Sorry about the lateness of the post. Here it is... What I would like you to do is watch the post before reading the questions. This post may create mixed emotions from you, so be prepared; it's fairly controversial.
I'm sure most of you are no strangers to musicians taking up causes that affect them directly. Pink supports PETA, Pearl Jam spoke out against the Bush administration, Radiohead supports the environment, and the list goes on.
For your consideration:
1. What makes this source credible? (Think about the information in the video and the speakers)
2. In this video, what do you agree or disagree with? Give explicit information about either or both.
3. Who is this band's audience?
4. What is this band's purpose in creating this video, and how do they achieve it? (Logos, Pathos, Ethos, and/or a combination; which do they use primarily? Why do you think that?)
5. Does his video, ultimately, persuade you of the band's intentions? Why or why not?
Please answer all the questions in paragraph form. This week, points will be deducted if all the questions are not answered.
After watching this video a couple of times, I found that I was begining to understand the point that was getting across. The speaker to me is the most credible source compared to the band as far as music is concerned. He talks with passion and emotion and I found him credible due to the way he was speaking. It sounded as though he was talking from personal experience. I am not sure that the band necessarily is the source or the focus of this video. Yes, the music is important, however, I did not get the band as being the main focus. The speaker in the start of the video is talking the words of the music lyrics to soon come. It strikes at the emothions of the listener, thus targeting the Pathos. Ethos is also touched on a bit in this video getting sympathy from the audience in an ethical sense of human treatment. I believe this video is targeting several groups from military to human rights groups. I do not think a particular age group is being targeted; however, the use of a new age style band that kids relate to could persuade a younger audience. As far as agreeing and disagreeing, that has me a bit befuddled. I agree with the need to make human suffering public and talked about, but I do not necessarily agree with using the music as a focal point. I believe the underlying message is that these particular octaves are torture to the human mind when in excess. I do like the cornstarch and water usage. I conducted this experiment many times as a child. Certain frequency waves bind the cornstarch and water to produce a solid mass, once those sounds subside, the cornstarch and water relax back into a liquid state. That is was the video is portraying the mind as when it comes to torture techniques of high frequency sounds. Your mind tightens up and tenses the body. I believe I am persuaded due to the fact that I can relate that high pitch sounds do affect the mind. I could go on more about this topic, but I think I have rambled enough for one blog.
ReplyDeleteI agree that sounds can be tortuous. The use of sound as a weapon is well documented, though still largely unrestricted. A google search of LRAD (Long Range Acoustic Device) returns plenty of results of not only what they are and how they work, but also of the many times they've been applied. They're non-lethal in most cases, but also very extreme as there is little you can do to protect yourself from them, being that they are used to attack one of the most vulnerable senses. They're still not called "weapons" in most reports either.
DeleteNickie,
DeleteI completly agree that the speaker is the key point in making this video credible. I also believe that there is no actual age group that this video is trying to reach out to, but a variety of ages and groups like the human rights activist.
I believe that the purpose of the video was to demonstrate the effects of music on the human mind. More specifically, the video is telling us how music was used as a torture technique in Guantanamo Bay. I also feel that the purpose was to convince the audience that it was the wrong thing to do. The video uses logic, emotions and ethics. It starts out with a very scientific explanation of how the inner ear is affected by the music and also describes how the mind reacts to the music. Mostly, however, it is the use of the emotion in the telling of the first hand experience of the man in the video. I think the sources are quite credible. The video repeats information that I have heard before. I think the audience is everyone from human rights activists to humans as a whole. I agree that music is very powerful in both positive and negative ways. I understand that torture is ugly and painful and sad to hear about. However, if the purpose of the video was to make me think that all torture is wrong, I am not convinced. It sounds horrible, but I do believe that sometimes it is necessary. It should not be a first resort but a last resort. Is all forms of torture okay? No. Is any form of torture always okay? No. I, personally, am not willing to second guess the decisions that the men and women on the front lines are having to make every day.
