Let's talk about rhetoric

No, no, Aristotle.

Just what IS rhetoric? Aristotle calls it "the art of finding [seeing] the available means of persuasion." Merriam-Webster says it's "the art of speaking or writing effectively."

I personally would have defined it as being able to speak eloquently and persuasively. In Digital Literacies, we have settled on the definition of "situated strategic discourse."

Now what does that mean? Well it means more or less what Aristotle said. A strategic use of language to prove your point. Alright, you might be thinking, that's neat, but what's that got to do with me?

The answer is EVERYTHING!!!

I may like Goku more, but I will fight
 you on how much Superman would kick his ass.

Rhetoric plays a HUGE part in our lives. In fact, right now, right this second, you are reading my rhetoric about why rhetoric is important! Have you ever gotten into a fight with a friend over something? Whether it's that Superman would totally thrash Goku in a fight, or maybe that the Colts are much better than the Patriots, or anything else...you need good rhetoric to win the day.

What did our Founding Fathers do before they fought a war? They used rhetoric to try to reason with the king. They used rhetoric to inspire their country to fight. The most powerful men in the world are the ones who can speak well. Those are the ones who will inspire the masses to follow their causes. Hitler, for example, was a phenomenal speaker. Former President George W. Bush, however, was not. He was unpopular for a lot of different reasons, but his weak rhetoric did not help him at all (and it is probably one of the most memorable traits of his presidency- the media loved to mock him for it). In total contrast, our current president is an amazing speaker.

Rhetoric is a tool. A powerful tool, but one that can be used for both good and evil (as cheesy as that sounds). We recently had to read a (tedious) article on "epistemic" rhetoric, and there was a lot of talk of "finding truth" through the use of rhetoric. I don't know much about that, but I think it is important to recognize when rhetoric is being used effectively, and then be able to listen to the message beneath the rhetoric. It's great that Jonny or Sally Speaker got you all riled up for action, but what action are they asking you to take?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I don't want to end up
working for this guy.