In the Arms of the Angel

I did my second essay on the ASPCA advertisement featuring Sarah McLachlan. I focused my essay on the overwhelming abundance of pathos in the ad to elicit funds for the ASPCA. The advertisement was so effective in its use of pathos that it became construed with a negative connotation. There have been countless re-iterations of the video that replicate its structure and appeals to pathos while incorporating funny content to add a new twist. This video, titled "Date a Geek" has a written and recorded remix to McLachlan's "Angel" to mock one of the integral appeals to emotion in the original video. The video also has a comical direct address from a women identifying herself as Sarah McLachlan to replicate the earnest direct address Sarah McLachlan provides in the original ad. This is an example of how an advertisement was able to utilize pathos so effectively to elicit emotion that a counter-meme arose in response. People became annoyed that the ad was so good at invoking guilt and sympathy in them, to the point that a meme has arisen in response.