Navy

         

          Last week I did the Air Force and this week I'll talk about one of the oldest branches in the US military: The Navy. The Navy is the one Branch I have had no experience with and yet I am connected with the closest after the Army. I never have dealt with Naval recruiters however my room mate is in NROTC here at PSU and a friend of mine who I am certain is reading this post is also a midshipman here.  So the information I will be receiving will not be about the recruiters themselves but the other strategies of recruitment the Navy has perfected.
           First thing I want to say is that the Navy is very good at using history to it's advantage. After the Army the Navy is the oldest branch in US history (the marines were founded around the same time however they are officially considered a sub-branch of the Navy).  The Navy has been influential in almost all of the US wars up until the 1960s where their role has substantially diminished since.  The Navy used to be the main tool in global warfare especially, beginning before the founding of our country where the main form of intercontinental transportation was by ship. Since the invention of commercial airlines in the 60s the Navy has had less of a role because their aren't as many ships transporting people anymore. That being said the Navy has been historically the most important branch.  Most of our wars consist of extensive Naval use from the Revolution up until WWII.  From the Bon Richard of John Paul Jones in the American Revolution to the Great White fleet of the Spanish American War the US Navy has been a dominant force in the sea. Many people have grandfathers who served in the Navy in WWII, a war where the Navy was the leading branch of the war especially in the Pacific theater. Therefore it is safe to say that the Navy doesn't have to have as extensive a recruitment program because half of their recruiting comes from history textbooks.
           When I asked my room mate about his decision to join the Navy, he told me exactly what I expected. He wasn't joining because he talked to a recruiter but because he had a family history.  Unlike other Branches the Navy seems to stress the generational affect. What I mean by that is in many of their commercials and advertising they talk about peoples parents or grandparents who may have served and they play on peoples drive to emulate the important men in their lives. So along with the history the Navy has to bring to the table they are also able to play up the emotion by discussing peoples loved ones who served there country. Not all other branches have done this. I have a history of the army in my family and not once have i ever heard that discussed by Army recruiters or advertising.
          The other main form of recruitment I want to discuss is the Naval commercials. Of all the Branches I would say the Navy has the best commercials.  Like I said before they use history a lot, showing images of WWII sailors on their battleships. However, since the Navy has had a decline recently in Use the main focus of recruiters seems to be on the other things the Navy does. The Navy is the most universal branch. It currently  flies more than the Air Force, works artillery more than the army, and the SEALs do more special ops operations than all the other branches put together. The Navy is a water-born branch which means that whereever there is water they can do combat and in many cases they are the only ones suited for the job. For example any fighting in the swamps of the tropics are fought by the Navy, usually by the SEALs. These images are the images they play. On of my favorite commercials is the one called "the Call to Serve" A narrator with a stong deep voice talks about what it means to be called to serve as they show images of the Navy both past and present. In the background they are playing Anchors Away the song that most people correlate with the US Navy.
           Lastly I want to breifly mention the Navy's phrase: "a global force for good."  This describes the Navy in a nutshell. It is the only military force that before WWI would fight outside of the US. It has bases all over the world however its primary bases are in International waters; namely on it's boats. the Rhetoric of this phrase is phenomenal. It is basically saying that by joining the Navy you have the ability to travel the world doing good and helping the world.  This is a pretty appealing sentiment to a lot of people.

