An analysis of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS)

9/1/16

We were required to look over this website so that we could talk about it in class, and our discussion really impressed me. A lot of unique thoughts were shared, so I will be giving my interpretation of our discussion from Wednesday.

This website is a non-profit charity time organization looking to perpetuate this ever present idea of ‘green living’. A link will be included at the end so you can check it out for yourself or keep it open as you read this for reference. This site is a rhetorical work, and therefore, has a purpose. We determined the main purpose to be to obtain money for the organization. There are multiple links you can use to donate spread out along every page. They made it  easy to donate. The first tab that you see when you go on the site is JOIN/RENEW because it’s the only this in bright orange. That tab leads to another option to pay; in fact it leads to a subscription that can be monthly and thus the most effective at bringing in money. They also use pathos to lead you to pay, or more correctly convince you to donate.

These efforts are mostly subliminal or at least not direct. There’s no big sign saying “WE NEED FUNDS” or “WE WANT YOUR MONEY” because no one would donate to that. That’s not convincing, imperative, or an argument; it’s a statement. Instead they make you feel like you should give. They make you equal to them (scientists oh boy) with the join section. Which then makes you feel like you are doing something good like saving the environment- which is another one of their goals but I’ll get to that later. They also take you away from the original site when you go to join so you don’t have as much of a chance to  change your mind.

As for subliminal messages leading you to pay, just take note of the parenthesis/brackets around most of the titles. This is what we talked about in class that intrigued me so much. If you notice, none of the parenthesis on the home page close; which is to say “we aren’t done yet”. Then as you move onto the pages where you do something they close. The parts where you start and finish the purpose, such as sharing, the parenthesis both open AND close.

Which is also their purpose. The organization was made for money; money just ended up proving to be a great necessity than they may have originally thought. The organization primarily wants to save this earth we live on. We can make a difference when we all come together and actually try to make it happen. That’s why they want us to join, and share, and stay informed. We are part of their process, both through our donations and our actions with them.

But, yeah, I enjoyed reviewing this site and if you’re into taking care of your home (our planet) check it out!

http://www.ucsusa.org/