Lecture Notes: Rhetoric and Propaganda

Overview

• Last Lecture Recap: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle had a predominantly negative view of rhetoric.
• Today's Topic: The relationship between rhetoric and propaganda.
  • Examples of rhetorical devices used to manipulate opinions.
  • Discussion question: Is it ever acceptable to use rhetoric or emotional appeals for persuasion?

Rhetoric and Propaganda

• Rhetoric: Techniques to persuade others, often by appealing to emotions, not always negative.
• Propaganda: Similar to rhetoric but has a connotation of manipulation.
  • Question of morality in using rhetoric and propaganda.

Examples of Rhetorical Devices

• Historical Context: Some devices were used during Plato and Aristotle's time but are refined today.
• Fallacies: Spread throughout the semester via PowerPoints and study guides.
• Specific Devices:
  • Slanters: Manipulative use of language.
  • Euphemism: Making something negative more neutral or positive.
  • Dysphemism: Making something neutral or positive seem worse.

Case Study: Frank Luntz and Climate Change

• Frank Luntz: Republican pollster who changed terminology from "global warming" to "climate change" to reduce emotional impact.
  • Reason: "Climate change" sounds less catastrophic and more controllable.

Tactics and Tricks

• Paralipsis: Mentioning something by claiming not to mention it (e.g., Donald Trump’s nicknames for political opponents).
• Loaded Questions: Asking questions that presuppose a particular answer (e.g., "Are you still beating your wife?").
• Weaselers: Using vague language to avoid making a direct statement.
• Innuendo: Implying something without stating it explicitly.
• Downplayers: Diminishing the importance of something using scare quotes or sarcastic language.
  • Example: Political debates and their impact.
• Hyperbole: Exaggeration for effect (e.g., Jay Beebs is the most talented musician ever).
  • Straw Man: Misrepresenting an opponent's argument to attack it.
• Proof Surrogates: Suggesting evidence exists without presenting it (e.g., "Studies show...").

Visual Rhetoric and Images

• Impact of Images: More powerful and memorable due to human brain's processing.
  • Examples:
    • Altered images of politicians to portray them negatively (e.g., George W. Bush, Michelle Bachman, O.J. Simpson).
  • Historical Context: Propaganda during WWI and WWII.

Positive Use of Propaganda

• W.E.B. Du Bois: Advocated for the use of art and propaganda to further social justice.
  • Double Consciousness: Understanding oneself from both personal and societal perspectives.
  • Criteria of Negro Art: Art as a tool for political persuasion and societal change.
• Frederick Douglass: Used humor and irony as forms of positive propaganda.

Modern Examples

• Wanda Sykes: Uses humor to address racial disparities in the opioid crisis.
• Dave Chappelle: Uses comedy to highlight racial injustices and societal norms.
  • Normalization: Transforming the morally extraordinary into the ordinary, and vice versa.

Upcoming

• Next Reading: Linda Elder on critical thinking and emotional intelligence.
• Focus: Continue discussing the relationship between rhetoric, emotional appeals, and critical thinking.