Air Force

   
        Being the youngest branch of the military the Air Force has had less time to perfect its recruitment strategies than the other branches.  Still the Air Force is has had major success in its recruitment especially in recent years with the war going on.  The Air Force is a very different Branch of the military in that most of it's personnel are not actually in combat zones. That doesn't make they're job any less dangerous however. Contrary to popular belief the Air Force is possible more dangerous in the fact that they are surrounded all day by very large and very deadly machines. Despite this the opinion of most in society is that the Air Force is the least dangerous of the three branches. This is a rumor that the Air Forces uses to its advantage very well.
         Unlike the other branches who tend to go after possible recruits who are physically blessed, the perfect Air Force Cadet has to have great strength of mind. They need to have good critical thinking skills and sound reasoning. They require physical fitness like the other branches, but because they are involved more in intelligence gathering and guidance they have to be the best thinkers. The recruitment strategies therefore appeal more to those with a higher intellect and a lesser physical ability.  Recruiters tend to be less pushy and more logical in their rhetoric. They appeal to people's logos more than their pathos, something that is not really found in the other branches.  They are very open to who they recruit. They will talk to anyone unlike some branches (cough cough marines) and they tend to be less wordy. The meat heads that end up in the Army usually don't find the appeal to the Air force because the recuiters don't offer them the usual pathos appealers, such as honor and patriotism. Instead the recruiters cut the bull and give you the statistics.
          Often recruiters for the Air Force give better reasoning than the other three. This is because they want to appeal to people who can reason better.  They talk about how the Air Force is safer to your health because they are typically outside the combat zone. Often the discuss how their is better job security in the Air Force because soldiers in their respective fields are dying as often as other branches are.  Another big one is jobs after their military career. Often times the jobs that are used in the Air Force (mechanic, engineering, air-traffic control, flying) are jobs that are always in demand and pay extremely high. The oppurtunities of success are much higher coming out of the Air Force and they make sure you know that. Because all the flying is done by Officers, most people would rather join those ranks. This means a free education to most people.
          When the airforce shows a commercial on TV they don't typically show it on the same shows that the other branches do. They aren't often shown during a football game, but anyone who has seen the History or Discovery Channels can tell you that  they are in almost ever break.  They're latest strain of commercials show soldiers in combat in what looks like a video game. They are being led by a team of people in what looks like a space ship. However as the commercial progresses the landscape becomes more realistic and a voice says "IT ISN'T SCIENCE FICTION" in a deep commanding tone. This is very appealing to the types of people the Air Force wants. People with imagination and who tend to be readers. They want people who aren't necessarily the adventures but who can help guide soldiers like one would a character in a video game or story. They want people who can see something coming and are able to give the soldiers proper direction on how to react. Video gamer's and readers of science fiction are stereotypically the types of people i just described
            Another famous commercial, references the actual flying that the Air Force does.  this is the only time I actually can see ethos being used. They appeal to our inner child by saying that if you join the Air Force you can fly, or be an astronaut in space. While this is often untrue because the majority of the Air Force actually work on computers as guides and analysts, they present themselves as giving you the opportunity.  They reference flying by saying the words above, all over and over. They keep the viewer staring at they screen as they shoe pilots doing cool risky maneuvers.  All of these things create feelings of excitment and make people want to do cool stuff like that too. they join up and end up a mechanic instead... but no one really thinks about That now do they.
              The Air Force is clever. They really don't have that much to offer as far as honor and lory so they make up for it in other ways. They use logic to back up their claims and appeal to peoples egos as far as their intelligence.  They show grand stunts and tell you that could be you. They give opportunities for afterward and keep up the idea that they are the safest branch.  For being around for such a short time the Air force has become very skilled in their recruitment rhetoric and styling.

Intro to Military Rhetoric

       

So I've decided to write the next couple weeks about rhetoric the military uses in recruiting.  This is something I have experienced many many times. I went to military school for four years in high school so I became accustom to recruiters filing in and out trying to get us to sign up for one branch or another.    My school was affiliated with the Army so we were constantly being talked to by various Army recruiters. My school had a mandatory JROTC program (Junior Reserve Officer Training Corp) which is like ROTC only we don't have to serve. As part of the program our school was required to build a military science program into the curriculum, we had to wear the official Army uniform which was given to us by the US Army. Another stipulation was that my school had to allow any military recruiter onto the property that wanted to set up a station.  As we were a military school we were prime recruits for the various branches offer corps. We were taught not to trust recruiters by upperclassmen and little tricks we could do to avoid them. We could spot out lies and false promises made by recruiters very easily and more than once I was able to correct a civilian friend who had the wrong idea about military life.

