A Rhetorical Analysis Of High By Dave Saldana

It is often believed that flying to a destination is more dangerous than driving. Similarly, it is often believed that murder is more common than suicide. And while these are held as apparent truths for much of the population, these are actually false assumptions. In actuality, there are multiple fatal car crashes every week and there are twice as many suicide deaths per year than there are murders. (Curtis) These are known to psychologists as availability heuristics or our mental shortcuts to specific conclusions because it is what we see most often in the media. The airtime, amount of coverage across multiple mediums and overall portrayal often gives the consumer an altered view of the reality that they live in. Dave Saldana, author of “High …show more content…
The first words of his article “[a]s a former journalist,” leave no doubts of the author 's credibility to the imagination (34). He firmly establishes his position as the informer that justifies the subsequent tone of authority and almost anger. He then moves almost immediately into a series of pop culture cues, referencing their ability to gain support of a population towards one side. He uses these to connect to his idea the that media is no longer a source of knowledge but instead a rallying force for the government when he says, “What Top Gun, Rambo and Red Dawn did for the ‘80s, Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and Peter Jennings set out to for the new millennium” (34). He makes this connection in order to transition the reader from a more popular discourse to one of a more educated politics and history. In reference to alternative media sources Saldana argues, “They are the voices crying in the wilderness. Just like John the Baptist. But then, we know what that got him” …show more content…
Saldana’s ability to maintain a connected argument while shifting from the “big news” and almost celebrity level to that of the everyday person proves worth as a truly skillful and persuasive journalist. He goes from comfortably addressing the Bush Administration to just as comfortably addressing his readers simply by opening up his appeal using the words “you” and “we”. He brings himself down from the level of informer to the level of confidant by telling his readers how he has accomplished his own suggestions. In reference to canceling subscriptions Saldana references his own “accomplishments”. “‘America shops at Sears,’ they tell me; but I won’t. And I sent them an email saying as much. Should you decide to cancel your subscriptions to magazines and newspapers, encourage like-minded friends to do the same” (36). His “I did it and so can you” method reinforces his humanness and connection with his