Fallacies in Contemporary Politics
1. Choose a 20th century contemporary political text of some sort (in many ways, the more recent the better). This may include, but is not limited to, speeches, editorials, articles, or debates. You could watch Monday evening's presidential debate, you might look at the RNC or DNC speeches, you might consider campaign adds, or you could read George Wallace’s “Segregation Now, Segregation Forever” speech that I have posted on the website (I cut significant chunks of the speech out in the interest of brevity, FYI). Or, you could simply do a search on your own.
2. Identify within that text one logical fallacy, and one rhetorical appeal (ethos, logos, or pathos). The paper that you turn in should have a brief paragraph that identifies (through quotation or summary) the fallacy or appeal, and then analyzes the intended effect that this is having on the audience. If you'd like extra practice, follow the "where/what/how/why" progression that you learned from the Musings packet.
Here is the link to the George Wallace speech.
