Artifice Analysis

Although many people may like to think of America as a honest and moral nation, it is no secret that artifice has cemented itself as an indispensable skill, exploited by many to achieve their own ambitions. Artifice, characterized through the usage of cunning devices or expedients to deceive others, is often utilized by politicians and organizations to help push their own agendas. As illustrated by Chris Hedges in his social commentary, Empire of Illusion, “artifice” has emerged to become so ubiquitous and essential throughout American society, whether in business or the entertainment industry. Essential, in the essence that without it, people in any industry are more likely to be disadvantaged in achieving their personal goals. In today’s modern world, no area has seen more abuse of artifice than in the field of media and politics. Its common knowledge that newspapers skew reports to their own biases and politicians often tell half-truths to cover-up ulterior motives. Unfortunately, these politicians and media giants hold extremely influential positions in society, and their usage of artifice is extremely damaging to the integrity and accountability within the United States. As a result, the press as well as the general populace must utilize free speech to expose this behavior. Despite the complete immorality of the usage of artifice, such chicanery remains essential for success in media and politics.

“Political leaders who use the tools of mass propaganda to create a sense of faux intimacy with citizens, no longer need to be competent, sincere, or honest.” In the quote, Hedges is explaining who uses artifice and what they do with their power. Artifice is a skill that is difficult to maintain and keep realistic. Being the most essential skill, artifice is the art of deceiving. People’s ideas and thoughts are altered for the gain of one and the loss of another. Everyone will need artifice at some point in their life to get the attention, item, or person they want. Specifically, our current President, Donald Trump, uses artifice all too much. He has exceeded his use of artifice. Trump won was because of his excellent use of artifice. He was able to persuade enough people to vote for him and his changes he would fulfill. Artifice takes quite skill to make believable for your audience. The importance of artifice during his ruling is immense, making it the most essential skill.

As a society we are guided by false veneers and deceit. Artifice is unfortunately a prominent tactic used in hope of gaining the respect of the public. Politicians and celebrities who we look up to utilize artifice on a daily basis to gain our recognition and approval. Even teenagers are being taught how to use artifice to their advantage. Chris Hedges believes that the use of artifice is a necessary device to achieve success. In his book, The Empire of Illusion, he discusses the appeal of artifice and how individuals become “unreal” and “ignored” if they do not utilize it. His viewpoint is immensely untrue because this “strategy” causes a never-ending cycle of conflict. If we continue to feign our true appearances, we will become unable to fix societal issues we face to today.

"Each trick crumples in the end as a result of the mental probability that the individuals who are superlatively sharp at beguiling others turn out to be similarly astute at misdirecting themselves. Disinformation eats the individuals who make it."

Medvic also defends politicians on the public’s charges about how they are liars and cheats. Medvic contends that we do not know how many liars and cheaters there are in politics. However, politicians are under more scrutiny and would more than likely be caught. In addition, politicians are consistent in what they say and attempt to keep their promises, as supported by Tracy Sulkin study, (Medvic p. 112).

The art of deception is an essential skill, especially in moments such as political debates and commercial promotions. In today's society, artifice is a widely utilized skill to persuade the public. The commercial market connects producers to consumers through propaganda which appeals to consumers through elements such as pathos, ethos, and logos. Utilizing these elements, the audience is immediately drawn into the viewpoint of the deceiver. Politicians tried to appear as ordinary and modest as possible to seem more appealing to their audience. But, it can be a deception. As Chris Hedges said in his Empire of Illusion, a story is the best form of artifice because the “consistency and emotional appeal of the story are paramount.” Often politicians tell stories to create a persona making themselves look more trustworthy.

