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Victoria Bitner

Professor Collins

ENGL 1301

27 April 2017

2000 American Civil Liberties Union

An advertisement titled 2000 American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) displays a

photograph of Martin Luther King and Charles Manson. The header and the caption included

with this picture explain that Martin Luther King is more likely to be pulled over by a police

officer than Charles Manson. ACLU wanted to introduce American icons to express their

message on racial profiling and to continue supporting peoples rights with their motto Because

Freedom Cant Protect Itself. This advertisements target audience includes the minority victims

that have previously received tickets from racist police officers. Strong figures Martin Luther

King and Charles Manson are focused on because of their different skin color, label, and

behavior. According to www.nobelprize.org, King became an African American leader to many

people by delivering speeches across the word, leading protest marches, writing literature about

the civil rights movement, and donating funds to the movement. Explained in

www.biography.com, Manson received jail time for pimping, raping, and first-degree murder by

convincing young women to kill popular Hollywood stars to create shock across the world. The

purpose of this advertisement is to convince past victims that donating will help create a team to

fight against the racist opinions of police officers. Pathos, logos, and ethos from 2000 American

Civil Liberties Union demonstrate minorities helping ACLU to fight against discrimination by

mentioning a sensitive theoretical situation with Martin Luther King versus Charles Manson.
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Pathos is used in the visual argument to shock, confuse, and redirect the public to the real

dangers of the world. The first quote that initiates the shock of the reader on the advertisement

from aclu.org includes, The man on the left is 75 times more likely to be stopped by the police

while driving than the man on the right. Most everyone respects Martin Luther King, The man

on the left and remembers him as a brave man, while the people who know the crimes

committed by Charles Mason, the man on the right, despise him. Once the shock reaction

happens, people become confused on how a well-respected man could get pulled over by a police

officer rather than a convict. After viewing and reading, the caption redirects the public to think

about the real problem of crime instead of judging people on their race. Along with those

emotions of the advertisement, different feelings appear when observing the visual images.

Americans tend to associate Martin Luther King with courage, freedom, and love because of the

fearless leader he became. In contrast, people affiliate Charles Manson with gruesome crimes,

fear, and disgust because of his leadership role within a cult. Both pictures create polar opposite

reactions that lead to the overall emotions of shock and confusion. Pathos is beneficial in

persuading victims to donate in order to help the ACLU protect the rights of minorities.

Logos is used in the advertisement to prove racial bias as a huge issue within America.

Part of the caption on the visual argument states, Police stop drivers based on their skin color

rather than the way they are driving. The biased opinions of police officers lead to unfair

situations for the crimeless individuals, while the convicted continue to avoid penalties due to

their skin color. Results to prove that racial profiling exists are explained within the Washington

Post online, where former President Obama mentioned before his presidency he received tickets

on times he deserved it and times he did not. Former President Obama also includes that he has

known many other African Americans with similar stories, which confirms that the system
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definitely consists of racial bias. Statistics from surveys provide evidence involving higher

percentage rates of Africans Americans getting pulled over than any other race. Since the ratios

between each ethnic group are not identical, this creates unnecessary racism that takes place on

the roads within this country. Logos is valuable in communicating that discrimination is a

problem in America, and racial profiling exists.

Ethos is established in the visual announcement to build trust with American Civil

Liberties Union by convincing people to help defend their own rights. The last few sentences in

the advertisement stated, These humiliating and illegal searches are violations of the

Constitution and must be fought. Help us defend your rights. Support the ACLU. By adding

these sentences within the announcement it causes readers to believe the ACLU is on their side

and willing to help. In order to catch the publics attention ACLU added the familiar figures of

Martin Luther King and Charles Manson to represent their advertisement. Well-known African

American pastor King creates a positive vibe about fighting for civil rights, while murder

Charles Manson releases a negative vibe about the dangerous people among us. By placing these

two opposite famous figures against each other, most if not all of the public will automatically

want to associate with the confident side of the argument, Martin Luther King. Once the public

acknowledges the theoretical situation, their reaction should involve defending the more

respected figure with the positive vibe. Now when ACLU talks about police officers profiling

people by their race and ignoring potential criminals, people are more likely to donate. Ethos is

crucial in proving that American Civil Liberties Union wants to help minorities fight against

racial profiling.

In the advertisement pathos, logos, and ethos are used to persuade victims that donating

to American Civil Liberties Union will remove racial bias and help protect peoples rights. With
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the target audience, ACLU communicated this message successfully. The public was redirected

from the racial profiling to the dangerous people in the country by simply comparing a murderer

and a peaceful protestor. At least a few donations will be given to ACLU because of how they

included familiar American icons. Citizens that have experienced being pulled over for no reason

at all will be the biggest portion the donations. From reviewing the visual argument, it seemed to

appeal to the right audience at the correct time.

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Works Cited

Charles Manson Biography.com Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/charles-

manson-9397912. Accessed 12 April 2017.

Martin Luther King Jr. Biography. Nobelprize.org, Nobel Media AB 2014,

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html. Accessed 12

April 2017.

Provocative New ACLU Advertising Series Uses American Icons in Message on Racial

Profiling.

American Civil Liberties Union, June 2, 2000, https://www.aclu.org/news/provocative-

new-aclu-advertising-series-uses-american-icons-message-racial-profiling. Accessed 12

April 2017.

Soffen, Kim. The big question about why the police pull over so many black drivers. The

Washington Post, July 8, 2016,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/07/08/the-big-question-about-

why-police-pull-over-so-many-black-drivers/?utm_term=.f514d9653e18. Accessed 12

April 2017.