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Rhetoric and the Media
Date: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 5:30p.m.
Location: NAU, Green Scene Café
Facilitated by: Dr. Julie Piering, NAU Philosophy Department
5:30 p.m.
Welcome and Introduction
Andrea Houchard, Director of Philosophy in the Public Interest
Dr. Heidi Wayment, Director of NAU’s Compassion Project and Psychology
Department Chair
5:45:
Dr. Julie Piering, Richard Wood Professor of Philosophy
6:50
Recap of discussion
Additional support provided by the McKenzie
Endowment for Democracy and the Richard
Wood Fund for the Teaching of Philosophy
What is the Media?
Media, in the most general sense, refers to every broadcasting and narrowcasting medium (the Internet, radio, magazines, newspapers, television, billboards and telephones), through which we share, communicate and disseminate information. Typically, this information includes (though is not limited to): news, education, entertainment, data, and promotional messages.
How Can We Use Media?
Communication
Spread of Misinformation
As mentioned previously, media contributes to the effectiveness and ease of interpersonal communication.
Consider this fairly recent example. In December of
2010, a chain of protests began to spread across the
Middle East, involving countries such as Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. The Arab Spring, as it has come to be
known, shows how the world can use social media like
Twitter and Facebook as a resource to organize large
demonstrations. Media, then, appears to play an essential role in permitting people to communicate with the
outside world, and organize within.
With its omnipresence, the quickness with which it can
spread information, as well as its close association with human psychology and sociological factors, media is a doubleedged tool when it comes to the spreading of misinformation and falsehoods. There are some studies, in fact,
which suggest that the negative effects of misinformation
are not so easy to dispel as simply debunking the original
falsehoods. Though the information is revealed to us as
false, there may be residual psychological attitudes (like
fear or hate) that remain far longer than the information itself.
Information Inundation
Availability of Information
The migration of most written media to the Internet has
created an inconceivably large database from which we
can obtain information and news, educate ourselves,
and entertain ourselves. The continued expansion of
instantly accessible media in the past few decades exposes individuals to thousands of news sources every
day. The number of media sources, all of which are
structured to share specific information, generates an
expectation that most citizens are well versed in these
sources and their corresponding information.
The availability of information, though beneficial is some
ways, may in fact hinder intellectual discourse, wherein the
conception of what it means to be knowledgeable becomes
more of a quantitative matter, as opposed to a more substantive, qualitative matter. Information databases such as
Google and Wikipedia inspire younger generations (though
not exclusively) to replace a more substantial conception of
knowledge with mere knowledge of facts—the daily regurgitation of arguments and evidence cited verbatim from
sources on the web appears to be justification enough that
one “knows” something. Yet, we clearly lack something
when looking to the great thinkers from whom we obtain
said arguments and information.
How Does Media Affect Us?
Psychological Disposition to Media
The relationship between human psychology and media is largely reciprocal, where the human psyche determines the
methods with which media outlets distribute information, and where media activity plays a large role in tailoring individual behavior. For example, consider the close and effective association between advertising and behaviorism, where
product presentation and advertisement are structured to appeal to certain emotions (love, fear, rage). In some cases,
news networks employ the same techniques. On the other end of the relationship, we can see how the proliferation of
more accessible forms of media transforms our conceptions of what it means to be intelligent, virtuous, just, attractive or
what it take to be a good citizen, a caring friend or a loving partner.
Social and Cultural Disposition to Media
Like media’s connection with human psychology, social situations and cultural constructions share a reciprocal relationship with media. Where the delivery of information by media may respond to large social movements, the omnipresence
of media certainly plays an important role in setting cultural trends. Again, we easily see this in advertising, wherein a
successful product is one that sets trends. In a more literal sense, we can see the effect an accessible media has on social
uprisings, and its role when such movements occur in disseminating information both to uninvolved groups and among
those who play an active role
Hot Topics Café, October 16, 2012
What is Rhetoric?
The term rhetoric is derived from the Greek, ῥητορικός meaning “oratorical” It is most generally understood as the art of
discourse. In his Gorgias, Plato challenges the Sophists for using rhetoric as a tool used only for the sake of persuasion
rather than in the service of seeking the truth. As such, rhetoric, on Plato’s view, is commonly employed to gain power,
honor, verbal victory, etc. for those who practice it. Importantly, Plato also claims that it is only effective on an audience
who is ignorant of the truth. Aristotle suggests that rhetoric employs a set of audience appeals including logos, pathos,
and ethos. A good rhetorician, according to Aristotle, is one who incorporates appeal to the audience’s reason, emotions,
and simultaneously establishes credibility. The emphasis of public political participation in ancient Greek culture gave
great rise to the use of rhetoric to influence politics, and thus rhetoric remains a mainstay in Western tradition. Rhetoric
is not limited to politics, though, and can apply to all fields wherein successful persuasion is the goal.
How is Rhetoric Used?
