Serwer's Ethos vs Webb's Ethos: Comparative Analysis
The world has had a long history of discrimination. But since the 1960s America has been moving to a more equal society. We had passed laws to help bring equal opportunities to all Americans, but are these laws still relevant? This issue is covered by James Webb’s article, “Diversity and the Myth of White Privilege” and Adam Serwer’s article, “Webb and “White Privilege.” Each article debates whether the same laws discriminate against whites in America. Webb is a former U.S. senator, and has worked to convince people that the white Americans are irrationally victimized by the same laws more to improve the discrimination against minority groups. While Serwer protests Webb's claim, opposing that whites are discriminated against. Both authors use Ethos and Logos in their article, but Servers use of Ethos makes him lose emotional effectiveness. While Webb makes the best and most effective use of Ethos and Logos, making him a more credible writer.
Webb’s use of Ethos is strong compared to Serwer. Webb begins establishing his credibility by saying, 'I have dedicated my political career to bringing fairness to America's economic system and our workforce, regardless of what people look like or where they may worship. Unfortunately, present-day diversity programs work against that notion, having expanded so far beyond their original purpose that they now favor anyone who does not happen to be white'. This can persuade the reader emotionally by giving someone’s true account and experiences. His position as a U.S. Senate gives a qualified and credible writer. Another Example of good Ethos is when Webb says, “The time has come to cease the false arguments and allow every American the benefit of a fair chance at the future”. Webb is appealing to the ethics of the American people when he describes a prejudiced past and is attempting to reform towards an equal future. Webb is inclusive which helps him use ethos effectively in his article. In opposition, Serwer’s ethos is not as effective as Webb. Serwer does not show how he is qualified to speak on the topic. In the article, Serwer establishes some credibility by pulling information from various sources. At one point, Serwer pulls information from Ira Katznelson, who is a renowned political scientist. By Serwer pulling from different sources, it shows that he is not as biased. While Webb does an excellent job in his use of credibility throughout, Serwer has an inadequate amount of credibility compared to Webb altogether the use of Ethos by Webb gives him a win the overall effectiveness of the article.
In the articles by Webb and Serwer, the authors use a great deal of logos. Webb uses logic throughout his article, which ultimately helps compel his argument. Webb notes that 'Nondiscrimination laws should be applied equally among all citizens, including those who happen to be white. The need for inclusiveness in our society is undeniable and irreversible, both in our markets and in our communities'. In this entire concluding paragraph, he attempts to logically claim that if all men are equal, then the rights they receive and the laws that govern them should be equal too. Webb uses logic by showing an example of cause and effect, showing that there is a correlation. On the other side, Serwer also has strong logos; his article is mainly comprised of logic. Serwers uses the example of, “The National Labor Relations Act was constructed to exclude blacks, the GI Bill gave fewer benefits to black soldiers than to white soldiers, and the Federal Housing Authority's discrimination helped build the modern wealth gap between blacks and whites”. Serwer uses logic in this example because it gives specific instances where blacks have been discriminated against. It talks about how whites received more benefits than black soldiers. Serwer uses validated facts to convey logic in his article. Webb and Serwer use logos differently, but they are equal, the use of logic in the articles helps make them successful.
Altogether, James Webb and Adam Serwer have reasonable amounts of ethos, pathos, and logos in their articles about white privilege, but Webb uses all three in a better way. Serwer severely lacked ethos in his article. Webb, on the other hand, succeeds in ethos because he was a U.S. Senator and had expertise in the profession. Webb and Serwer had an ample amount of emotion throughout the article, which helped make their arguments successful. Webb and Serwer also both have similar logos because they both provide a substantial amount of logic to their article. Furthermore, James Webb’s article succeeds Adam Serwer’s article in that he uses superb ethos, pathos, and logos and does not appear not as hostile as Serwer. In the end, everyone should be treated equally regardless of their race or skin color.
