Rhetorical Analysis of Television Series Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura - Essay Example

Conspiracy Theory Introduction ‘Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura’ is an American based television series. Jesse Ventura is the host of the conspiracy and broadcasts on truTV under the title ‘Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura’. To this end, the television series has three seasons out with twenty-two episodes. The TV series premiered on 2 December 2009. The second season of the series made its premier on 15 October 2010, while season 3 premiered on 7 November 2012. The show was somehow discontinued in May 2013, to the dismay of many ardent fans. Following the discontinuation, Jesse Ventura announced that a fourth season would not be aired. The format of the show features former Navy UDT, Minnesota governor, actor, as well as a professional wrestler Jesse Ventura who looks at different conspiracy theories (Ventura season 3). These conspiracy theories involve a number of controversial subjects like projects concerned with secret weapons, government surveillance, secret societies, and global warming. From what is presented in season one, he collaborates with an investigation group that consisting of two reports June Sarpong and skeptic Alex Piper as well as an investigator Michael Braver man. Season 2 has investigator Daniel Kucan replacing Alex Piper in several episodes and in season three, Tyrel Ventura who is Jesse Ventura’s son and the of Oliver Stone son as well as the director, Sean Stone, join the investigative team. The stuff on the show is entertaining and is rated as a blockbuster series for cable. Each premiering episode is watched by close to 1.5 million people with the majority others watching the series in reruns. Rhetorical Appeal The conspiracy theories captured in the series elicit a lot of mixed reactions and responses from different parties. It is in closely examining a specific part of one of the episodes that the rhetorical appeal of the series is revealed. Rhetorical appeals are also referred to as modes of persuasion. These devices in rhetoric classify the appeal of the speaker to his or her audience. According to Aristotle, in a clear sense, persuasion is somewhat of a demonstration because human beings are persuaded to the greatest degree when a thing is considered as having been demonstrated. Remarkably, there are three kinds of styles of inducement furnished by the verbal word The first is ethos in which, persuasion is achieved through the personal character of the speaker when he or she speaks, in a manner to make the audience think him or her credible. On another note, persuasion may emanate from or through the hearers in instances where speech is used to stir their emotions. This is what Aristotle labeled as pathos. Finally, Aristotle describes the kind of persuasion effected through the actual speech when an apparent truth or a truth has been proved using persuasive arguments, which are suitable to the case in question. This mode of persuasion is known as logos. Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura is one kind of television series that leaves the audience torn between different versions of ‘truth’ (Ventura). The numerous, unique, as well as individualized conclusions people occasion this and organizations draw from his discussions and investigations. An example of a small portion from this blockbuster series would be the conspiracy theory put across in season two of the series and episode fifteen. The episode is titled “Pentagon”, in which Jesse Ventura investigates the conspiracy theory that a missile instead of a hijacked airliner hit The Pentagon in the wake of the September 11 attacks. This was aired on 17 December 2010. Ventura raises four queries in this episode and tries to provide an investigation into the matters arising (Ventura). First, he questions the lack of a surveillance video released by FBI Agents. The other claim is that the damage and debris was inconsistent with a jetliner’s crash. Next is the extreme difficulty associated with crashing a jetliner at such high speed by an amateur pilot into a specified ground target. The last claim as part of this conspiracy theory is the link to a possible cover-up of USD 2.3 trillion (unaccounted for taxpayer money) announced by the Secretary of Defense then, Donald Rumsfeld. This was done one day before the attacks. This conspiracy theory has raised many mixed reactions with most quarters raising concerns as to the credibility of the reports and of the reporter. The mode of persuasion used by Jesse Ventura in this case, which will be taken as being a representative of the rest of the conspiracy theories, is ethos. Ethos is the rhetorical appeal that appeals to credibility and is related to ethics or moral principles of the writer. Ethos here is the way an author establishes trust with his or her reader. The author has to prove that they have something worth listening to in their development of an argument and presentation of facts. Jesse Ventura covers real life topics and some science fiction investigations but his specialty is matters security, political, and government (Ventura). The appeal to credibility or authority of the presenter is what ethos is all about. This tells how well the presenter manages to persuade the reader that he/she has necessary qualification to speak on or address the particular subject. This can be done by the presenter being a notable figure in the field of investigation, having a stake in the matter, or by use of impressive logos or knowledge on the topic. The reputation of the presenter is considered in the ethos mode of persuasion as well. In discussing conspiracy theories touching on the government, Jesse Ventura is the right candidate to provide credible insights because of his portfolio. The investigation launched into the September 11 attacks is done so in good faith of a political leader’s quest to unearth the truth (Ventura). Having been a former Navy Seal and governor, Ventura’s credentials give him the authority to question and investigate conspiracies within the government of which he was part at a set time. The rabble rousing in the September 11 attacks is uniform for most of his work and the episodes in the series from the first to the third season. Ventura makes his submissions and presentations in breathtaking revelatory tones and accredits his evidence from the Pentagon Papers obtained through the standard Freedom of Information Act requests on the Internet. Through the pronunciations made in the conspiracy theory presentation on “The Pentagon,” there is evidence of truth in all the conspiracy theories that Ventura has unearthed (Ventura). He has a credible background in the government and military and the only questionable thing about his ethos is the fact that he seems surprised to learn that indeed government lies to its citizens. This is not to say that everything pronounced by the government is a lie from all the conspiracies presented. Conclusion From examination of one episode, “Pentagon” in a series of productions by Jesse Ventura titled Conspiracy Theory; it is possible to determine the rhetorical appeal in the rest of the works by the same presenter. Conspiracies are perennial favorites for television producers because of the readily available as well as receptive audience as evidenced in the number of views for Jesse Ventura’s program. Conspiracies have interesting twists in them and unpredictable story lines, which need a credible presenter to avoid being categorized as fallacies. Proof is essential as an appeal to ethos to paint the right picture regarding misrepresentation of facts especially by the government in trying to cover-up something. The Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura is exceptional in all these senses. It is common for such presentations to escalate widespread speculation by posing unanswered questions at the end. These rhetorical questions are the key contributors to curiosity and further debate in a bid to establishing the truth. Works cited Ventura, Jesse. "Conspiracy Theory." Trutv.com, 2014. Web. 19 Feb 2014. Read More