Rhetorical Analysis Of The Union: The Business Behind Getting High

“It’s a weird thing that you do when you make nature against the law,” said actor Joe Roegan (qtd. in Harvey). Marijuana is one of the most useful plants known to mankind but many negative aspects have come along with it since people have begun using it as a drug. Many say marijuana has killed thousands of people, it is a gateway drug, or anything else that may be negatively correlated with it, but The Union: The Business behind Getting High documentary dismisses many of these accusations and expounds on the reality of marijuana. The Union defends marijuana with high credibility and great statistics, analyzes the American government for its insufficient studies on marijuana, and describes the business of it. The Union does an amazing job of

One of the many ways Harvey is trying to persuade his viewers is constantly asking citizens what they believe is true about marijuana. Harvey then discusses how the interviewee was wrong or close to the correct answer. This strategy appeals to ethos because it makes viewers question what they really know about marijuana and the truth behind it. One of the more humorous moments of the film was when Harvey asked interviewees how many people had been killed by the use of marijuana. Some people had answers in the thousands and some in the hundred thousands, but it shocked interviewees and his audience when he responded that not one person has ever been documented with a death caused by marijuana. Harvey also did a great job of pointing out the inaccuracy of American research on marijuana. In the 1980s, American medical researchers stated that marijuana caused brain damage according to Todd McCormik, author of How to Grow Medicinal Marijuana, “They suffocated the monkeys…they put these gas mask on their face and they put pot into it without additional oxygen causing the brain to shut down in x amount of minutes.” (qtd. in Harvey) As McCormick is stating this the quote “4 minutes without oxygen, brain damage may result” from a St. John Ambulance First Aid Guide appears on the screen. This strategy helped establish some credibility to Harvey’s work and made viewers question their

Only one portion of the film contained an emotional moment, but even that scene lacked depth and was not emotional enough. Greg cooper was suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and Ataxia and was using marijuana to help keep himself calm and control himself. In fact, Cooper was not able to talk during the interview unless he smoked first, so that he could refrain from stuttering. The whole interview process with Cooper was saddening to see; it was depressing that a drug that helped Cooper do simple things such as talking was illegal. The reason one may not think the interview did not give an emotional appeal was the music used during the interview. The music was upbeat and quick and was completely inappropriate during that moment of the documentary. The editing did not play in Harvey’s favor either. During the interview, Cooper began fake panting and stating “Im never like…I need my marijuana. That’s stupid.” (qtd. in Harvey) The scene became a joke that maybe most marijuana users would have been in on, but would have left other audiences utterly confused on what Harvey wanted them to take away from that scene. One can see that the scene still did its job of explaining how marijuana could be used