Questions for further thought
1.What are the three types of culturally or socially learned predispositions for persuasion? Give examples of each from your own experience.
2.How does a culture or society train its members? Give examples from your own experience.
3.How do you rank the core values mentioned in this chapter? How do you put them into practice? Are there other values in your value system not mentioned here? What are they ? Are they restatements of the core values? If so, how ? If not , how do they differ?
4. Considering today’s headlines, is there a mob at the gates presently ?Explain.
5. To what degree can you identify a benevolent community in your life? Explain.
6. In the popular Harrison Ford film ,Patriot Games, there clearly is rot at the top . At what critical moment does the ‘’narrator’’ of the film discover the ‘’rot’’? What does he do about it?
7. Explain the ethos of the hosts of the various TV talk show. How does each host’s ethos differ from the other’- for example, does Jay Leno seem more or less sincere, expert, or dynamic than David Letterman?
8. How have the core values described by Steele and Redding operated on your campus? In your own life?
9. How have American values changed since September 11,2001? What example can you give?
10. The slogan ;; These Colors Don’t Run’’ that appeared in many places following the event of 9/11 clearly articulate an American value. What is it?
11. How do SNM reflect the cultural premises offered here?
12. In which channel of the ELM are persuasive proposals processed? Give examples.