Here, you will find TVN, a blog run by Reed Timmer, a meteorologist and "extreme storm chaser."
http://www.tornadovideos.net/Reed Timmer is the star of The Discovery Channel's Storm Chasers. Storm chasing is a very dangerous but adrenaline-pumping thrill ride. In an attempt to better understand how thunderstorms and tornadoes form and function, Timmer and his team put themselves in the center of the mayhem. Their data and results are invaluable for the scientific community and for every day people who are in the paths of these deadly storms.
Very interesting source for an unusual representation of disasters in the mass media, Corey. Think about question such as how disaster is being presented in this program that makes it different from other media presentations of disaster, and how it is effective in achieving its rhetorical purpose--in terms of ethos, pathos, logos. Look for specifics within the text that will support your reading. Good job.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with this video as being an unusual representation of disaster in the media because most of the time we as people try to avoid disaster, but in this video segment, Reed Timmer is actually chasing disaster.
ReplyDeleteI think in terms of ethos, people relate their ethics to the activity of storm chasing by either deciding whether they think storm chasing is right or wrong, or crazy and vice versa. In terms of pathos, the activity of storm chasing appeals to people emotionally because it inspires a plethora of feelings. People find themselves feeling excited, frightened, and amused all at the same time, and I find that this is generally true when people experience disaster. Pathos is the strongest appeal used because it appeals to emotions. I think in terms of logos, there is really no clear logical appeal, because when people storm chase, it's not for a logical purpose. Storm chasers generally just participate in this activity to provide entertainment and a thrill for viewers.
Does anyone have another idea as to how logos is used to achieve its rhetorical purpose?
Logos could be used to achieve rhetorical purpose in this blog because it says in your description that some storm chasers wish to partake in this risky activity for science sake. Although it may be viewed as "crazy" to chase these dangerous storms, the footage and the observations that storm chasers make may be used in order to help better understand tornados and why they come about. If one looks at it this way, it does seem logical to chase storms in order to gain more knowledge about these storms.
ReplyDeleteAlso, tornados can be extremely devastating to specific communities and by learning more about the science behind tornados, it could help better prepare researchers to come up with a more scientific and better way to predict these storms. It is important to be able to warn the communities of potential tornado victims in a more timely manner.
I think this video gives credibility to Reed Timmer by putting himself in such a risky situation. Although he claims that his footage isn't for science sake I do also agree that what other scientists and researchers might be able to gather from it could be extremely beneficial to future storm severity predictions. In regards to pathos, i think that majority of the people who view this footage are those who would get an adrenaline rush or experience great feelings towards the subject.
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