Two weeks ago on September 10, 2015 the President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, released a proclamation about World Suicide Prevention Day. You can find the full documentation here. Although, having the president of the United States bringing awareness to suicide prevention is an amazing advancement to the cause, to me it doesn’t feel emotionally real. Yes, within his proclamation Obama relates to us (suicide victims, survivors, and potential attempters), but does he truly understand us. He's simply one more person spreading the facts about suicide and not the truth. Yes, suicide is often related to serious depression, substance use, and other mental health conditions, as Obama says in his proclamation. But, are these the only conditions suicide is connected to? While President Barack Obama currently has the attention of his citizens, can he keep it? If you have the time to watch the video posted above, I strongly recommend it. Cassie grabs the attention of her audience and keeps it. She inspires others to participate in preventing suicide and relates to the victims, survivors, and potential attempters, unlike President Barack Obama, whom to us seems as if he cannot relate. Cassie shares her story with the world, hoping it will spread the awareness and reality of suicide. I will admit that both President Obama and Suicide Survivor Cassie use one of the most ingenious literary techniques; pathos, which is an argument by emotion. Of course, when you’re talking about such an emotional topic like suicide, pathos kind of happens by itself. However, in the book Thank You for Arguing, Jay Heinrichs tell us that when using pathos you are appealing to the heart of your audience. Which essentially is “changing the mood to match with the audiences emotions” (p. 44). While, I don't quite agree with Obama's approach, his popularity as the president of the United States has helped the cause tremendously.Together President Barack Obama and Suicide Survivor Cassie have taken the cause by storm. Both add awareness in their own ways and are taking the step to help prevent suicide. You can find more information about taking a stand towards suicide prevention at: www.afsp.org
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