Democracy, Demagoguery, And Critical Rhetoric - 1444 Words

Julia Vu Professor Parker RWS 200 21 March 2015 Demagoguery Throughout history, when it comes to a national crisis, many leaders and politicians tend to advance towards what the people want to hear. In order to gain their audience’s support, most political leaders and public speakers use the practice of demagoguery to have useful influence held towards their argument. In Patricia Roberts-Miller’s article â€Å"Democracy, Demagoguery, and Critical Rhetoric,† analyzes what demagoguery is and how it affects the audience. Speakers or authoritative figures that engage with demagoguery use strategies such as scapegoating and polarization in order to establish a separation between in-groups and out-groups; in-groups tend to form hateful discrimination on out-groups and define them with negative features. An example of demagoguery that Roberts-Miller uses is in Adolf Hitler’s speech about how he wanted German people to change their views and beliefs on the Jewish. Her article however, also consists of several fallacies an d may seem somewhat unethical. Throughout Wayne LaPierre’s speech on the Newtown Tragedy in 2012, there is usage of what Roberts-Miller claims to be demagoguery. Wayne LaPierre is the Vice President of the National Rifle Association (NRA). After the shooting that occurred at Sandy Hook elementary, LaPierre expresses his sympathy for the families of the loss and he then gathers the attention of parents who may be uneasy about their children’s safety at school. ThroughoutShow MoreRelatedInternational Media s Coverage Of An Event Essay3208 Words   |  13 PagesTelegraph journalists were opportunistic about the slow developments inside the cafà ©, using the unresolved nature of the crisis to exasperate a media climate of conflicting narratives, inaccuracy, hyperbole, ill-informed speculation and inflammatory rhetoric. Furthermore, the Telegraph’s coverage illustrates the extent to which the character of a news organization, and the learned (or preexisting) assump tions of their journalists, may influence the framing of a story. The Telegraph is an Australian tabloid