Through the podcast “The Influence You Have,” listeners undergo a realization that exposes them to their egocentric bias. This podcast shows listeners that a world exists outside of personal interests and the effects of our actions extend beyond what we think. In order to present their argument, the podcast uses logos and ethos to build their evidence with credibility.
By using logos, the podcast referenced several experiments conducted by Stanley Milgram, Vanessa Bohns, and John List. In Milgram’s obedience study, he questioned the extent to which people would fight their conscience under an authoritative figure. To do this, volunteers were told to shock the answerer for incorrect answers and more than half of them went to 450 volts even when it was presumed that the answerer was unconscious. Other researchers found similar numbers when they conducted their experiments. Bohns found that 64% of people vandalized a book when asked to despite having moral conflicts against it while List found that 75% of the money donated to people knocking at doors were given due to social pressure instead of altruism. All experiments collectively show that when we put people on the spot, they are pressured to complete the task. Even though we might only focus on our fear of rejection from interaction, it certainly produces invisible stresses on others too. Then, the podcast effectively uses ethos to build credibility by referencing their education and institutions of study. The podcast is initiated by describing Milgram’s character as “the smartest kid in class” who received all merits. Listeners can almost immediately trust Milgram’s findings and even more since he conducted them at Yale University. Likewise, Bohns and List come from reputable institutions like Columbia University and UChicago respectively.
The podcast then emphasizes the consequences of egocentric bias through pathos. The narrator introduces Anna Abaruce, a woman who experienced harassment from trainers that fail to acknowledge their egocentric bias. As her voice falters, listeners begin to feel the pain she felt while describing workplace harassment. The consequential impact that the trainer had on Abaruce makes the audience ask themselves if they understand the power of their own words.
As an older sister, I never understood the weight of my words to my younger sister. Whenever she would give me an attitude, I would give it back tenfold since I was offended that she talked in such a tone. I have always failed to realize, however, how much worse my responses made her feel. A while back, my sister and I got into an argument and it resulted in me calling her sweater “the ugliest in the world.” Since it was a petty argument, I never thought of it until I looked through her closet for a shirt and found the sweater stuffed into a corner. I felt crushed that my words held such power over my sister; especially considering how minuscule I remember the argument. We often say harsh words in arguments and disregard the effect it has on other people. Arguments thrive off of anger and spiteful words, so if we start to realize the effect of our words on others, we will always be one step closer to resolution.
I agree that logos and ethos are used a lot throughout the podcast to build credibility and support the arguments that were made. I applaud you for remembering the percentages and measurements that were mentioned throughout the podcast; it adds more clarity to your points. The podcast effectively used the rhetorical triangle to help their audience understand the points that they were making.
I can definitely relate to your younger sister that the words of older siblings can have a great impact on me. Being a younger sister myself, I can say that much of my older sister’s words greatly affected my mood on occasions. Great work!
I really like the way you used ethos, pathos, and logos in your post to explain the argument. You listed the specific authoritative figures as well as specific data. You also brought up the use of pathos, which I didn’t really consider while listening to the podcast.
I found your story about your sister really interesting because you didn’t really see the impact that your comment had on your sister until you actually saw her sweater in the corner of her closet. Often times, we remain oblivious to our impact but it’s still pretty apparent.
I really liked the way you incorporated the rhetorical triangle in your arguments because it made it much stronger and more effective. I also really related to your story about being an older sister, seeing as I am one myself. Sometimes we forget the weight of our words especially since our younger siblings look up to us so much, and its important for us to go higher sometimes!
I also cited the study regarding charities collecting from people at their houses. While I understand that some people are pressured into giving money, I didn’t realize how many of them were. I was also surprised by the implication of this fact: that the majority of donations of charity may be out of pressure rather than the desire to help. I can also relate to the story about your sister. My brother is three years younger than me, and only recently did I realize that he takes many of the words I say to heart. This was something my parents have tried to tell me for years, but I never believed them.