Evan WInkler | Assignment 16 - Script (makeup)

This fictitious poster has been produced by political activists to raise awareness of and garner sympathy for their goals among the general American public and politicians. Currently, the United States does not use a draft, or involuntary military conscription, for populating its military. However, certain individuals might make the case that a draft would be necessary to ensure sufficient available manpower in the event of a war, which may be more likely to spontaneously occur according to them. This advertisement shows a photograph of foreigners burning the American flag at a protest, superimposed on which are the image of Uncle Sam pointing at the reader from the classic “I Want You for US Army” poster as well as the bold words: “Protect our freedom – restore the draft.” This ad primarily relies on pathos and ethos to make an argument.

Desecration of the flag is seen as an offensive transgression by many Americans, and seeing individuals undertake such action can incline many patriotic or nationalistic Americans to support or condone punitive action against those individuals. As stated by John Hartvigsen, president of the North American Vexillological Association, a group of scholars dedicated to the study of flags, “Flags are, by their nature, emotion-charged emblems, and that’s especially the case in the U.S.” In showing these people’s hostility towards the United States, the advertisement’s producer seeks to instill fear, hostility, and anger towards the flag-burners, precisely the feelings necessary to motivate an increase in military endeavors. The ethos in the argument can be found in the use of the Uncle Sam character in the same pose and composition as in the well-known wartime poster. Readers familiar with the image recognize it as a universal symbol of America, one that exudes patriotic duty and allegiance to the United States government and populace. The ad’s producers want to clarify their belief in an association between the patriotism of World War I, when the original poster was produced, and a desire for reintroducing the draft. This strategy helps the reader see the producer’s measures as a safeguard against the fears invoked in them by the ad.: These people want to kill Americans? Well, here is Uncle Sam to tell us what we need to do.

The logos of the argument is present, relying on the simple logic that: “since these people have displayed ill will towards our way of life – that is to say, our freedom – by burning flags at a rally, they pose a threat to our safety since those of them with the resources to do so would likely actively attack our country at an opportune moment. Therefore, it is within the scope of our resources to expand our defensive and preemptive military capabilities for as long as that threat exists.” However, the argument’s logos is absorbed by the viewer without the mechanisms of logical reasoning – they have already been primed to trust the advertisement and the goodwill of its makers as well as to feel some sort of animosity toward the subjects of the advertisement. Many readers will neither think of the long-term consequences of or necessary actions in ‘reinstating the draft,’ nor whether such a proposal helps us, hurts us, or does neither in ‘protecting our freedom.’ Viewers look at the flames of the burning flag, and the directions associated with an imposing, nostalgic figure, and see flames in their mind, not realizing what the flames that may be created in this faraway country may do to the people who live in it. The audience does not see the lives of the flag burners behind the white margins on which Uncle Sam and the slogans rest. The audience is never presented with any particular reason to think: Who are these people? And Do they have children?

Ultimately, this ad is an amalgamation of all of the emotionally manipulative material in advertising, from that which takes advantage of our fears to our compassion to our hate to our fantasies, and how we so often fail to consider ourselves and others as we actually exist in the real world and seek to create a sustainable lifestyle for ourselves.