Pathos

By definition, rhetoric is at least partially out of the speaker's control. No matter how effective a speaker structures her arguments, it's ultimately up to the audience how to interpret and respond to those claims.

In his "Crisis of Confidence" speech, President Jimmy Carter attempts to use pathos as a means of convincing his audience, the nation, how to react to the 1978 Oil Shock and subsequent recession. This section will analyze both the intent and the outcome of Carter's appeal to American emotions.

The Intent

President Carter's attempt to influence the emotions of Americans is twofold. The first step involves a certain sense of shame or guilt. He wants to point out what he believes to be the problem with America, a lack of purpose, a lack of direction and confidence attributed to an indulgent and nonproductive lifestyle.

He first attempts to stir up these not-so-pleasant emotions by voicing a little frustration. He says that:

[…] in a nation that was proud of hard work, strong families, close-knit communities, and our faith in God, too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. (31)

The contrast between fading work ethic and growing self-indulgence highlights a decline that Carter attributes uniquely to this current generation. Indeed, he writes that the nation "was" proud of hard work, suggesting that future generations did not, as we do "now" worship such negative behaviors as self-indulgence and consumption.

Carter continues this shame train, piling on more baggage with the goal of convincing the American public to take stock of their current values. He gets specific and names some of the behaviors he finds at fault, citing how "Two-thirds of our people do not even vote," and how

[…] the productivity of American workers is actually dropping, and the willingness of Americans to save for the future has fallen below that of all other people in the Western world. (32)

Ouch. You want some aloe vera for that burn?

After first identifying the problem and stirring up a little guilt, Carter had hoped to capture the American people's attention. With that attention, he sought to play on their pride, and motivate them to change. He views patriotism, or pride in country, as the key vehicle by which to motivate this change in behavior.

Toward this end, he tries to restore some of that ego he just spent ten minutes tearing down when he says:

We know the strength of America. We are strong. We can regain our unity. We can regain our confidence. (40)

More specifically, he appeals to the past, to past generations who endured similar hardships without giving in to indulgence or despair. He says that:

[…] we are the heirs of generations who survived threats much more powerful and awesome than those that challenge us now. Our fathers and mothers were strong men and women who shaped a new society during the Great Depression, who fought world wars, and who carved out a new charter of peace for the world. (40)

With this comparison, Carter is either seeking to shame current Americans into being as strong of citizens as their parents, or to inspire the present generation by glorifying the deeds of the previous one.

Either way, no one wants to be upstaged by their parents, right?

The Outcome

Carter had hoped that in his two-pronged approach of guilt and motivation, it would be the second emotion—motivation—which would carry the day.

It didn't.

People paid less attention to the positivism of "we can regain our confidence" and more attention to the criticism he directed their way.

It's like when your teacher writes a series of comments on your essay. No matter how many positive things she says, that one point of criticism, that one correction of a misplaced comma is what sticks in your mind. The same is true for the American people. Instead of taking inspiration from the actions of others, Americans focused more on that first part, on the shame and guilt.

Americans didn't see inspiration in the heroic actions of their parents in the Great Depression. Instead, they wondered why President Carter was drawing unfair parallels between their situation and their parents'. Americans didn't take stock of their actions because of Carter's criticisms about productivity and saving.

Instead, they felt angry about being judged and put down.

That transition from guilt and shame to empowerment and motivation failed to take off. Carter's attempt to use pathos stalled out on an island of bad feelings, and the American people wouldn't forgive him for what they interpreted as an attack on their character.