Abby Mapel

Ben Henderson

CAS 137H

5 October 2016

Rock the Vote: Kendall Jenner v. Lil Jon

Trump is racist! Hillary is a criminal! Find the emails! Build

that wall! America has been hearing these phrases, and phrases

similar to them, for well over a year now because come November,

they will elect the next president of the United States. For high school

and college aged students across the country, it is the first time

eligible to vote. Whether or not one does so is a personal choice,

however there are various campaigns that aim to encourage young

adults to practice this civic duty. One such campaign is the Rock the

Vote campaign, which features popular celebrities in short videos that

show the importance and ease of voting. This campaign is not new,

but recent videos are showing very diverse uses of rhetoric to promote

similar messages. More specifically, while there are many similarities

between the two, the Kendall Jenner Rock the Vote campaign video is

more impactful than the Little Jon Rock the Vote campaign video

thanks to its specific audience, use of pathos and logos, and serious

tone.
 To understand these videos, one must understand the history of

Rock the Vote. Rock the Vote has been around since 1990 (Rock the

Vote). It describes its purpose as Building political power for young

people and takes no partys side (Rock the Vote). Specific videos may

lean more to one side or the other, however the movement as a whole

remains neutral. This is so they can reach all young people, regardless

of political affiliation. The campaign uses a blend of technology and

pop culture to promote the message of voting to viewers (Rock the

Vote). The influence of pop culture is heavier on young people, so this

medium is effective in furthering their message. So, while the

campaign has been going on for over twenty-five years, it is especially

interesting to look at the differences and similarities in rhetoric in

videos from around the same time. Examining this will especially show

how the campaign inspires young people of all beliefs.

Two recent videos, Kendall Jenners and Lil Jons, are similar in

many ways. The main way they are similar is their kairos. They were

both released in the fall of 2015, roughly one year before a national

election. That provides enough time for the videos to be released,

sent, and shared in time for people to register to vote, should they

choose to do so. The similar kairos is understandable, as this is the

most effective time to promote their goal of inspiring young people to

get involved with politics. A video released too soon would be

forgotten about, while a video released too late would not give people

enough time to register to vote. While the kairos is one similar

rhetorical element in these two videos, it is not the only similarity.

Other rhetorical elements between these videos, and for that

matter, all the Rock the Vote videos, are roughly the same. All Rock

the Vote videos use the popularity of a famous person to their

advantage. It is common knowledge that the youth is influenced by

pop culture, so Rock the Vote capitalizes of this. They use diverse

types of celebrities to receive the attention they are looking for. In

doing so, they can better reach out to an audience that might

otherwise not listen. The campaign also uses the same medium,

video, in both of these cases. The short videos are perfect for a digital

age as they can be watched and shared easily. The medium helps with

the ease of promotion. So, while these videos have some similar

rhetorical elements, they also have a wide array of differences.

One example of a difference between the two is audience,

though it might not seem so at first. The audience for the entirety of

the Rock the Vote campaign is young adults. These videos are no

different, they are promoted towards young adults. However, they

appeal to different subsets of the young adult group. Kendall Jenners

video is very obviously geared towards young women. Jenners main

fan base (as a model and reality TV star) is young women. Also, her
message outlining the fight for womens suffrage would clearly impact

women more than men. In contrast, Lil Jons Rock the Vote can be

geared toward any gender. There is a variety of stars in his and they

list several varying causes for reasons to vote. These causes and the

stars saying them could appeal to anyone, so it is much less specific.

This makes Jenners video more impactful, as the specificity allows for

stronger connection with its audience, and therefore better rhetoric.

However, this slight difference is not the only difference.

While saying there is a difference between persuasive arguments

is very broad, there is meaning behind it. In Jenners video, there is a

clear pathos appeal. She outlines the fight for womens suffrage and

emphasizes that it was a fight. It calls upon the pride women feel. It is

implying that it would be wrong NOT to vote after so many women

worked so hard for it. She also ties in a logos element. Sharing pure

facts about what women had to go through to gain the right to vote

makes it seem logical for women today to use that right. That being

said, there is no pathos in Lil Jons video. There is also no ethos or

logos. The sole persuasive element in Lil Jons Rock the Vote is the

presence of Lil Jon. In this way, the Lil Jon video lacks the real

foundation that Jenners video possesses, making Jenners video more

successful in their shared goal. Kendalls rhetoric is clearly stronger,

however there is one more difference to show that to be true.

 The last difference is definitely the most significant, as the

difference in the tones is very noticeable. Jenner, in her pathos and

logos appeal, uses a more somber and serious tone which the whole

video carries through on. It shows simply her in front of a blank wall

wearing neutral clothes and minimal styling. This all serves to keep

the focus of the video on the message as opposed to entertainment

value. However, the most significant contribution to the tone is her

voice. She keeps a soft yet powerful, no-nonsense voice throughout

the entirety of the video. The purpose is to contribute to her pathos

and logos appeal. The overall tone of Jenners video keeps the focus

on the message which provides powerful rhetoric by keeping it simple.

However, the Lil Jon video is pretty much the opposite of serious. It

has yelling, music, dancing, and jokes. It focuses mainly on

entertainment. Of course, it does lack the serious subject matter of

Jenners video but there is essentially an extreme lack of substance

that makes the video less impactful. Lil Jons video is solely used to

draw attention to the Rock the Vote cause, because teens and young

adults would watch it and laugh. So while it might gain attention, it is

more for entertainment value than for anything else and therefore is

not very powerful rhetoric, especially compared to Jenners video.

These videos come from the same campaign and at first may

seem very similar. However, upon looking further into the rhetorical
elements in both one can see that the lack of substance in the Lil Jon

video makes it far inferior to the Kendall Jenner video. Her specific

audience, use of pathos and logos, and serious tone provide impact

that his gimmicks simply cant match. The two do share the same

medium and kairos because their goal is the same: get young people

to vote. Jenners video is simply better in this venture due to her

successful use of rhetoric. Their true impact, however, will be shown

this November.

Word Count: 1294

"About Rock the Vote." Rock the Vote. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Oct. 2016.