In Stephanie Ericsson’s essay, “The Ways We Lie”, she discusses the different circumstances in which people lie and describes the types of lies that are commonly used. The author argues that some lies aren’t very severe, and often times are necessary, whereas others can prove to be harmful in the long run and can exact harsh consequences. ( 315 ) Ericsson uses examples in which these lies are presented such as with business acquaintances, politicians or friends and even a priest who breaks ethical code. Ericsson poses the question that if she decided not to lie, if she would be less tolerant of lies told to her. (322) So why do we lie and allow people to lie to us? Does society encourage us to lie or is it

It is important to critically analyze claims for potential deception and misleading statements because of many reasons. First, rhetoric can either inspire a nation, or it can destroy a nation. If rhetoric is manipulative and deceptive, citizens can fall into the trap, and begin to believe hateful and untrue things that affect people’s views. It is important that citizens can recognize when leaders are deceiving us, so they can call it out and try to not let others fall into as well. If one does not check for deception when looking at a piece of rhetoric, they could vote for things that clearly are not within their self-interest. A rhetor can strategically relay the

People have been like sheep under wrongful and deceptive shepherds and it will continue to be like this whether we like it or not. We have been a species of conflicts and war, and it would have only been a matter of time for someone to master the skill of artifice to persuade the masses to favor their agenda. Humanity is more productive when we all agree to something, and the use of artifice can influence the way we all think. This expertise can be wielded by those who are good or bad. This can be frightening when that skill is mastered by those who intend to utilise it for deceptive purposes. Because of the manipulation of artifice, it demonstrates that it is a vital skill to acquire. Its influence on recent history and its continuation in our present day is known by

Most career politicians have mastered the red herring technique, that is to say; they appeal to emotion of a receiver in order to distract from a main issue and in turn manipulate sentiment into order to persuade the outcome of a topic without providing factual evidence.

Politics is all about persuasion, especially during election seasons. Candidates do nothing but try to convince voters that they are right, that there way is better and get them to vote in their favor. The light in which voters see the candidate is critical, which is where spin becomes important. Spin involves taking “events, statements, and actions” and presenting them in a way that is more “favorable” for a particular person or cause (Borchers 193). Similarly, spin control is the act of making “their perspective become the dominant way in which [the] ideas are seen” and “[getting] the audience to accept a particular perspective” (Borchers 193). Spin control isn’t a new concept in the world of persuasion, and in many ways there’s nothing wrong with it, but there are often ethical issues when it comes to spin, as was the case with Clinton’s senatorial campaign aide Karen Adler. For professionals who constantly promote and express sensitive information, like campaign supporters and journalists or reporters, it’s extremely important to understand the dangers of spin and how to be as responsible and honest as possible.

Specifically, in the last two years following the 2016 presidential election, a barrage of personal attacks, refutations of these attacks and release of contradictory information populated the political field and shaken trust in government. These documents and attacks like the Steele Dossier, James Comey memo, or alleged conversations with Anthony Scaramucci call into question not only the capability of political leaders to govern but also the legitimacy of facts and the reliability of media. Political factions across the spectrum have cast doubt on the entire field of politics, and this trend has shaken the credibility of media and government. Public trust in the ability of news organizations to report faithfully and accurately and in the ability of government to remain honest and help constituents drops because of how powerfully the doubt these documents motivated sentiment. These questionings of the legitimacy of these institutions may have defined their legacy in the years to

Therefore, Arendt argues to defend modern political lying. Furthermore, Arendt continues to think outside of the Totalitarian environment she finds truth telling is a way to keep the “status quo”. However, the lie exercises the free exchange of opinions. Nonetheless, Arendt argues “the great danger of the modern world is the hierarchy between politics and lying reverses, and politics have begun to operate in service to a particular and fictitious world of “ersatz truth” (Rosenfeld 223).

The same goes for media outlets in favour of their own political parties. In recent years the post-truth has started to take over politics. In this essay, I will argue that Yes, I’d lie to you, by The Economist, is correct in saying that the post-truth is taking over politics in recent times due to new technology, a deluge of facts, and a public much less given to trust than once it was. In Yes, I’d lie to you the author argues that new technology, a flood of facts, and a public more easily convinced by repeated false assertions are all contributing to

Are politicians or even newscasters trustworthy enough to present newsworthy material? Whether it’s about politics, an investigation, or a criminal trial, a person must critically analyze the information that’s being laid out in front of them before they should make any form of judgment based off what is presented. Criticism of the media is an important aspect of Gone Girl and “The Braindead Megaphone.” In both literary works, media is represented or described as subjective and storytelling pursuant which can end up being dangerous in some situations, and is prevalent in the real worlds postmodern broadcasting.