ReplyDeleteI disagree that torture is sometimes necessary, but in the extreme sense. We've all but forgotten about Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo pops up every now and again, but just long enough to be bowled over by a different story. Our country has a long and mixed history of how we treat prisoners of war, from Nazi officers having what amounted to vacation prisons, often getting a better quality of life than most Americans at the time, to our more recent system where we hold thousands of prisoners from foreign lands without trial, torturing them for information, based on little more than a suspected terrorist status. This is not much different than the 1500s-1800s where people were regularly tortured until they admitted to whatever crimes they were accused of, even if they didn't commit them. It's part of the reason that torture is illegal within the US as an information gathering tactic. It's a poor way to get information.
DeleteMerri,
DeleteI have to agree with Robert, I do not believe that any type of torture should be acceptable anywhere. However, I do agree that this video uses logic in the sense that they used scientific explanations as well as the man's personal experience to show emotion.
what the men and women at the front lines do, i agree with you that it is unquestionable. i believe they do what they do because it's the right thing to do. everytime talk of torture come up and how bad it is, we seem to forget that our own people, our unforgotten prisoners of war endure these tortures, even worse things.
DeleteThe credibility of this source comes from the Guantanamo detainee who experienced what it portrayed in the video. I agree that music can have a major effect on someone, more so if it's used as a tool of torture. It's reminiscent of a tactic used in 1989 during the invasion of Panama against Noriega, which resulted in his surrender. The author of the video seeks to open the eyes of those unaware of how music can affect someone in a negative way, primarily directing it towards them through the use of educational material they may otherwise have not seen. They definitely use a significant amount of emotion to pull you in, but use their credibility to further their logic as well. By the end of of the video, they've done an excellent job of portraying exactly what music as a torture device can do to someone. Unfortunately I was not swayed as I've seen these arguments before, and already agree that sound can be a powerful weapon. Be it against terrorists, or teenagers, it's largely non-lethal but hugely incapacitating.
ReplyDeleteFor those wanting to know more about how it's been used in history, here, a few articles.
DeleteAgainst Teenagers:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/23/high-pitch-only-teens-can_n_98304.html
Against Noriega:
http://www.psywarrior.com/rockmusic.html
Robert,
DeleteI agree that the purpose is to open peoples eyes and make them aware of this type of torture that is being used. Also agree with you that emotion as well as logic is being used to draw us in.
Robert,
DeleteThank you for your input on my post. Also, thank you for the additional links. I am quite torn on this subject. However, you brought up some great points. Often times the information resulting from torture is inaccurate because people will say anything to make the torture stop. I struggle with the answer often. I am only glad that I am not the person having to make these very difficult decision. It may sound like the easy out but I can see both sides and can understand how the men and women that are making these decisions must suffer emotionally from the task.
Robert,
DeleteGreat response to the video. I also like you addition of more resources. I do believe that the video was to make people aware of the damages the use of torture can do.
I believe what makes this source credible is the personal experience from the prisoner who went through the whole ordeal.I agree that using sound as a form of torture is harmful, although it may not be leathal. I also agree with the whole point that they were trying to get accross while making this video. To me, it looks like the purpose of the video is to make people aware that eventhough this technique that is being used for interrogation may not be deadly, but it is still a form of torture that can be very harmful. They achieve this by using logic, for example the scientific details and explanations that were giving on how high frequency can be harmful to us. It also uses emotions by sharing the story of one of the prisoners that endure this form of torture. The audince that this video is trying to reach out to is anyone who may care about human rights and believe that no form of torture is acceptable. This video persuades me in the sense that I believe torture shouldn't be used as a form of interrogation no matter if it maybe deadly or not, and people should be aware that this does go on.
ReplyDeletei agree with you that any kind of torture is wrong, but sometimes it's necessary, because there are people out there that are trained to not share information. the only way to get these information is in the form of torture.
DeleteNikki, I definitely agree that torture is not to be used in any form. Even if the enemy does it to us, we are to show restraint and a higher moral standing. We also have that nice little Geneva Convention document which is supposed to guide how we treat our prisoners. Since I've not read it in full, it may allow some sorts of torture, however as I've stated in a few posts, torture is a bad way to gather information. If it's not being used to gather information, what is it being used for? It's a sadistic practice, unreliable, and highly immoral.
