In Plato’s Gorgias, Gorgias
insists that a rhetor can make a “mob” believe their opinion over the opinion
of a doctor, even when dealing with the topic of health. Socrates clarifies
that a mob in this case refers to “those who don’t know” (41). Socrates points
out that the rhetor is not teaching but persuading the mob since the doctor knows more about health than the rhetor. However,
using the skills of persuasion associated with rhetoric, the rhetor can make
the mob believe something, even if the doctor provides proof otherwise.
We can find examples of this phenomenon by looking at the
current controversy surrounding the cause of autism. Jenny McCarthy, an actress
and model, has used her time in the spotlight to put forth her belief that
vaccinations caused her son, Evan, to be autistic. McCarthy also asserts that
parents should avoid vaccinating their children, even though there is no
scientific proof linking vaccinations to autism. In fact, the study that
McCarthy cited as evidence has proven to be fraudulent (Park).
McCarthy has appeared on shows like The Ellen DeGeneres Show
and Oprah, speaking to “those who don’t know” as if her beliefs are fact backed
by scientific evidence. As Socrates and Gorgias discussed, McCarthy has managed
to convince a large number of parents that vaccinations cause autism without
any proof. As a result, parents are refusing to vaccinate their children,
leading to the highest amount of measles cases in over a decade. One case out
of every five required the patient to be hospitalized. And the increase in
outbreaks isn’t restricted to the US: health officials say that measles cases
in New York City can be linked to outbreaks in Europe and Israel (Lin).
McCarthy was “awarded” the James Randi Educational
Foundation’s Pigasus Award for “The Performer Who Had Fooled the Greatest
Number of People with the Least Amount of Effort” in 2008.
Sources:
Lin, Rong-Gong. "Rise
in Measles Prompts Concern." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles
Times, 02 May 2008. Web. 09 Sept. 2012.
Park, Alice.
"Study Linking Vaccines to Autism Is ‘Fraudulent’.” Time. Time, 6 Jan.
2011. Web. 09 Sept. 2012.
Plato. Gorgias. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1998. Print.
St0ckman.
"4/2/08 Larry King Autism W/ Jenny McCarthy. Vaccines." YouTube. YouTube, 03 Apr.
2008. Web. 09 Sept. 2012.
Alyssa, I enjoyed reading this post because it offers a modern-day example of mass media's ability to persuade. It somewhat reminds me of the clips we watched from Thank You For Smoking. I had heard bits and pieces of this controversy; however, I did not know McCarthy was given such a promising label in 2008! Thanks for sharing.
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