Appeal to fear, in the general definition, was really interesting. Like I said in Monday’s post, it’s used in television all the time. If you can strike fear into someone’s heart, it’s pretty easy to convince them to do something.
Like all my references, I’ll talk about Glee. In the episode entitled, “Asian F,” Mike gets an A- on a chemistry exam. His father takes him to the principal’s office and raises his concern about his son’s drastic grade drop. His dad lists a number of things that could have contributed to this. From the possibility of doing drugs (which ISN’T true) to having a girlfriend, he dubbed these all distractions. He then forces Mike to quit the Glee club because he thinks it’s a waste of his time. Of course, Mike didn’t want to quit the club, so he compromises with his dad that he’ll do better, and that he’ll even hire a tutor to help him with his chemistry.
Mike’s dad used appeal to fear in the hope that his son will do better in this class. I actually have no idea if he DOES do better, but I think he does. In the TV world, anything is possible. When I think of Mike’s character, I think he does do better somehow in this class.
Hello CVgotsoul,
ReplyDeleteI love your example and definition of appeal to fear. I totally agree with you regarding your definition of the appeal to fear. I really like your example that was used to describe the appeal to fear. I think its overrated how Asians are supposed to obtains A's just because we are asians. Well at times its actual true and sometimes not quiet. I know my mom would love it if I got A's in all my classes but that's just unrealistic especially in college. There be one that will stump you. Unless your some sort of genius. I realized going to college A's are very hard to obtain. Especially certain classes do not count homework and all we get are two midterms, one big project, and a final. If you made a mistake in one of those your A is gone. So yup, awesome example! :] I love reading your posts they are always funny and descriptive. GOOD JOB! :] KEEP IT UP!
[ellacomm]
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI watched this episode! it was such a mean/cute episode because of both parents. =) anyways, I agree with you on this. Mike’s father was telling Mike to drop Glee Club because he got an A- in Chemistry and he was also getting distracted by his girlfriend. Mike was afraid of his dad so he didn’t know what to do. It shows fear because his dad is superior. Mike already kept all his A’s. He just had an A-. I would be happy if I had all A’s, even with an A-. His dad shouldn’t be tripping out about Mike receiving an A-. This is a very good example. Keep up the good work.
Hello there cvgotsoul! I totally agree that if you strike a person's heart, you can most likely have them to do something. I don't watch Glee, but this is a great example. I'm pretty sure the club is really important to Mike and having to leave it definitely adds some fear. His girlfriend could most likely have been part of the problem. If I was Mike's father I wouldn't be mad about the A-. Though, threatening somebody with something or someone they love will most likely make the person do something about it to solve the problem. Overall, fantastic post and keep it up!!!
ReplyDeleteMusta Cvgotsoul!
ReplyDeleteI always seem to find your posts interesting because they have a television theme to them. For your post about appeals to fear, I liked how you used the "Asian F" as an example. Although it the producers of Glee highlighted and promoted Asian stereotypes by using the term "Asian F" (What's a Black F? White F?)it also highlighted Asian parents' ability to utilize their appeal to fear to persuade Mike to get a higher chemistry grade. Mike's father's decision to prohibit Mike from continuing his attendance in the Glee if Mike's grades didn't increase obviously worked though, as Mike compromised by seeking a tutor. Thus, this example is a great example of an appeal to fear used in the media.