Amy Mcgrath: An Analysis Of Stereotypes

Amy Mcgrath mentions that she is a retired marine in the beginning of her political ad as an exertion of Ethos. Often it is presumed that veterans are either heroes and should be treated with respect for their service to America, or that they make up a large portion of the homeless and disemployment population. Both perceptions, in reality, are strongly skewed by the media as less than ten percent of the homeless population are veterans, and about 70% of people believe that veterans help America’s economy (Marvin). Mcgrath is dressed professionally, and does not have the corresponding image of a homeless veteran. As such, many people will view her as a hero for the service she has done for America and treat her with respect. Her opinions that
she expresses will be considered because of her stature in the military. Amy Mcgrath’s political advertisement for congress becomes increasingly effective as she has persuaded people to both listen and evaluate her ideals in her political advertisement.
In the background of Amy Mcgrath’s advertisement plays music that utilizes Pathos.
The music promotes a somber tension that supports Mcgrath’s address throughout the advertisement. Music influences emotions by stimulating different areas of the brain based on auditory, pitch, rhythm, and a number of other factors that triggers a unique response within the limbic system that alters a person’s emotional state (Juslin and Vastfjall). In Mcgrath’s advertisement a slow steady instrumental tune plays to create a tension that supports her statements throughout it. Promoting emotion is important as it is one of the quickest ways to change an opinion. The music, however, would not be effective alone in implementing the full result of emotion that needs to impact the viewer to gain support of the
advertisement.
Amy Mcgrath enables Pathos by introducing the advertisement with September 11, 2001 and speaking of her experience during the event. September 11, 2001 affected America as a country and its people tremendously. Anger was reported as the most prominent emotion to be connected to the event. Numerous amounts of people’s emotional states were compromised through this event (Kluger). Emotion affects people for a long period of time and can be triggered by mentioning an event. Mcgrath efficiently executes this by using Sept. 11, 2001 as her introduction to trigger emotion right away. As a result, people are much more susceptible to her speech since a traumatic event has been broached.
By making the statement, “this is not what America stands for”, Amy Mcgrath appeals to Pathos by invoking a sense of patriotism within people.
Patriotism is detected and celebrated in America more than other countries. The American National Election Study has reported that millennials are less likely to hold the symbols of America in the same high-standing as older generations, but focus more on the ideas of equality and opportunity (Vavreck). Mcgrath skillfully deploys patriotism to provoke Americans to support her statement that members of congress need to stand up to the president. Since “this is not what America stands for” is such a broad statement she successfully gains the support of Americans in a wide range of age. As a consequence of this, her statement is effective as it obtains the endorsement of many people through
emotion.
Amy Mcgrath employs herself as a mother to use Pathos by referring to a story she reads to her children. Mcgrath appeals herself to mothers and women by disclosing that she is a mother as well. About half of the millions of dollars spent in 2014 on advertisement for the Senate state elections were focused on women. Compared to other campaigns filled with statistics, these political advertisements contained stories of what the candidates had done for others, especially children (Liasson). By appealing to a female’s maternal instincts rather than just facts, Mcgrath prompts many females to support her. As she has children, female viewers acknowledge that Mcgrath comprehends the reality of a female and mother. Mcgrath, with one comment, has efficiently acquired numerous voters that corroborate and relate with her.
Testifying that a president should not be affiliated with white supremacists and nazis as that is not what military personnel served for or the kind of president America deserves, Amy Mcgrath utilizes Logos to support her campaign. Many examples and protests of white supremacy and nazis can be seen in real life such as unfair treatment at the workplace or the court system. Nearly every media outlet has denounced the ideals of Neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan to exhibit a unified front against these organizations (Caramichael). Mcgrath harnesses Logos by connecting that people do not want to be associated or stand up for white supremacists or Nazis. She is hoping that by stating Andy Barr has not gone against anything the president has done or said that voters will assume that she is a better candidate. Overall, Mcgrath effectively uses Logos to attain any viewer that is against and does not want to be equated with white supremacists and nazis. Amy Mcgrath focuses on the standpoint that the president should not have the final decision in situations similar to September 11, 2001 or nuclear war as deployment of Logos. A defense put in place in case of such an incident is the War Power Act, a law enacted in 1973. Congress can employ this act to end a military mission, but has never successfully stopped any (Greenblatt). Mcgrath’s objective is that viewers will acknowledge that the current president has worrying behavior that does not make him viable to make these decisions if the possibility arises. Her reasoning is that people will than support her perspective that the president’s power of making a final decision should be constricted. Mcgrath has methodically and effectively rationalized that most voters will realize through her advertisement that the president should not have power of this degree and favor her.