America’s Loose Bird
Trump uses Twitter more than my best friend does… and she sends me memes everyday.
From gaining power from money to presidency, who would have thought Trump would also run Twitter?
In Kara Swisher’s, “All Text and No Subtext” (New York Times), published on December 24, 2018, she argues Trump’s Twitter addiction is running the country and will be the hallmark of his presidency. Swisher explains his recent “bully status” posts and peoples clap-back reactions.
Swisher does a good job of keeping the topic of the most controversial character in America light, while still expressing the criticalness of her argument. She conveyed her concerns through using figurative language to add a humorous tone to keep the readers engaged and giving examples of Twitter posts to let her audience make sense of the situation.
Pathos
We all know Trump’s arguments use pathos, but Swisher also uses it to add character and emphasis to her article.
To grab the reader’s attention and set an appropriate tone, Swisher explains Trump’s recent posts as, “employing more capitalization and exclamation marks than a Macy’s after-holiday sales ad.” She uses a simile to emphasize how many interjections he uses in his posts. Comparing his mannerisms to a Macy’s after-holiday sales ad degrades what the president is saying, yet still making it funny. The use of figurative language shows the emphasis in her point while remaining light.
After examining the posts, Swisher says why they will be studied by historians by explaining, “It shows us the entire ruling class strafing one another in the digital ether, but with disturbing real-world implications”. She uses an allusion to make the audience imagine the ruling people are God-like, up in the sky of the “digital ether”, are belittling themselves by starting Twitter drama (dumb problems down on earth). By adding an image to the readers mind, allows them to comprehend and grasp the argument more.
The humor keeps the readers engaged in the reading and acts as a comedic relief. The way Swisher uses pathos is effective because when talking about a controversial man, like Donald Trump, it’s important to not be too serious.
Logos
Swisher also appeals to logos by referring to three of Trump and other people’s posts on Twitter to support her claim with examples.
She explains that our digital life isn’t just on our phones anymore, but it controls our lives. In a post by famous tweeter, Cameron Joseph, he restates to mimic what a Representative had said to a reporter, “@RyanCostello on the CR: ‘If Trump tweets something then we’ll do it… we’re all just twisting in the wind.”
Costello confesses to his colleagues were waiting for tweets from Trump to tell them how to vote relating to funding the government. The people who take charge of our country are stuck watching Trump’s Twitter fingers. Joseph posts this to emphasize how ridiculous Twitter is in having an influence on political decisions.
The quote is a representation of Swisher’s argument that Trump’s Twitter addiction is influencing others to make political decisions based on what he posts, making it unique aspect of his presidency.
In all…
When anyone talks about Trump, it’s contentious. However, Swisher is effective in arguing that his tweeting is running the government and country. When using figurative language, it keeps the subject from getting to serious. When using examples of posts, it proves how people are affected by Trump’s posts. For a newspaper article, it’s important to make good point while keeping the readers engaged with humor, so the pathos and ethos were effective towards the audience.
Reference
Swisher, Kara. “All Text and No Subtext.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 24 Dec 2019 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/24/opinion/trump-twitter-wall-shutdown.html