lasalleinstitute.org

          Now don't get me wrong I am not anti-military at all; Far from it. I would have joined had it not been for some external factors. However, The point I was trying to make is that from my experiences I have come to realize many things about the rhetoric of military recruitment having dealt with them so many times. One might even consider me an expert.  Everything dealing with recruitment involves very precise and very carefully crafted rhetoric. From the words out of the mouth of a recruiter to the music used in the TV commercials the military have not only become experts in war but in persuasion.
          Today I just want to mention a couple of key things that I will reference in my next four blogs. These things are common rhetorical methods used by all the branches. The first is that recruitment focuses mainly on enlistment. Very rarely are recruiters looking for officers. Officers are important but as anyone who is either currently in the military or has some sort of connection to it can tell you, the majority of the physical work as well as the most danger comes from the enlisted ranks, making it the hardest to recruit. Enlisted ranks for those of you who don't know have the most dangerous jobs, go through some of the most difficult training and are payed much less than officers. On the other hand the officers have a much more difficult job mentally and emotionally as leaders. There are more people willing to do they're job but few who are actually able to. That is why most of the time recruiters won't try to sell the officer position, unless they find an extraordinary person (like what I did there Mike).
           The second point is that a recruiter will never paint a true picture of military life. If they did then nobody would join up. Every form of recruitment will talk about honor and courage somewhere whether it is a pamphlet or TV commercial. They will tell you that people will respect you more, or that you will become part of an elite family. This is an idea that has been a large part of Western Civilization since Roman times.  The Romans believed that honor and glory could only be achieved through the military and the only way to be considered successful was through honor and glory. This has been a perpetual idea throughout the western world for millenniums. So it is something that appeals to many people today. Obviously the miliray will use it to their advantage. If they were to give you the accurate description ( you will be paid little to risk your life for someone you never met and most likely die for) absolutely nobody would join. However, by appealing to theses age old forms of pathos the military has succeeded in recruiting for years.
           The third and final point is that the military will tend to appeal more to a male audience than a female audience. While it is rather backward and still a bit sad frankly, the military would still rather have men fighting than women. Also war has always been something more likely to occur between males than females simply because men have the biological tendency to fight. That is why the voices of the narrators of military commercials are often deep male voices. They often show scenes of violence and hard training. The soldiers are often men in the commercials. Most recruiters are also men. All these are because the military hopes to attract young men who are more willing to take life advise from an older man. Whether that is wise or not is not the question but it works apparently.
          What we have to remember is that everything the military does in recruiting has come about through centurie of trial and error. They know what appeals to young people, men in particular because of the tactics used before them. I want to gain press upon the reader that I am in no way shape or form against the Military. As I Said before I am a strong supporter of our troops and would have joined myself if not for some outside variable.  I am merely discussing the rhetoric used by the various branches to attract recruits and not the morality or legality of it. With that I hope you look forward to my analysis within the next four weeks of the 4 main Branches: Army, Navy, Marines (I'm separating them from the Navy), and Air Force.

Rhetoric of the Heart

          Well with Valentine's Day coming right around the corner, I feel this is a good time to dissect one of the worlds most rhetorically based holidays. Valentine's Day is just one giant day to celebrate love through rhetoric. Everything we say or do on and around Valentine's day is just dripping with rhetoric. Simply saying "I love you" doesn't sound very pretty or heartfelt, compared to half of the cards and candies we have on Valentine's Day.  Yet isn't that all we're really trying to get across to the receiver of these gifts? The practices and customs that surround Valentine's Day are all just forms of really artistic rhetoric.

          The most obvious use of rhetoric is of course the symbol of Valentine's Day... the red heart. When we see this we automatically know what it means. It is the symbol for love, something that we recognize all the way back from our childhood. Now, of course this heart looks absolutely nothing like an actual heart. However, it is still a universal symbol that when we see it we know it means love and affection, and when seen around this time of year it means Valentine's Day. You can find the heart everywhere; in stores, on TV.  The heart is used by the media on many occasions to represent love.  When a cartoon character becomes love stricken their eyes turn into hearts. The background on the title of the show I Love Lucy  was a heart.  The heart is what we refer to when we are feeling love or feelings born from love. When someone breaks up with us we become "heart-broken." In actuality the heart has nothing to do with our emotions but it is a universal symbol for love. Valentine's Day has become a day where we celebrate love. So it is only fitting that the heart would be the prevalent symbol. The color red is used to as well. It has become the color that we associate with the heart. Most likely this is because of blood, but from this red has come to symbolize love and is as recognizable as the heart.  You don't give someone a valentine shaped like a yellow star. You give them a red heart. Chocolates come in red heart shaped boxes. This is done so that the receiver of the gift will make the correlation between the gift and what it represents which is love for that person.

