved with this drug, and this relationship to begin with, because to her, the man's love was more important than any possible consequences. However, in the beginning of the ad she appeared to be a rather harmless girl, so maybe she was unaware of the possible outcomes of becoming involved in this situation, such as police involvement etc. The "couple's" lifestyle seemed to start to revolved around the drug and I think that the main message here is that the effects of some drugs are much more severe than some might think, and that if you get yourself into a bad situation, you need to be able to realize when the cons outweigh the pros, and that is the time to get yourself out, which this girl clearly did not do.
DeletePrompt 2. One YouTube user commented. “I say legalize all the drugs and let the junkies die and let the responsible use drugs enjoyably.” The people that reply mostly state that there are usually underlying issues when people begin using drugs. Both people that respond say that the man’s comments were harsh and callous. They seem to all agree that drug use begins with an event that a person cannot control. Whether, it is a mental disorder or a tough life, the cause is from something uncontrollable. However, they also seem to agree that even if a person is having a tough life, they still make the decision to do the drugs. The man that made the initial comment says that a person should” not try drugs, not even once.” It was inappropriate for him to say “let all the junkies die,” when many are fighting to live due to their drug addiction. The commenters use cause and effect. They say what can happen to people that have tough lives and or mental disorders; they can be more susceptible to doing drugs. The commenters do not reference each other. The man that made the initial comment made it more than once, so the people that replied did so on a different comment. The fact that the man made these comments more than once shows that he was antagonizing people that he wanted to cause uproar.
ReplyDeletePrompt 7: While looking through the comments on Youtube I decided that the video doesn't accomplish its goal of warning people of the dangers of crack and peer pressure. The PSA seems to be overly dramatic and lead to many comments of laughter for what is being portrayed as a serious situation. Comments such as "I thought this was a spoof" and "lol this looks like a highschool project at best" stood out because they show the video was perceived to be unrealistic. This is likely the reason why its message was so easily laughed off and dismissed by many others.
ReplyDeleteIn this advertisement, one of the techniques the organization uses is that audience similarity. In reality, many girls may devote too much to their boyfriends, and are willing to sacrifice a lot. In the advertisement, the reason why the girl smokes crack with him is the boy said they could be together if do so. However, eventually, the boy left over when police came. He is selfish and ran away from responsibility. On this point, it gives many audience warning, to have clear mind and self-control.
ReplyDeleteThe example of pathos, I think, it can be the image of the girl's vulnerability. She is so weak and pale. She relies too much on her boyfriend, and even believes in a lie. Last, get herself into miserable situation.
Besides, I don't think this advertisement accurately and successfully convey the cons of drug use. It focuses on motivation to abuse.
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ReplyDeletePrompt 7: In this anit-drug public service announcement, the author tries to use emotions to connect with its viewers. This video uses pathos to grab the attention of the viewers and attempts to make the video as realistic as possible for the same effect. By using a “normal” looking girl, the author is trying to show that anyone can fall into the vices that are displayed. By starting off the video saying, “He said he would love me forever if I smoke crack with him” and ending with the same quote, the author is trying to show the audience how hurt and betrayed she was by her boyfriend and essentially drugs. The tone in the woman’s voice also reiterates the idea of pain and betrayal because they make her sound so hopeless. By using all of these different techniques, the author was able to successfully convey his message and was able to show how detrimental drugs can be. This detracts the viewers from using drugs, especially the viewers that could relate the girl and or the relationship.
ReplyDeleteIn this PSA, I was moved by this girl because she has devoted a lot for her boyfriend. However, this kind of sacrifice seems like useless because she has given up her normal life and health, because her boyfriend promised her that he will love her forever as long as she decides to take drugs with him. In my opinion, love is one of the most wonderful things in our life, no matter how many difficulties we will face in front of us, we have love. Love is like a magical power which could give us more power power to move march forward.
ReplyDeletein other words, according to my first response, I do believe the ad did a good job depicting the negative effects, as Leah had asked
ReplyDelete