Problem Solving--Artifact Analysis
[Trigger Warning: While the topic and discussion are history, and it is my personal belief that history should absolutely be known no matter how dark, there is a video clip in this assignment that contains disturbing scenes. View at your own discretion.]
The objective of this COMM 333 assignment is to critique and analyze persuasion methods used in a film or documentary. I have chosen Schindler’s List—a movie based on the true story of Oskar Schindler and his saving 1100 Jews during World War II. The movie is replete with situations of persuasion, both within the story line and in the cinematography. My focus will be on the protagonist Oskar Schindler, who defied the law as well as his own perceived beliefs and convictions in his mission to save Jews.
Elaboration Likelihood Model
Approaching from the Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (ELM), Oskar Schindler engaged in central processing as he formulated strategies to increase his wealth and become an even more prosperous business man. He thoroughly processed information presented to him, weighed options, and evaluated methods that would help him achieve his goal in the most expedient way. As a member of the Nazi party, Schindler was initially motivated only to take advantage of the war and grow his business using free labor—the Jews. He was a shrewd businessman who could process the information set before him as he made his decisions, which is another indicator of central processing. Petty, Haugtvedt, & Smith 1995, (as cited in Gass, Seiter, 2016 p. 37), asserted that central route persuasion is long-lasting; Schindler’s tenacity lent credence to his use of central processing.
Theory of Reasoned Action
The Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), which “presumes that intentions are the best guide to behavior” (Gass, Seiter, 2016, p. 51), comes largely in to play from the onset. Using the suggestion from the textbook, I will expound by working backward.
Schindler had to have an intention and attitude to arrive at the outcome, and his intention was the result of two other components—his thought about it (attitude) and how he believes it will turn out (evaluation.)
TRA MODEL 1
Schindler believed that using free labor in wartime was a shrewd business decision that would increase his wealth. His subjective norm stemmed from Nazi party beliefs, and, knowing the history of the Nazis, his motivation to comply could literally have been a matter of life and death. His behavioral intention was wealth, and his actual behavior was the use of free Jewish labor. Culture is a large influence on attitudes and normative beliefs (Gass, Seiter, 2016, p. 52), and this appeared to be especially true with Oskar Schindler.
Cognitive Dissonance Theory
I cannot discuss Schindler’s actions and the TRA without discoursing the Cognitive Dissonance Theory (CDT), as this was a central component of the film. As stated earlier, Schindler’s initial motivation was wealth--he saw a prime opportunity for prosperity at the expense of others. Any cognitive dissonance could have been reasoned away with Nazi propaganda, and perhaps a reminder that the Jews he hired were saved from being gassed because of their employment in his factory. He could self-justify by polarizing his decision to shelter them through labor. However, a defining moment happened with Oskar Schindler that turned his motivation on its head. As he rode horses with his mistress, he stopped to observe the activity below where German troops were destroying the Krakow ghetto and taking the Jews prisoner. Amidst the gunfire, a lone child wandered seemingly unseen throughout the chaos. She was corralled into a line of prisoners, but broke free and made her way to an empty apartment where she took shelter under a bed. Her red coat—in a black and white movie—was used symbolically to portray this profound moment in Schindler’s life.
The Girl in Red (Movieclips, 2011)
It was in that moment Oskar Schindler’s relevant others became Jews—not Nazis—and his motivation was their lives—not his wealth. His intent took an entirely different direction.
TRA MODEL 2
Other examples of persuasion in the movie happens between Schindler and the Schutzstaffel (SS), and Schindler and SS Captain Amon Goeth. Schindler’s goal was to get Jews to his factory and out of the camps, and he used material items to persuade the soldiers. Diamonds, coffee, watches--whatever he could barter for their lives he used. With Amon Goeth, the captain and commandant of the camp, Schindler plays on Goeth’s self-perceived intellect and obvious arrogance. In each of those situations, Schindler considered his audience—their attitudes, values, and needs—as well as their states and traits. Goeth displayed traits of a social vigilante to the nth degree, and his resistance to persuasion (Saucier & Webster, 2010 as referenced in Gass, Seiter p. 109), was palpable as he continued his macabre mission to eliminate Jews.
Oskar Schindler was quite credible in his ability to persuade his target group—the SS—and it is evidenced in the fact that he saved more than 1000 Jewish prisoners. He bolstered his credibility by hosting lavish parties and feigning indifference toward the Jewish plight while focusing on his expertise (business dealings,) trustworthiness (said he would provide some material item then followed through,) and his goodwill (appeared to have the SS’s interest at heart) (Gass, Seiter, 2016, p. 79). Deceptive? Yes. Persuasive? Absolutely.
What about the audience?
This movie—the content, the reality, the cinematography—can be a powerfully persuasive tool. I’ve never doubted that Jews faced atrocities I can never fathom, but seeing it played out on screen deepened my compassion for those who experienced it. Schindler’s List caused me to recognize my most preferred position, my “anchor” (Gass, Seiter, 2016, p. 105) concerning social atrocities committed against not only the Jews, but in any fellow human being who has been oppressed. With each viewing, a new determination arises in me to fight for those who are persecuted or discriminated against.
Reflections
I’m quite cognizant of how media can affect an audience’s thinking, and how the delivery of the message can be more cogent when combining visual with auditory components such as what was done with the red coat. I am also acutely aware of how cognitive dissonance—when used correctly--can be an aide in guiding us, the “north” on our moral compass, so to speak, especially when the magnitude of said dissonance is great.
Schindler experienced such dissonance. Early in the movie, he says that his father always told him that war brings out only the worst in people, never the best. The last interaction between Oskar Schindler and his accountant Itzhak Stern proved otherwise:
Schindler: I could've got more ... I could've got more, if I'd just...I could've got more ...
Stern: Oskar, there are eleven hundred people who are alive because of you. Look at them. Schindler: If I had made more money...I threw away so much money, you have no idea. If I had just ...
Stern: There will be generations because of what you did.
Schindler: I didn't do enough.
Stern: You did so much.
Schindler: This car. Goeth would've bought this car. Why did I keep the car? Ten people, right there. Ten people, ten more people! (He rips the swastika pin from his coat.) This pin--two people. This is gold--two more people. He would've given me two for it. At least one. He would've given me one. One more. One more person. A person, Stern. For this--I could've gotten one more person and I didn't. I didn`t ... (Spielberg, 1993)
I dare not compare my advocacy and fight to what the Jews experienced--I feel irreverent even referencing where I am and what I do in the same conversation about Schindler's List. However, I can speak only from where I stand. Throughout my life and career in advocacy, I’ve witnessed more than a few situations where dissonance has prompted positive change within the disabled community. Hopefully, based on the assertion by Senemeaud & Somat (as cited in Gass, Seiter, 2016, p. 64), those attitude changes that were prompted by cognitive dissonance were lasting. I will never make such a profound difference in the lives of 1100 individuals and those who came after them as Mr. Schindler did, but if I can make a difference in just one, it will have been worth it.
References
Fandango Movieclips (June 2, 2011). The girl in red - Schindler's List (3/9) movie clip (1993) HD
[YouTube]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1VL-y9JHuI.
Gass, R. H., Seiter, J. S. (2016). Persuasion: Social influence and compliance gaining (5th ed.).
New York, NY: Routledge.
Spielberg, S. (Producer/Director). (1993). Schindler’s list. [DVD]. United States: Universal
Studios.
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