Heath 1

Caitlyn Heath
Prof. Sipin
ENG110C
20 October 2014
The Changing of a Nation
In the modern world it is virtually impossible to not be affected by the media to some
extent. Pop Culture items such as news articles, YouTube videos, or even a famous song can
alter or affect the way a person views controversial topics. Typical subjects of controversy
include: homosexuality, racism, and modern poverty. One extremely popular controversy in
todays society is the equality and acceptance of homosexuals. In arguments of dispute, a point
of view that is most commonly overlooked is the perspective of children. As stated in Bobbie
Harros The Cycle of Socialization,
Immediately upon our births we begin to be socialized by
the people we love and trust the most, our families or the adults who
are raising us. They shape our self-concepts and self-perceptions, the
norms and rules we must follow, the roles we are taught to play, our
expectations of the future, and our dreamsWe are too dependent on
our parents or those raising us, and we haven't yet developed the
ability to think for ourselves, so we unconsciously conform to their
views. (Harro 17)

Heath 2
In this excerpt, the writer is simply stating that our thoughts at a young age are
typically based on how and in what environment we are raised. In the YouTube
video, Kids React to Gay Marriage, this select group of various aged kids are
shown two clips of same sex marriages. Their reactions are recorded and the results
are both astonishing and enlightening.
In the video, one child has an opinion vastly different than the other children.
This five year old boy Lucas tells the interviewer, People who do not like gay, Im
in their group. When asked if he knows why he doesnt like gay people, he replies,
No. This is an example of how being raised a certain way can affect perspective.
The rhetorical situation is that people tend to overlook a childs perspective on
important issues when these children have been known to have valuable things to
say. The rhetorical situation of the video is expressed by the logos, ethos, and
pathos. The logos, or message, in the video is that we often hear too much on this
type of issue from older generations and not enough from the younger ones. The
opinions that are voiced in this video are by children no older than thirteen, and yet
most of them have far more intelligent outlooks on the subject than most adults. The
ethos, or speaker, in the video is Fine Brothers Productions, the interviewers in the
video. The pathos, or emotional appeal, is the expression of such nonjudgmental
thoughts within a group of children, children that could have been raised very
differently but still have formed these selfless perspectives, even if the issue does not
affect them directly.
The rhetorical situation includes the context and culture of the video as well.
The context of the video involves the setting and background of the children. The

Heath 3
children that were interviewed are of a variety of ethnic backgrounds and this is
important because it shows that no matter where we come from and what culture we
are from, we are all still human and have these independent thoughts about same sex
marriage. The purpose of this video is to spread the idea that gay marriage and
equality among all people should be achieved, and this is shown through the eyes of
the youth of today. The culture of the video is the social, economic and historical
aspects of the issue. Socially, the idea of same-sex marriage has recently been spread
worldwide. This video is another take on the fight for equality, and having children
finally voice what they think is influential and vital to the fight. Shown in an article
by Joan Biskupic, there is a picture of a boy no older than seven that is holding up a
sign at an equality rally. Children are trying to voice their opinions to help the
government understand that Love Wins (Biskupic). According to a CNN news
article, only 44% of the United States population is living in a state that has legalized
same-sex marriage. However, the numbers are growing fast. Freedom to Marry, a
campaign to win equality in America, claims that as of today a total of thirty-two
states have now legalized same-sex marriage.
The video Kids React to Gay Marriage is an extremely successful pop
culture item because it expresses views from a part of the population that is rarely
asked how they are affected by it. The kids in the video are not willing to back down
on their beliefs. When one interviewer told a seven year old girl, Samirah, A lot of
people were upset about these marriage proposals because it was a guy proposing to
a guy and a woman to a woman, she replied back with, I dont get why anyone

Heath 4
would be mad! It is clear how the inequality of America is affecting these kids:
negatively.
Overall, the popular object YouTube video, Kids React to Gay Marriage is
successful in its message that kids have just as big of a voice as adults do. Children
are capable of providing nonjudgmental outlooks on issues like this, and I think that
what they are saying is ten times more valuable to the fight for equality than what
most adults have to say. America, as a whole, has been taking tremendous steps
towards achieving equality for all people, no matter what race, gender, or class.
Children play a vital role in equality and one trait they will never lose is holding on
to what they believe is right and fair.

Heath 5
Works Cited Page

Harro, Bobbie. The Cycle of Socialization.

"Kids React to Gay Marriage." YouTube. YouTube, 3 Nov. 2013. Web. 21 Oct. 2014.

Biskupic, Joan. "In U.S. Gay Marriage Cases, Children Emerge in the Limelight." Reuters.
Thomson Reuters, 20 July 2014. Web. 22 Oct. 2014.

States | Freedom to Marry." States | Freedom to Marry. 17 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

Stark, Amy. "By the Numbers: Same-sex Marriage." CNN. Cable News Network, 1 Aug. 2014.
Web. 23 Oct. 2014.