§   DEFINITION

Appeal to Pity – preying upon the audience’s sympathy to solicit a favorable response.
 

Arguments that use pity, grief, or bereavement often use these emotions excessively to distract the audience from the facts.  These appeals are often aimed directly at the individual’s emotions: the guilt, pity, or remorse that someone feels encourages him to act out of sympathy.  Every year, billions of American dollars are collected by organizations that use this very appeal.  You can identify a fallacious appeal if it is irrelevant to the argument, distracts from the real issue, or appear to conceal another purpose.
 

FOR  YOUR  INFORMATION

To be fair about emotions, we must not forget that humans are emotional beings and need to use them.  When used properly as illustrations of logical arguments, sentimental images and appeals are highly effective and quite legitimate.  The classic image of the young John F. Kennedy, Jr., saluting his slain father’s casket stirs powerful feelings in most Americans who lived in the 1960s.

The tears of a crying child, however, who did not get the toy she wanted at the store can weaken the wills of even the strongest parents.  Research tells us that parents must not spoil their kids, but cries of “please, please, Daddy” affect us where we humans are the weakest – our hearts (emotions).
 

Anyone who uses television to communicate a message has the greatest potential to use raw emotion rather than validated conclusions.  Television news often appeals to pity first to lure viewers into watching the broadcast (because more viewers = more revenue).  Watching a live rescue attempt on the six o’clock news might help the ratings, especially attracting people who watch out of a sense of pity (and even bloodlust).  The pitiful situation itself has questionable newsworthiness.  If the scene is used to convey a moral (such as the dangers of playing with matches) then the emotion will be used more effectively by the author.  Look how emotion affects the message in the following examples.
 

EXAMPLE 1

A campaign promoter says: “If elected, Bob Dole will be remembered as one of our greatest Presidents.  He was wounded in World War II and fought back from paralysis to become the nation's longest-running Senator.”

This is a true story.  We all should admire Senator Dole for overcoming his terrible injuries while serving his country, then undergoing two grueling years of physical therapy.  However, his physical attributes have essentially nothing to do with his governing skills.  Candidates must prove themselves worthy by passing reasonable laws and accounting for them, not by showing off their war injuries.  Serving one’s country is a popular slant used in political ad campaigns, and often serves as a red herring to distract voters from an otherwise uninspired campaign or candidate.
 

EXAMPLE 2

A charity flyer states: “Donate to the needy.  Enclosed is a contribution form [and a picture of a starving Third World boy with a bleak desert background].”

Giving to charity is an action of great beneficence, but shouldn’t the fact that millions of children are starving to death every year be enough to convince us to contribute to charitable organizations?  Are these deathly images thrust in our faces because we don’t contribute enough, or is some organization trying to take advantage of emotional people?  The ad really states that the starving people of the world are deserving of your pity and, therefore, your contribution.

Should pity be the prime reason to take action?  Sometimes yes, without a doubt.  Better decisions are made, however, when the heart and the mind both agree on the action.  Of course, we should donate our time and resources to improve our world, and it is very noble to do so.  We need to be aware of criminals, however, who pose as charitable organizations, but really intend to rip us off.  (Every year, people are arrested and convicted for operating multi-million dollar false charity rackets.)
 

HOW TO DO THIS 

Ask critical questions when something seems too good to be true:

--   Where does all of the money go?
--   Doesn’t someone make a salary with the contributions?
--   Aren’t there bills that the organization has to pay?
--   Some charitable organizations donate less than 10% of their proceeds to the actual cause.

NOTE: Research any charities that you wish to assist by calling the Better Business Bureau (a more logical alternative to an emotional overreaction).