It is impossible to judge someone’s ethos without considering their reputation. If I give the same exact speech as Barack Obama, the majority of the people will not pay attention to me while they give Obama their utmost attention. It’s not that Obama’s speech is any better than mine, but he has earned the country’s attention while I have not. Obama has a good reputation and I have none. Aristotle argues that when considering a speaker’s ethos, we should look at that moment, and not the speaker’s previous reputation. If we are looking to make an unbiased decision, then Aristotle is right, we should only consider the rhetoric moment. In reality, it is not possible to look at a rhetorical moment without looking at the speaker’s past actions. Human society is built off memories of the past and these memories influence our thoughts and actions. We may try to be unbiased but that is ultimately impossible. Even if we do not realize it, we are influenced by countless things. Our parents, where we’re from, our friends, everything we have experienced contributes to how we view things. Because we cannot forget the past, it is okay to be influenced by reputation, but at the same time, we have to be careful with how much we are influenced. We cannot rely wholly on a person’s reputation when looking at their ethos in a particular moment. An individual who usually makes intelligent arguments may make a dumb argument, and someone that usually makes dumb arguments can make an intelligent argument. It is up to us to balance the influence of a speaker’s reputation with what they are saying in the given moment. If we are too influenced by reputation we are no longer thinking for ourselves.
So, how much should we consider reputation and how much should we consider the particular moment when determining a speaker’s ethos? There is no definitive answer to that question. The speaker can do all they want to demonstrate their ethos, but ultimately it is up to the listener to balance that particular moment with the past to judge the ethos.
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Your post makes perfect sense to me. While someone can try and persuade someone else that they put no weight on a speakers reputation, there always is. And the truth of the matter is that a person should be based on their reputation. I am not going to listen to Jim Carey lecture me on the current state of Gaza or how the US can stop the fighting in the Ivory Coast or Sudan. If he wants to lecture me on how to become a great comedian, that is another story.
ReplyDeleteReputation matters. It isn't just an invisible idea that follows you around. It determines who you are based on what you have or have not accomplished. Their is a reason why certain coaches have had greater and continuous success in their respective sport. Their players understand that they have a great winner and motivator as a coach and are more willing to listen to their teachings as oppose to trying to learn from a kid who has not accomplished anything. A perfect, yet comical, example of this is the movie Little Big League. While this would never happen ever, A kid takes over a baseball team and somehow turns them into winners. Now this is a Disney movie so of course it all works out in the end but in reality, we all know what would have happen.
With all this being said, you make a good point in saying that we can't put too much on reputation. People have changed over time and everyone deserves a second chance...well almost everyone. There are great stories in America of former gang members getting out of jails and helping youths to try and stop violence.
Your conclusion is right on. Reputations must be considered subjectively and it is up to an individual to choose how heavily they weigh a reputation. Personally, I put a good amount on reputation. I don't want to hear anything Don Imus says because I believe he is just there for shock value. On the other side, I could listen to Lebron James talk about Basketball all day. Its all a matter of personal views. I don't want to preach my personal view on to others. I want to preach to others that they should have their own view.