Kiana Staton: A Look At Our World Today
English 1102
Young children cannot be solely accountable for themselves. If you have ever seen a child play on their own, you know that they would not be able to survive on their own for long before needing assistance from an adult. It is the job of their caregiver to teach them very simple skills that will keep them safe. One very traumatic way that a child can die is from being locked inside of a car with the windows rolled up during a hot day. The video above is a personal testimony of how traumatic this can be. This self-made video is of Terry Bartley, from Raleigh, NC. He locked himself inside of his car with windows rolled up, and sat for several minutes in order to reenact what children go through when they are left in this situation. He made this video as a sort of PSA in order to promote the message of not leaving children in a hot car alone. However, this is more than just a typical Public Service Announcement; through his use of self-testimony, he brings a sense of reality to his message.
Dad Heats Up About Child Neglect
This video is made by a regular dad. It is very clear that this video was composed to share his message, but in a very realistic way. There are many visual elements that give us the idea that this is an average American with an extraordinary message. The scene of this video is in a locked car with the windows rolled up all the way. We have no branding, no special features, and no type of cliché sales pitches as subliminal hints towards a commercial advertisement. Also, he is wears an average t-shirt. This may seem like a small detail, but this creates an image for him. Since there is no branding on the shirt, so we do not associate him with any company, giving us the idea that he is an average dad. Without special effects or branding, it allows us to really focus on the message, and helps us to realize this was not prompted for proprietary reasons. It also does not link him to any foundation or organization. The focus is on how the dad looks, especially in his facial area. He seems to be sweating profusely, which is understandable since he is supposedly locked in his hot car. The water on his face could be caused by something other than sweat, such as water. But, because of the element of realism caused by the scene, we are more likely to believe that this sweat is real. By placing himself in this situation, he is giving thoughts and advice based not only on facts, but on personal experience. This gains the audience’s attention, through the technique of him being “just like us.” People are more likely to listen and connect with this piece because it is made by an “Average Joe,” which could be someone they know personally, or they could have made these themselves. All of these elements of realism and personalization, not only grab the attention of the audience, but it also helps when getting his message across that this action is very wrong.
The message is clearly aimed at the general public, and more importantly, parents. YouTube.com is the venue he uses to share his message. This website is constructed for everyone to be able to upload their own videos. This is an important part to his credibility. By posting this on his personal page on the website, it shows that it is not tied in with another source. The message can be seen by anyone and everyone that is able to use this website, including parents. He is able to also use language in order to direct his message to an audience. He uses words such as “your kids,” to insinuate that the audience has children. By using the word “We," he is opening up the conversation to more of the general public and includes himself. This creates a sense of unity with the commonality between him and the viewers. These elements, including the person in the video, allow him to connect because he is an average dad. He creates pathos by the intensity of his language. He speaks about how “I[He] can barely breathe out here,” and “I would never leave my kids in the car.” These are strong statements that evoke a powerful negative connotation when it comes to this situation. It can make an audience (including myself) feel as if they should think negatively about leaving kids in hot cars because it brings up a sense of morality. Terry speaks of this being “wrong,” asks “Do you love your kids?,” and brings up the point of punishment. This allows him to show that he thinks that this is morally wrong, and the punishment of jail is not as harsh as the death of a parent’s child. By bringing up morality, it strikes more emotions of the audience. It questions the morality of decisions parents make. If you are a good parent, how could you leave your child[ren] in your unattended car?
This is a video of one man, sharing a message about a crime that is seen every year. We all hear about these child deaths in the news. It is amazing that they still occur after all the technologies to help parents. Some may consider this more about the morality as a parent rather than technology. Either way, children left in cars are having heat strokes every summer, and some dying as a result. These children often are not able to fend for themselves. Today, as I write this, yet another infant death is on the news. A 4-week-old has died from being left in the hot car for two hours and the parents of the infant have now been arrested for this. It makes me think of Terry and when he asks in the video, “Do you really love your kids?” If these parents had responded to the hot car challenge Terry issues, they might have thought differently about leaving their child in the car for any amount of time.
Sources
"Heat Stroke." KidsandCars.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 July 2014.
"New App Reminds Parents of Kids in Hot Car." - CBS 5. N.p., 14 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 July 2014.Wall, Thompson. "Boy Invents Life-Saving Device to Prevent Child Deaths in Hot Cars." Alpharetta-Milton Patch. N.p., 11 July 2014. Web. 17 July 2014.
Some might say that his stance on morality is justified based on the facts. He refers to the point that this occurs several times each summer. He says “We go through this every year, year after year after year.” Terry creates a point. There are several children killed in hot cars every summer. In fact, just this year 17 children have been killed by heat stroke from being left in a hot car. This number is lower than the 44 deaths that occurred in 2013 due to the same cause. (“Heat Stroke”) Some could say that messages similar to Terry’s have really impacted the country, and helped to save some children. There is also a device that could be used to help with this issue. It is called the EZ Baby Saver. It was created by an 11 year-old named Andrew from Nashville, TN. This tool is a strap that stretches across the door of the driver that they must remove in order to get out. It is used as a reminder for parents that they have a child in the back seat of their car. ("New App Reminds Parents of Kids in Hot Car.") There is also an app to remind you that your child is in the car. It is called Baby Reminder. It acts as an alarm and goes off in order for you to remember that the child is still in the back of the car. (Wall) Though it is hard to question how someone could leave their child in the car, now there are preventatives out there to help.