As the origins of rhetoric indicate, the ultimate goal is to persuade, inform, or motivate a specific audience in a specific
situation. In this context, rhetoric is employed to support an opinion using whatever relevant means necessary. Rhetoric
here takes on the role of a tool, having instrumental value in gaining support for a specific perspective. The value of this
tool is subject to the orator, and the arguments or opinions that are forwarded or defended.
Where Is Rhetoric Most Commonly Seen?
Rhetoric can be found in great concentration on campaign trails, where candidates often give speeches that do not take
the entirety of an issue into context, but instead summarize the merits of their position in order to gather support. The
passionate nature of American politics embodies the Western tradition, which supposes an audience in need of convincing. In addition to the use of rhetoric by politicians and political activists, media often provides a platform for rhetoric’s
use. In effect, media is a tool that brings the audience to the orator, and rhetoric is used in this way to unify orator and
audience in opinion. Along with the trend of partisan politics and the “you’re either with us or against us” mentality,
American politics have maintained an environment in which rhetoric use is both presupposed and expected.
How Does Rhetoric Affect Us?
Rhetoric, if effectively utilized, can generate and perpetuate shifts in the political sphere. Because the success or failure
of a rhetorician hinges on her audience being somewhat uninformed (or at least lacking a full understanding of what they
are being persuaded), and taking into account the implication of our disposition towards media and what kinds of effects
ensue (misinformation, information inundation), it follows that the rhetorician’s audience may mistake (to the rhetorician’s credit) the persuasive content for true, factual information. In other words, when rhetoric is directed at us for a
specific persuasive purpose, we are exposed only to the information the rhetorician employs in order to accomplish her
goal. If the rhetorician’s goal is political, what results is a comprehensive shift in the discourse surrounding social, cultural, ethical and, of course, political issues. We can look to several contemporary examples of how successful attempts
at persuasion have fundamentally shaped the way we talk (and what is acceptable in discussions) about political issues:
the Occupy movement and how we talk about wealth distribution, Comprehensive Health Reform (i.e. Obamacare) and
how we talk about socialized medicine and redistribution.
Questions to Consider:
SOURCES:
-Can people really control how the media
affects them?
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%
3A1999.04.0057%"http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text
-Is the sum and substance of rhetoric merely
to persuade?
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus
-How may the goal of media (to inform and
spread information) conflict with the ends at
which rhetoric aims?
-How can our disposition to media make
rhetoric a more effective force?
Green Scene Café
http://www.statepress.com/2011/01/17/politics-and-the-consequences-of-americanrhetoric/
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/media.html
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2011/02/15/the-psychology-of-advertising/
http://www.class.uidaho.edu/jamm445hart/Timeline.htm
http://www.mediahistory.umn.edu/timeline/
http://socialcapital.wordpress.com/2011/01/26/twitter-facebook-and-youtubes-role-intunisia-uprising/
Hot Topics Café Campus Committee
The “hot topics” in the Hot Topics Cafés are selected by NAU students that represent diverse constituencies and
viewpoints. We thank our committee for their participation.
NAU Student s on the Campus Committee
Zac Abrams, President- American-Israeli Alliance
Nolan Bade, Green Jacks
*Tara Butler, Associated Students for Women's Issues/Teal
Ribbon coordinator
Daniel Daw, The Lumberjack newspaper
Kaitlin Dodge, President- NAU Young Democrats
Alexis Edmonds, To Write Love on Her Arms
Glenn Garner, President of PRISM
*Zachary Gerber, Math major/physics major, Philosophy
minor/Computer Science minor
Jared Gooshe, President- College Republicans
Faculty advisors
Andrea Houchard, Philosophy in the Public Interest
Heidi Wayment, Compassion Project, Psychology Department
*Cynthia Haros, Philosophy in the Public Interest
Evelyn Jores, Secular Student Association
Sarah Kolb, NAZ Today
Alexis Krueger, Student Health Advisory Committee
*Ryan Lee, Vice President for Student Affairs-ASNAU
*Dashaun Lewis, Ethnic Studies Ambassador
Ellie Lewis, Philosophy Club Officer
Gabriela Perez, Pre-Law Fraternity
Steven Shook, Philosophy Club Officer
Ethan Wash, National Student Speech Language
Hearing Association
*Brooke Weber, Associated Students for Women's
Issues, NAU Speakout
*Voted to select “hot topics” for the Fall of 2012.
NAU's Philosophy in the Public Interest is non partisan, and does
not endorse any position with respect to the issues we discuss.
Philosophy in the Public is an neutral convener for civil discourse.
Next Hot Topics Café at the Green Scene Café
Costs of Higher Education
Facilitated by Dr. Stephen Lenhart, NAU Philosophy
Date: Monday, November 5, 2012 5:30p.m.
You are also invited to attend Hot Topics Cafés at the Museum of
Northern Arizona and in Sedona. Visit
nau.edu/ppi
for a schedule.
This informational handout was prepared by the Kyle Beloin and Coren Frankel, NAU Hot Topics Café Student Research Directors. Both Kyle and Coren have double majors in philosophy and political science at Northern
Arizona University.