          The other common symbol used commonly for Valentine's Day that represents love is the flower, and in particular the red rose. The rose is a powerful symbol of love. However unlike the heart it has a gender bias. A rose is usually given to women from men as a token of their affection.  The rose is used more by adults, because it  has more of a sexual meaning to it than a heart. The rose looks beautiful and smells beautiful. That is why it is commonly used for  love because it reminds men of how precious and beautiful the women in their lives really are. In the movies the leading man will give the love interest roses to say he loves her. In commercials for the man usually gives roses along with his gifts. One of the most popular Superbowl commercials of all time was for an online flower company, advertising for Valentine's Day. I know the first time I met my current girlfriend I gave her a dozen roses. We've been together for a year now. The rose is a powerful symbol that tells a woman that she is loved. Hearts and roses allow us to express our affection without really having to say anything at all. 

Rematch

Well it's that time of year again. The Superbowl is only days away and this year not only do I have the pleasure to watch it at Penn State, but in fact the best team in football is playing: The New England Patriots! Yes, That's right I said the Pats.  Anyone who knows me can say that I love 3 things in this world: my girlfriend, my family, and of course the Pats! To see them in the Superbowl makes me happier than I can explain. However this years match up is even sweeter as it is against the NY Giants. For those of you who don't know football, or don't care this match-up is a repeat of the 2007 , in which the NY face the undefeated Patriots. Hopefully unlike last time, the Pats will come out the victors.  This match up is especially important to me.

          I'm from NY but I'm a huge Pats fan, so as you can imagine this game is especially important for me. When these two teams played the first time I had to endure the trash-talk and torment following the loss, but I trash talked just as good as I got.  This game was heated last time. The patriots were 18-0 and if they won they would be the 2nd team in history to go undefeated.  Needless to say this game started out as a time of interesting rhetoric.

http://www.fieldturf.com

          The time before the game consisted of a heated match on both sides. I happened to be in the middle of it, being a Pats fan in Giants country. Also going to an all boys school where football was king didn't help either.  The rhetoric was harsh. Giants fans would make comments in the hallways and us Pats fans would band together to shout them down and tell them to gt their diapers ready because they are gonna be s**ting the bed when the Pats steam-roll them. We were cocky to be sure. But this was an old rivalry. This went beyond 2 football teams; it was a battle between two cities that had been going on for almost a century in the sports world. 

          NYC and Boston have always been close rivals in the world of sports: Yankees and Redsocks, Pats and Jets, Knicks and Celtics (kinda :p). So this battle of the two cities was one that both were ready for. Being in between the two, the people around me tend to spit or mix and match between the two even within the family. Me and my cousins are large Pats fans, but our Grandfather was a Giants fan. You had propaganda all over the area trying to get people to support one team or the other. Since both cities are heavily represented the Capital Region of NY could get pretty tense when there was a Boston/NYC game.  Where it was most apparent though was in the advertising. It was funny how around us businesses would either support both teams or neither team. No one wanted to lose business so it was interesting, watching the wording used in these commercials. One of my favorites, was a skit the NFL put on before the game laying out the differences between the two cities. It showes 2 groups of guys trash-talking about how one city is better than another. Unfortunately I was unable to find the video, but it is a good demonstration of the hostility and rivalry between the 2 groups. It put into words what this game represented for both teams, and even more for both communities.

           Not being home, I can only imagine what it going on now. Probably the same sort of talk and trash-talk as before. I've nticed a lot more people talking about a "redemption" game for the Pats and I really hope they're right. In my opinion the talk has been less cocky and we have more athletic gems on the Pats than we have since the 2004 season when we still had the greats like Bruschi, Moss and Venateri. We have the fear factors of Gronkowski and Hernadez, as well as big Vince Wilfork and Warren on defense. If we win I can't even begin to explain the talk that will occur as us Pats fans will finally have our revenge for what was stolen in 2007. We'll see on Sunday, but no doubt this game is bound to be full of rhetorical gold.

This I Believe