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Mass Communication

"Crazy People" is a movie about a disillusioned advertising executive named Emory and his move from "normality" to near insanity. Emory was on the top of his game in the advertising world when all of a sudden, he decided that he was tired of lying to consumers about what products were really capable of doing. So he proceeded to launch a campaign that produced ads that were honest. Emory's boss and co-workers thought that this was ridiculous and therefore had him admitted to a sanitarium for "rest and relaxation." What they didn't realize at the time was that Emory's honesty would become appealing to consumers and producers alike, therefore causing his tactic to grow and flourish right before their eyes. In the end, Emory realized that there was nothing wrong with being truthful and he also helped his newfound friends in the sanitarium to realize their potential and escape from imagined glass ceiling that they were under.
Since an artifact is defined as "anything that can be analyzed," we can comfortably say that "Crazy People" is an artifact. We can go a step further and say that it is also an artifact because it is available to a wide audience. While overall the movie is a narrative about the "adventures" of Emory and his quest for freedom to be honest, some portions of the movie can even be classified as rhetorical. The biggest example that I can think of that can be rhetorically criticized is the preparation that the members of the sanitarium did so that they could present their first ads to Mr. Drucker and Associates.
Rhetoric is defined as "giving a prepared, persuasive speech." When Emory and his friends found out that they were to give presentations to Mr. Drucker, they started formulating a plan, which can be classified under the Neo-Aristotelian style of rhetorical criticism. Their main goal was to persuade the producers of the products that their message would be effective in catching the public's attention, thus boosting sales. To prepare for...