DeleteEven the CIA says it's unreliable. http://harpers.org/blog/2009/03/information-secured-through-torture-proved-unreliable-cia-concluded/
What makes the source credible is the information they gave at the beginning of the video, the way the vibration that the sound make can actually change the characteristic of the liquid. This video gave me mixed emotions, psychological warfare is a method of a war that proven to work. I agree that torture is wrong, but I believe that these methods of getting answers were not morally right, but it brought us more security. I think the band’s audience is the people that don’t know what went on at Guantanamo bay. The purpose of this video is to stop the torture, they achieved this by using all three, the explanation of what the human ear can handle, they put an actual person that experienced Gitmo to talk about his experience, and believe that torture is just straight up wrong. They use emotions mostly. They emotions that one feels after hearing the torture story, and the slow music and lyrics that follow. The video did persuade me to believe in stopping torture, because it wrong and not everybody knows something.
ReplyDeleteI agree with torturing being completely wrong and i also thought alot of emotion in this video as well that persuaded me against torture.
DeleteChei,
DeleteI agree that this video did a great job of describing the damage that music can do as a torture technique. It certainly caused me to do a lot of thinking on the subject. I believe many people are not aware of what measures are taken to protect our freedom and way of life. Some we may agree with and some we may not. I like that the video is bringing it to light. Agree or disagree, we all need to be more aware.
Chei,
DeleteI agree. The use of torture has been used to get information out of terrorists and others I am sure. Torture is wrong and inhumane and when it is brought to light like this video portrayed, it really drives it home. While I was active duty and overseas, I had to carry a Geneva Conventions card showing that I was a service member of the Medical Corps.which was supposed to prevent me from torture. When I put this card in my wallet, I knew that if a capturer wanted to torture me they would because how many of these people would actually care about the Geneva Convention? I believed it to be false security. Torture is unacceptable in any capacity.
The video begins by the presenter saying lyrics to a song that was the beginning of the purpose of the video that was to share their story of an attack and how they were freed. The source that makes the video credible is the facts given about human hearing, also about the personal experience the presenter was talking about. I do agree that sounds can be used as a method of torture, and I can say that the video did persuade me to stand even stronger on the thoughts that torturing is horrible.
ReplyDeleteThe source is very credible from my point of view, strictly because of the speakers personal experience with the form of interrogation that is being used in the video. I see a steady balance of logic and emotion being used, in an attempt to persuade and educate the audience on interrogation tactics used at Guantanamo Bay. Hearing his detailed explanation of how the music is used to break down the mind prior to questioning touches several different emotions, scientifically explaining how sound waves can damage ones brain, brings in the logical points. Prior to watching this video I never put much thought into how prisoners lives would be after going through some of these interrogation methods. I often heard about the use of water boarding on certain high valued terrorist imprisoned there, and really didn't see much wrong in it. I think the video is aimed at people like myself who don't have a full grasp on who is being interrogated and exactly and how. The video was very convincing for me, using torture in an attempt to get information out of someone seems very harsh after watching the video. The fact that they just drop this man off on the side of the road after two plus years of torture/interrogation is a little baffling. The way that music is referenced in the video is moving, in one sense it is used as a form of torture by the government and bring a negative light to the though of music, and in the bands case, it is being used as motivation and hope.
ReplyDeleteJared,
DeleteI was also swayed by the fact that the man was dropped off by the side of the road after all of this interrogation. It definitely makes me consider that we are misusing interrogation techniques. I believe that the military does a great job of checking and double checking their intelligence information. However, this video brings to light the fact that it is not always correct.
Jared,
DeleteI agree with your analysis that a lot of things about torture are baffling and are very eye opening when it is brought to to the forefront in this way. I do agree with Merri, that although not perfect, the Military does a great job as a whole in double checking their intelligence.
Dropping this man off on the side of the road is not that much surprising, it is usually part of the interrogation tactic. with all the rules that the American Government have on interrogating a suspect, when they get what they need, which is usually not much, they drop them off on the side of the road and they make sure that others see them dropping off the suspect, because if they were part of something, they will be dealt with. it's another way of getting information without doing the heavy lifting.
Delete