98% Human, But Not Treated That Way

Megan Alvarez ENGL 137H Section 20

Imagine looking into the eyes of an old man and physically seeing his pain, exhaustion, and sadness, or seeing a small child grasping his limbs around his own body, cowering in fear. As a species, we inherently feel compassion for other humans experiencing hardships. We want to help them, free them of that hurt that we see captivating their soul. This innate compassion for other human beings is the basis of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETAs) 98% Human Campaign. In PETAs ad, they utilize the great apes close biological relation to humans by portraying an apes lifestyle after being broken, beaten, and abused on the set of movie and TV shows produced to entertain us. This ape embodies the physical symptoms we commonly see in humans in need of help; he shuffles quietly and timidly through the run-down room, he pulls his shoulders and arms into and around his body, and he alternately stares downcast at the floor and stares deep into the audiences soul with such apparent emotion as a desperate cry for help. PETA draws upon human empathy for our own kind and connects the pain experienced by the apes in question to human suffering, simultaneously dramatizing their campaign to raise awareness of the tragic situation and amplifying their call to action. The overarching theme of the ad is making a logical connection between apes and humans. While not everyone knows that humans and primates share 98% percent of their DNA (hence the campaign label), the commonplace of the close relationship between the two species allows the majority of humans to bridge the emotional ties held with our own kind to the apes that PETA is on a mission to protect. This connection intertwines a logos and pathos appeal. In the ad, the ape portrays many physical characteristics and behaviors that are commonly attributed to their almost genetically identical relativeshuman beings. Understanding the genetic basis behind the relationship is vital for the emotional appeal to have an effect. Clearly, we would not allow humans to be abused in this way. Capturing a human against their will and forcing them to perform for others in the entertainment industry would be considered slavery. This ad draws upon that ideology of slavery- if this treatment is undoubtedly not

acceptable for humans, why is it any different for a species so closely related to us? By establishing the

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almost indistinguishable DNA and characteristics between humans and apes, PETA sets up an argument than no logical human being can refute. PETA establishes its strong emotional appeal through the common understanding of the relationship between humans and apes. The grave toned voiceover explains what exactly the problem is with using apes as pawns in our entertainment games; theyre forced to perform on television and in motion pictures for decades, stolen from [their] mother at birth, beaten and abused behind the scenes [and] will end up discarded in a roadside zoo. The words used to describe the problem at hand carry very heavy, dark connotations. Being stolen, forced, abused, and discarded all bring about powerful emotions in the minds of humans, for each of these situations can occur to human children just as they do apes. Making this connection through the verbal aspect of the ad initially brings the audiences emotions to the table, making them vulnerable to further rhetorical devices that are employed. Though the grave tone of voice and heartbreaking diction is very powerful in evoking empathetic reactions in the audience, the visual aspect of the video is even more significant to the pathos appeal. Humans dont always consciously notice the body language of those around them, but it always has a subconscious effect on our perception of our situation and environment. The ape in the video conveys the broken-down, vulnerable, emotions he is experiencing through easily recognizable body language. He moves slowly around the room at first, hunched over and looking down. His movement displays the sense of hopelessness and loss of purpose in life the apes experience after being discarded into the roadside zoos when the movie production is completed. The ape also expresses his emotions through his breathing patterns and eye motion. The audience is shown visibly and audibly the deep sighs of the ape, which is a common signal of being upset for humans. He periodically shifts between looking blankly at the ground and creating intense eye contact with the camera, conveying every dimension of his pain to the viewers. Movement, breathing, and eye expression are all major indicators of human emotion, and PETA once

again displays the close relationship between humans and apes by portraying the common behaviors

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between them. As the video continues on and the audience develops a greater understanding of the apes situation and how it relates to human feeling, their emotions are played on by both the verbal and visual aspects of the campaign, which ultimately increases their willingness to take part in the campaign and pledge to help stop the use and cruel treatment of apes in our entertainment industry. To create the greatest impact with their emotional appeal, PETA had to have a comprehensive understanding of the current rhetorical situation involving increased awareness of depression and suicide in our society. While the emotional description of the abuse of apes would be sufficient in incorporating human emotions into the ad, adding the concept of human depression and suicide increased the relevance of the campaign in todays society. Both of these subjects were taboo not to long ago; sure, the issues may have been present, but awareness of them has increased substantially. More than ever before, humans are aware of the presence and risks of mental illness due to increased environmental stressors causing depression and post traumatic stress disorder as a result of experience in the war our country is currently fighting. The kairos of the situation made the portion of the video where the ape pensively handles the gun and ultimately holds it up to his throat extremely powerful to the modern viewer. By relating the problem with the exploitation of apes for our entertainment with a prevalent issue in our society, PETA amplifies the emotional response from the viewers. The video delves even further into the issue had hand when they refer to the horrible conditions the apes are subjected to at our will and propose the rhetorical question, could you live this life? The audience is left hanging at the apes decision of whether or not to take his own life as they consider what they would do in that position. The rhetorical situation forces the audience to seriously consider the question asked as a result of the increased awareness of how common suicide is in our society. The situation presented enables the audience to connect the suffering of the apes to the anguish experienced by humans who may be inclined

to take their own lives, and cause them to address the severity of the problem just as awareness has been raised for the issue of human suicide.

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PETA fortifies its argument for discontinuing use of apes for human entertainment by establishing credibility on the subject and offering an alternative. When we look in the history of human entertainment, apes are common figures used in action, comedy, and promotional pieces, which may cause a person to think there is not much that can be done about the situation without entirely reforming our human culture. However, PETA undermines this idea by establishing the direct resolution to the problem: use digitally animated apes instead. The entire video is produced with a digitally created ape. While those with a technical eye may easily notice the digital effects, a common observer may not even notice the ape is not real. Clearly, creating a campaign to save and/or improve the lives of helpless creatures exemplifies the good character that the PETA organization is based off of, but establishing that their claim is not just morally justified but also reasonably requested further utilizes the rhetorical strategy of ethos. PETA is completely justified in their 98% Human campaign; they are protecting the great apes, they are working selflessly, and they are proposing a simple shift in strategy. They are clearly credible on the topic at hand; they know the problems associated with the use of apes in the entertainment industry and have worked to come up with an almost unrecognizable alternative. With the technology available today, digitally created images can seem completely realistic to the untrained eye, and this is what PETA is campaigning for. They are promoting the call to action to replace the tortured, real-life apes with digitally created animations, so that every production can claim that no real apes were used [or harmed] in this video, just as they did. PETA is not attempting to sell its audience any product or raise money for any sort of cause, they are simply campaigning to put and end to the psychological and physical abuse great apes are subjected to for the benefit of human entertainment. They establish their credibility on the subject through their explanation of the issue and reasonable request to use digitally created animations as an alternative to

real apes, and they strongly rely on the emotional appeal as their audience learns about the suffering

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encountered by these apes and connects it to human pain and abuse. We are all living creatures, and the great apes are affected by abuse just as severely as humans. PETAs 98% Human campaign is a rhetorically compelling movement to raise awareness of the dire issue at hand and propose the call to action of pledging to never use great apes in the entertainment industry.

Works Cited "PETA "98% Human"" 98% Human. YouTube, 21 May 2013. Web. 2 Oct. 2013.

Megan Alvarez ENGL 137H Section 20