Angry Logic

Link to video

"What pushes someone not only to read a story but to pass it on?"

"In 350 B.C., Aristotle was already wondering what could make content—in his case, a speech—persuasive and memorable, so that its ideas would pass from person to person. The answer, he argued, was three principles: ethos, pathos, and logos. Content should have an ethical appeal, an emotional appeal, or a logical appeal. A rhetorician strong on all three was likely to leave behind a persuaded audience. Replace rhetorician with online content creator, and Aristotle’s insights seem entirely modern. Ethics, emotion, logic—it’s credible and worthy, it appeals to me, it makes sense. If you look at the last few links you shared on your Facebook page or Twitter stream, or the last article you e-mailed or recommended to a friend, chances are good that they’ll fit into those categories."

The Six Things That Make Stories Go Viral Will Amaze, and Maybe Infuriate, You

Dept. of Interior

cgent47 has an opinion.

"Nearly 50 million Americans received benefits from the Supplemental 
Nutrition Assistance Program — better known as food stamps — this 
year, the highest number in recorded history."

"Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us to “Please Do Not Feed the Animals.”

"Their stated reason for the policy is because the animals will grow dependent
on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves."

This ends today’s lesson.