[KB] Questions for discussion at my panel

[Edward C Appel]

Great questions, Herb! Thanks a bunch. Looking forward to our panel.



Ed
--------------------------------------------
On Mon, 6/5/17, HERBERT W. Simons <hsimons at temple.edu> wrote:

 Subject: Questions for discussion at my panel
 To: "Edward C Appel" <edwardcappel at frontier.com>
 Cc: "Cem Zeytinoglu" <czeytinogl at po-box.esu.edu>, "David Blakesley" <dblakes at clemson.edu>, "gayle simons" <gaylesimons at yahoo.com>, kb at kbjournal.org, "David C. Williams" <dcwill at fau.edu>
 Date: Monday, June 5, 2017, 9:48 AM
 
 KB CONFERENCE Session on
 TRUMP Herb Simons
 
 1.   
 What does discourse about Trump in the media
 tell us about who “we” are? Who “they” are? i.e. our
 beliefs and values; 
 
 2.   
 What roles are played by money and power: e.g.,
 in the GOP on issues like climate control? 
 
 3.   
 Assess U,S. news media re Trump, including SMS,
 Cable, social media, radio. How did GOP achieve control? Was
 Edelman right on
 media?: a passing parade of symbols? Ritual elements?
 Theater? Dramatic in
 outline; empty of detail?
 
 4.   
 Investigative journalism: liberal? Unbalanced?
 Immature? Praiseworthy
 
 5.   
 Is there a deep state in the U.S.? A media elite?
 Intel CIA, academies??  FBI,infotainment?
 Role of old money?Do we amuse ourselves to death?
 (Postman)
 
 6.   
 RE explaining Trump what’s Rhet theory/crit’s
 distinctive  contribution
 
 a.   
 Mercieca on threats, appeals to pity? Ad hominem?
 Ad populum? Trish Roberts on demagoguery. Trump as cult
 leader
 
 b.   
 Appel & others on burlesque, truthful
 hyperbole, ridicule, satire, role of political
 cartoons?
 
 c.    
 Fishman on Trump’s boasts—e.g. I’m rich; I own
 them; they owe me.
 
 7.   
 What can (or does) Burkean theory/criticism
 contribute? E.g., Dramatism,Perspetive by incongruity, 4
 master tropes?
 Hitler’s “battle”, paradox,
 dialectic?
 
 8.   
 What’s admirable about Trump? What’s the secret
 of his allure? His power to persuade? His distinctive
 contribution? His
 successes with the white working class? With evangelicals?
 His tweets?
 
 9.   
 The investigations of Trump & CO’s alleged
 wrongdoing?
 
 10.                     
 Impeachment debates; the obstruction of justice
 issue? Trump & Putin& other Russians; Trump &
 Flint.
 
 11.                     
 Hacking issue
 
 12.                     
 Subverting the Presidential election
 
 13.                     
 How will it all turn out?
 -- 
 Herbert W. Simons,
 Ph.D.
 Emeritus Professor of Communication
 Dep't of  Strategic Communication, Weiss Hall 215
 Temple University, Philadelphia 19122
 Home phone: 215 844 5969
 http://astro.temple.edu/~hsimons
 Academic Fellow, Center for Transformative Strategic
 Initiatives (CTSI)