Yes, believe it or not, these two comedy superstars do not like each other. It all started when Cross made fun of the Cable Guy's particular brand of "lowest denominator" humor. The Cable Guy (assuming that is, in fact, his real last name) lashed out at Cross, calling him an elitist and accused him of belittling his audience, along with a varied assortment of personal attacks. David Cross then issued an open letter (editorial, unfair, and unbalanced comment: if you have time, read the letter - he really tears Larry the Cable Guy a new asshole), stoking the fire of this devastating conflict that has ruined so many lives and families already.
At first glance, the open letter is a classic ad hominum argument. He accuses the Cable Guy's stand-up act as being "racist" and "stupid," while also attacking his "millionaire-in-disguise facade" of being a "good old boy" while living in Minnesota and speaking without a Southern accent.
The defendant.But upon further inspection, the persuasive argument is actually relatively fair and effective (although with slightly more profanity than usual public debates). Cross establishes an ethos of sarcasm and humor early on, particularly in one paragraph in which he replaces all the verbs with a form of the word "fart". In its crude way, this is a pathetic appeal - specifically, using sarcasm and humor to relate to the audience.
Cross is able to use humor as a pathetic appeal mainly because he knows his audience. The open letter is written on his own comedic blog, presumably being read almost exclusively by die hard fans of his, who appreciate his sense of humor. And since the letter is addressed to Larry the Cable Guy, a fellow comedian, he clearly feels humor is an accurate debate technique in an argument between two stand-up comics.
The prosecutor.
But the argument is not supported completely by pathetic appeals. He also employs a healthy amount of entechnic support, through many quotes from previous interviews and shows done by Larry the Cable Guy. While some of the quotes may be classified as begging the question - after all, taking quotes out of context is not always the most concrete proof available to a rhetorician - the sheer amount of quotes utilized make his argument extremely effective. By using Larry the Cable Guy's own words and logic against him, Cross created a situation in which the Cable Guy would have to contradict himself in order to dispute most of the claims Cross makes.
Of course, the battle rages on, splitting the country virtually down the middle, pitting brother against brother and father against son. But David Cross's well-crafted, logical defense of his case has perhaps brought this bloody dispute nearer to its resolution. Good night, and god bless America.
Cross is able to use humor as a pathetic appeal mainly because he knows his audience. The open letter is written on his own comedic blog, presumably being read almost exclusively by die hard fans of his, who appreciate his sense of humor. And since the letter is addressed to Larry the Cable Guy, a fellow comedian, he clearly feels humor is an accurate debate technique in an argument between two stand-up comics.
The prosecutor.But the argument is not supported completely by pathetic appeals. He also employs a healthy amount of entechnic support, through many quotes from previous interviews and shows done by Larry the Cable Guy. While some of the quotes may be classified as begging the question - after all, taking quotes out of context is not always the most concrete proof available to a rhetorician - the sheer amount of quotes utilized make his argument extremely effective. By using Larry the Cable Guy's own words and logic against him, Cross created a situation in which the Cable Guy would have to contradict himself in order to dispute most of the claims Cross makes.
Of course, the battle rages on, splitting the country virtually down the middle, pitting brother against brother and father against son. But David Cross's well-crafted, logical defense of his case has perhaps brought this bloody dispute nearer to its resolution. Good night, and god bless America.
No comments:
Post a Comment