Our World in a Cultshell
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Our World in a Cultshell
We are all in a cult. We all conform every single day that we live. Kalle Lasn, the author of “The Cult Youre In”, clearly stresses how our world is a walking conformity by using rhetorical appeal. For example Lasn stated, “A long time ago, without even realizing it, just about all of us were recruited into a cult” (Lasn 112). This is only one example of many different appeals that Lasn uses throughout his article such as pathos and logos.
Pathos, also known as the emotional rhetorical appeal within any type of writing, is majorly used throughout his article. He targets every single human being by sorting them into a cult psychologically by just exemplifying different things we are all interested in. To exemplify this, Lasn states, “Your friends reinforce the brandhunting. Wearing the same stuff and hearing the same music makes you a fraternity, united in soul and form” (Lasn 113). This not only reinforces the fact that Lasn believes practically everybody is in their own “cult”, but also appealing emotionally to anyone who has friends, wears clothes, and listens to music. If you really think about it, it is clearly pinpointed to anyone and everyone. Lasn seems to have this outlook on life that no one can be their own and original person because of the things they like, do, say, listen to, wear, etc. “They set themselves apart in the only way cult members can: by what they choose to wear and drive and listen to. The only things to which they confidently ascribe value are things other people have already scouted, deemed worthy and embraced” (Lasn 112) explained Lasn on how people identify themselves in these “cults” they supposedly put themselves in. Whatever emotion(s) people seem to get from how Lasn profiles them, if they really think about it they are all conformists into whatever cult(s) they have non-knowingly “joined”, and then it honestly makes perfect sense. The brands you buy, the music you listen to, the things you do or are interested in all put you into the same category as anyone else that has the same commonalities.
There may be a minimal amount of people that have the same interest in whatever it is, however it means that you are neither original nor special from anyone else. Lasn really tries to hit his audience mentally by toying with their emotions just like when he asks, “Are we happy? Not really. Cults promise a kind of boundless contentment- punctuated by moments of bliss- but never quite deliver on that promise” (Lasn 113). Not only does this quote appeal with pathos perfectly, but it really makes a person think hard about that first question. Almost every person has asked themselves at some point in their lives if they are happy or not. Lasn never steers away from the cult idea and it seems as if no matter what a person might be and what their character is, they are part of some cult. To supplement that statement, Lasn not only demeans people by being in these “cults”, but demeans them as people. “Cult members arent really citizens” (Lasn 112) bluntly stated by Lasn really affects peoples mentality because they are now thinking that maybe they are in these “cults” and now they are supposedly not actual citizens. The way Lasn utilizes the appeal of pathos is unbelievably and undeniably an emotional roller coaster. He effectively has people second guessing