Ethos, Pathos, and Logos in Politics

             By now, most everyone has heard the ongoing debates about the Federal Government’s budget issues.  Through all the conversations and interviews with Congressmen, Senators, and the President, we have seen many examples of ethos, pathos, and logos.  The goal of an argument is always to persuade your audience that your ideas are valid, or more valid than someone else’s.  Ethos, pathos, and logos are means of persuasion and appeals to accomplish this persuasion. 

            Unfortunately, it seems to me that there is way too much emphasis put on pathos in the political arena.  Throughout the debates about the Federal budget, time and time again pathos was used instead of logos or ethos.  Quotes like “Republicans are trying to kill women” and “Democrats want the country to fail” were the primary headlines of the debates.  This causes me to question whether our political leaders think of us Americans as just dumb individuals or their arguments are so convoluted that they cannot produce a valid logical argument. 

            No reasonable person would ever believe that Republicans want women to die or that Democrats are trying to destroy the country.  Have we become a society so inept of thinking logically that these pathos arguments actually work?  I would hope not, but why then do these politicians always seem to go directly to making emotional appeals, instead of logical arguments.  For me personally, as soon as I hear these ridiculous emotional arguments the politician that is making it completely loses their entire ethos.  Our political leaders should be held to a higher level than a partisan news channel.  There is room for a pathos argument in politics, but it is my belief it should be balanced with logos and ethos.   

The World of Exotic Pets



Reptiles, primates, lions, tigers, wolves, bears – these are all exotic animals that belong in their natural habitat and not living among individuals in or around their homes as “pets.”  All of these types of animals are wild and potentially dangerous.  Exotic animals by nature of being “exotic” are not meant to live among humans; they have been conditioned over thousands of years to survive on their own, in their own habitat.  These animals do not adjust well to being held captive and the result when they are often turns out deadly, either for the animal itself or its human captor.

 

Bites from a pet monkey



I find that the majority of exotic animal owners are selfish individuals.  For the most part these people seek exotic animals for the stigma associated with the animal such as power, illusiveness, danger, or beauty.  The actual care that these animals require is an afterthought for most people seeking exotic animals.  The illusion that they will somehow be the one person to actually bond with and domesticate these wild animals takes over their rational thought process.  Most of the time it isn’t until afterwards that these exotic animal seekers realize they were wrong in their ideas and realize they cannot change the nature of these animals.  It is at this point where the animals are often abused by being confined in small enclosures, beaten, chained, and even declawed or de-toothed by their owners.

Exotic animals are not meant to be domesticated, they are dangerous to those who purchase them, as well as neighbors and the entire community.  There have been multiple people that have been seriously injured, and even killed, by exotic animals that have escaped from their sub-standard enclosures.  Monkeys are a very common animal held by private individuals and many owners have been brutally attacked.  Felines, such as lions, cougars, and tigers are also a very common exotic animal acquired by these individuals.  There are vast cases where these animals have escaped and terrorized entire communities until their capture or termination.  Unfortunately, most of these exotic animals end up being euthanized, abandoned, or subjected to a life of horrible cruelties.



Malnourished Tiger

It is my belief that the government and animal protection agencies should do more to protect these animals from these atrocities.  Greater penalties such as fines or imprisonment would go a long way in deterring these selfish individuals from acquiring exotic animals.  The application process and licensing for exotic animals needs to be more detailed and checks should be implemented to ensure the overall safety of the animals and the communities.  It pains me to see so many beautiful animals live a life of atrocities merely because an incompetent and hapless buyer can scrounge up enough money to purchase them.