Tag Archives: rhetoric

Alternatives to the “research paper”

I’ll come right out and say it: I hate the “academic research paper” Not sure I can be any more blunt than that. I see the academic research paper as an entirely artificial genre, one that has no known equivalent outside … Continue reading

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Redefining Racism

So there’s been a lot of news stories of late that seem to hit at racism issues. The Virginia Governor forgot to mention that slavery was a major factor in the Confederacy. The Texas Board of Education renamed the 18th century … Continue reading

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International Conspiracy Theorists

I’ve always been fascinated with the conspiracy theory mindset. There’s the surface level rhetoric of taking events that aren’t fully explained and presenting a rationale for them that is plausible — though fully unlikely. But there’s also the deeper issue … Continue reading

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An Inconvenient Theft of Personal Information

About a week ago I got a letter from an online retailer telling me that their computers had been hacked and some of my personal information had possibly been stolen. Gut reaction: how nice of them to let me know. … Continue reading

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The Rhetoric of GM

I saw this commercial today on TV and thought it was an interesting rhetorical move “A lot of Americans didn’t agree with giving GM a second chance” Aren’t we, as a culture, all for giving somebody a second chance when … Continue reading

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Oh, how times have changed!

I got a request to do an entry on the Goldman Sachs “situation.” And I always listen to my fans, err, friends kind enough to read this regularly. Earlier today both the NYTimes and the Wall Street Journal have published … Continue reading

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The Metaphorical Intersection of Science & Literature

Ok, I did that philosophically bad thing again and headed to Buffalo Wild Wings with my friend. Bad in that it always turns into several hours worth of rather exhausting philosophical/rhetorical discussions. Good, though, in that I always seem to … Continue reading

Posted in Science | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments

How Can Rhetors Serve the Community? (Haiti inspired)

Like many of you, I’ve been disturbed and disheartened by the 7.0 earthquake that rocked Haiti on Tuesday, 1-12-10. And like many of you, I’ve wondered what I can do to ease the suffering so many Haitians are going through … Continue reading

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The Danger of Experts

Our reliance on experts to guide our decisions in life places us in some very precarious situations. What is the role of communication in determining and resolving that precariousness? Continue reading

Posted in Science | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments