pocket1_pita (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
pocket1_pita) wrote2005-09-08 05:07 pm
pocket1_pita) wrote2005-09-08 05:07 pm
Entry tags:
Something I've noticed
Something I’ve noticed – it’s not a new something, but it’s starting to be repetitive.
Roveian Reduction.
One selects the most extreme statement in a series of opinions held by a group and attributes it to the entire group, thus discrediting the entire group. Again and again and again we fall for it. Some other benefits of Roveian Reduction are that it acts against the building of alliances between moderates and liberals, it reinforces the conservative frame, and controls both the rhetoric and the conversation. See? Because Michael Moore is gleeful, all critiques are gleeful. It also identifies the strongest opinions and disparages them. Another version of this is to change one or two words in an opinion and attribute it to the same source. If I say to you that I think that Bush holds the ultimate responsibility for the failure of FEMA during Hurricane Katrina due to his irresponsible appointment of Brown, lack of urgent response, demotion of FEMA’s status and depletion of relevant funding, the Roveian Reduction would be - Pocket says that Bush holds full responsibility for Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina rips away the veneer of competence: The policies supported by Republicans are cruel and dangerous for the entire country. Witness the bankruptcy bill. What are those poor Katrina victims supposed to do about their bills?! We should be able to declare bankruptcy in the case of a natural disaster. Neo-conservatism and trickle-down economics have been debunked as far as I can see, and still like a bunch of lemmings we dive off the cliff never-ever willing to really address the divide between reality and spin. But the Democrats fielded a mediocre candidate and the Republicans played the gay card and here we are. Every year we get poorer and all the things we really need cost more money. All of our civic institutions fail us one by one – business, government, schools, emergency management. The Katrina Disaster is the bastard child of the misplaced priorities of the Bush Administration.
Roveian Reduction.
One selects the most extreme statement in a series of opinions held by a group and attributes it to the entire group, thus discrediting the entire group. Again and again and again we fall for it. Some other benefits of Roveian Reduction are that it acts against the building of alliances between moderates and liberals, it reinforces the conservative frame, and controls both the rhetoric and the conversation. See? Because Michael Moore is gleeful, all critiques are gleeful. It also identifies the strongest opinions and disparages them. Another version of this is to change one or two words in an opinion and attribute it to the same source. If I say to you that I think that Bush holds the ultimate responsibility for the failure of FEMA during Hurricane Katrina due to his irresponsible appointment of Brown, lack of urgent response, demotion of FEMA’s status and depletion of relevant funding, the Roveian Reduction would be - Pocket says that Bush holds full responsibility for Hurricane Katrina.
Katrina rips away the veneer of competence: The policies supported by Republicans are cruel and dangerous for the entire country. Witness the bankruptcy bill. What are those poor Katrina victims supposed to do about their bills?! We should be able to declare bankruptcy in the case of a natural disaster. Neo-conservatism and trickle-down economics have been debunked as far as I can see, and still like a bunch of lemmings we dive off the cliff never-ever willing to really address the divide between reality and spin. But the Democrats fielded a mediocre candidate and the Republicans played the gay card and here we are. Every year we get poorer and all the things we really need cost more money. All of our civic institutions fail us one by one – business, government, schools, emergency management. The Katrina Disaster is the bastard child of the misplaced priorities of the Bush Administration.
no subject
You need to post that 'Roveian Reduction' somewhere because it's right on.
It is interesting...I can't remember whether you were the rhetoric major or Yaya was the rhetoric major but the things they do are slick rhetorical moves, informal fallacies and the like (philosophy/poli-sci double major). Ad hominem attacks are their speciality...but there is this schoolyard bully thing that really fascinates me. They create two camps--"We are the strong winners. They are the weak losers." A certain class of people is very afraid to be lumped with the weak. They don't care about what happens to the poor or survivors of the hurricane or anyone--caring is a weak thing.
Someone needs to take apart this rhetoric piece by piece very carefully. Why does it work so well?
no subject
no subject