We have reached a point in this election season that is unprecedented in American politics. Not because of the quality of the candidates, but because of the devolution of the democratic conversation that America has prided itself on for over two centuries. In this election cycle, we have seen a shift of language away from discussion of policy and towards speech fueled by emotion and profundity.
Everyone is speaking up, voicing opinions and sharing views, just as is promoted in the American democratic system. The difference this time around is that the content of what is being said is causing the listeners to tune it all out. The political left calling Trump a racist and a bigot has been all but ignored by the Republican Party, just as the Democrats have ignored the plea to “lock her up.” These exclamations, though exclamatory indeed, merely give insight to an individual’s views and do not convey any sort of argument.
As Lena Dunham said recently in response to a tweet calling for Hillary Clinton to “just die” so that Bernie can be the nominee, “you need to get a better set of rhetorical tools. Use your big kid words.” The idea behind this is that Americans resort to this level of appeal because they have a lack of ability to convey all of the intense emotions that have been tossed around in this election. Because intelligence is hardly the cause, there must be more to it than simply not having the proper vocabulary.
Rhetoric is the art of persuasion. It encompasses passion, intellect, aggression, pacifism, love, hatred and every possible emotion or desire. Rhetoric is what ended segregation. It also started the Holocaust. Our spoken word has always been the most powerful tool in the toolbox of democracy, and in this election cycle, it has become dulled and useless.
Overly emotional, aggressive, even violent appeals have categorized an angry and frustrated American people, and perhaps rightly so. However, now that the general election is underway it is time to revert back to speech that employs appeals to credibility, logic and emotion. Making blanket statements about what a candidate is or is not no longer has any persuasive value in the context of this election. Everyone has already heard that Hillary is a lying crook and that Donald is a xenophobic egomaniac. In fact, thanks to the media, the general public has become intimately familiar with this slander.
With November approaching, it is time to develop some new skills as a population. Let us expand our rhetorical toolbox.
There are several things that we can do immediately to build constructive dialogue that do not require advanced English or speech degrees. First off, respect your opposition. Building credibility in an argument is essential to building on your voice. If you are going to address your opponent’s position, state is as they would. Not hyperbolized or with the intention of belittling it, but as correctly as they would present it to their own listeners. When your opponent hears their sincere sentiments out of your mouth, they will listen.
Never state an opinion as fact. We learn from a young age how to spot the difference, so fooling your opponent will be difficult. Instead, use logic to explain concretely how you reasoned from point A to point B. Using reliable sources of factual information without sensationalizing makes an argument nearly irrefutable. Never assume that truths which may appear obvious to you are obvious to everyone. Avoiding fallacies will strengthen your argument as well. Making connections that do not exist not only weakens your statement, it insinuates it to be false. Post hoc ergo propter hoc and begging the claim has characterized far too many statements on both sides of this election, and on both sides it has worked against the speaker’s favor.
Lastly, we have appeals to emotion. There has obviously been no shortage of these on social media, at the conventions or from the candidates themselves. However, there is a right and wrong way to do it. When conservatives and liberals argue against one another, it can be like shouting at a wall. To make progress, always appeal to what your opponent views as important. Otherwise they have no reason to listen to you.
Politics will never function as an argument of values, but as a conversation about forming policy. Both to our advantage and disadvantage, our society holds a uniquely diverse blend of morals. Mitigating the gap created between poverty, welfare, business, trade, jobs, unemployment, social justice and every other election topic is what we strive to do as the United States, not just choose between a racist bigot and a crooked liar.
Consider this the beginning of a grassroots effort, not to sway the election one way or the other, but to improve the quality of the dialogue. Inflammatory Facebook infographics, accusatory anecdotes and slander no longer have bearing on opinions because we simply have heard it all. It is time not just to speak up, but to make ourselves heard as well.
