Outrageous Politics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHGPbl-werw

In the current presidential election, I feel as though outrage has been an incredible tactic that both parties have used in their respective campaigns. One of the strategies that Jeffery Berry and Sarah Sobieraj discuss relating back to outrage is the vilification of their opponent. This video is a prime example of the attacks on their opponent. The aim of this video seems to target the character of Donald Trump and his fitness for being Commander in Chief of the United States, which could be applied to Vincent Roscigno’s definition of symbolic vilification in that Trump is deemed as “less worthy, problematic, and even dangerous” to become America’s next president.

The message of this advertisement, as well as many others like it during this election period, have characteristics of outrage. They provoke deep emotional responses and end up polarizing the partisan parties, in addition to being related to the idea of “incivility,” personality centered, reactive, engaging, internal intertextuality, and so on. I have been shocked by the focus on the candidate’s personal character, instead of an increased concentration on the policies and governmental issues involved. This video shows how Trump’s character is being used to deter people from voting for him, without ever mentioning his political stances.

It is also interesting to consider the impact of the role of media in this outrage genre. Advertisements funded by the particular party are not the only ways that people hear of this outrage, but rather, they are surrounded by it on televisions, radio, blogs, and more. In fact, these organizations use outrage as one of their main productions, and the news spreads almost instantaneously by technological advances. These emotional, engaging stories have been the center of this campaign and the effects can be compared to those of the outrage genre.