Abstract
Communicating with today’s electorates not only in the United Stats but in Europe presents unique challenges for democracy. Democratic appeals that are based on common themes of human dignity, equality and equity, respect for diversity and civility do not seem to be persuasive forms of communication. What is it about today’s electorate in countries such as the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands as well as others that makes democratic rhetorical appeals particularly problematic and difficult. What rhetorically explains the rise of autocratic leaders in countries that either have a long democratic history or have recently had a flourishing democracy? What unique audience characteristic exist that make authoritarian appeals persuasively successful? How does the media play into this scenario? What exigencies exist in audiences susceptible to authoritarian appeals that are not being addressed by democratic parties and candidates? This paper uses Bitzer’s Rhetorical Situation rubric to analyze the nature of these audiences and of the appeal that they find persuasive.
Presenters
John RayProfessor, Liberal Studies/Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Montana Technological University, Montana, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
RHETORIC, INTERNET, AUDIENCE, AUTHORITARIAN PERSUASIVE APPEALS
