National Treasure - NOT!

“I.O.U.S.A.” is a video that discusses the credit crisis in the United States and addresses some of the causes as well as possible solutions. To help viewers understand the seriousness of the crisis and how it affects the national debt, the creators break the crisis up into four areas of deficit - budget deficit, savings deficit, trade deficit and leadership deficit. To make their argument experts such as Alan Greenspan and Warren Buffet were interviewed, a historical analysis of the debt was provided and an overview of how the government works financially was provided.

I enjoyed this movie for many reasons. First of all, I think that the creators made a good argument using aspects of egos, pathos and logos. They did this through the use of expert interviews with people like Alan Greenspan and Warren Buffet, by providing historical charts and future projections, and by playing on the viewers’ sense of patriotism in wanting America to succeed. Second, I liked the way that the movie was organized. They didn’t just state the problem and focus on pathos to call the audience into action. By providing background and breaking the argument into sections, they were able to teach viewers about each aspect so that an understanding of the whole problem could be understood. Finally, by providing the education on the different areas of the problem, they were able to guide viewers to the outcome they wanted, which was their final call to action. Now, do I just view this as an assignment? Or do I answer the call?