Who to Trust

Aristotle's three appeals—logos, pathos, and ethos—used in conjunction leads to the formation of truly comprehensive rhetoric.  The talk of ethos in RCL has highlighted how in today's society, many have forgotten to question societal norms and beliefs.

Actors and celebrities are depicted by the media as trustworthy, intelligent, and influential citizens.  Take Morgan Freeman for example.  Consistent roles as knowledgable characters in myriad movies have convinced to trust Mr. Freeman without knowing his true motives, viewpoints, or character.

This illegitimate ethos is not exclusively reserved for the famous.  It has misconstrued the views of countless people around us.  Recall that blindly passionate friend arguing about his political views.  Having participated in a discussion for my biomedical engineering seminar about US race relations, I conversed about the relaying of viewpoints associated with controversial issues.  When people are misinformed, they are likely to adopt the strong (,not necessarily true,) assertions of those around them.  Humans are frequently too afraid to admit that they simply "do not know" and resort to investing ethos in those who believe they are right.

So who should we trust?  Shouldn't something as important as credibility be harder to forge?

The answer lies in being informed.  Being truly informed by reading newspapers, watching the news, and filtering through the swamp of information on the internet is one of the only ways to prevent yourself from investing falsified ethos into those who don't truly deserve the responsibility.  Simply relying and adhering to "slacktivism" to appear as though you are informed does not do anyone any justice.

Most importantly, it is crucial to understand that admitting "I don't know" is not a sign of weakness or stupidity.  However, it proves equally important to want to change that "I don't know" to "I want to learn".

Photo courtesy of: We Are Movie Geeks