Lecture 8B: Rhetorical Devices, Definitions, Emotional vs Cognitive Meaning, Weasel Words

Business:
1.  Get through the lesson quickly.  Most of the concepts you will already be familiar with.
2.  Drink coffee and eat donuts.
2.  Work on the midterms.


Part 1 
Examples:
A:  You may have already won a brand new car!

B:  Some doctors recommend ginko biloba for improved cognitive function.

C:  This is perhaps the best diet product ever made!

D:  Up to 2/3rds of all people who used Chemain de Fer face cream said they thought they looked younger after just one week!

E:  Our best deal yet!  This Saturday get up to 50% off!

F:  This ancient Chinese medicinal tea relieves joint soreness in up to 60% of people who tried it!

G:  As many as 10 students will receive A's in Ami's class!

H:  Buy Ami's Non-GMO All-Natural Organic Dirt!  Just one application and your fat/acne will seem to melt away/disappear over night!

I:  This drink from acai berries from the ancient Amazon rainforest will virtually change your health for the better in a matter of days!

J. BGSU named one of America's best colleges!!!!!http://www.bgsu.edu/news/2016/09/bgsu-named-one-of-americas-best-colleges.html




Weasel words are words that are used to appear to make a strong claim but avoid outright lying.  Common weasel words are: "up to x percent/x number", "some", "as many as", "reportedly", "virtually", "many", "seems", "perhaps".



Part 2:
Examples:
A:  Happiness Double Joy paper towels are 25% more absorbent!

B:

C: It's Christmas in July! All Dell computers sold below suggested retail price!

D:  Phone company X lets you call anywhere cheaper.  Just 5 cents per minute compared to Phone Company Y, which charges 10 cents a minute (Lewis Vaughn).





Misleading Comparisons:  Often comparisons can mislead by omitting what something is being compared to (E.g., A&C), comparing apples to oranges (E.g., D), or puffery (E.g., B) (legal term in advertising law for hype that few people would take seriously).



Part 3a
A:  I'm fairly certain my students with laptops aren't on facebook at this particular moment.

B:  I think it's pretty safe to assume Mr. X is a responsible teacher.  He hasn't done any drugs in quite a while.

C:  Are you talking about politician X?  I think that it's great that he's gone as far as he has with only a little help from his rich family.

D:  You're doing an excellent job considering you only have a GED...



Innuendo:  When you imply something negative about a person or organization without explicitly stating it.



3b
A:  Obviously, critical thinking 102 is the most important class you'll ever take.

B:  It goes without saying that Obamacare is a complete failure.





Truth Surrogates:  Words like "obviously", "clearly", "it goes without saying", etc... are used in place  of actually supplying supporting reasons for the claim.



3c

• Eg. collateral damage, detainees, passed away, senior citizen, downsizing, smart bomb, “put to sleep, pre-emptive defensive strike, freedom fighters, .
• Why does it matter? Usually a claim is being made but it obscures important information to the issue.

DEF: A euphemism substitutes mild and indirect ways of speaking for ways that might seem blunt, harsh, or impolite for social context. Often to neutralize emotional content.

• There are legitimate and illegitimate uses:
• legitimate: When the word is not part of an argument or when the euphemism is more appropriate for social context (he passed away, dog was put down, I had my dog's anal glands expelled...)
• the usage is illegitimate if the meaning of a term or phrase in an argument is obscuring important information.

3d

• E.g., Bleeding-heart liberal, heartless conservative, shopping-cart Christian, activist judge,
• hysterical tone (used vs women), puritanical zealotry (vs. Religious), bigoted, fear-mongering campaign, perverse logic
  
  
  
  
  
  Def: A dysphemism substitutes emotionally neutral words for emotionally evocative words.

3e

• “Abortion is the murder of an unborn child.”
• “A conservative is someone who believes all problems can be solved with
• more guns and more Jesus.”
• "A liberal is someone who thinks all problems can be solved by more government."

Rhetorical Definition (vs Lexical Definition):  When you define a term in such a way as to manipulate (often with emotional language) how the audience feels about a concept.  It is a way of rigging the terms of the debate in the arguer's favor.  Often used in conjunction with poisoning the well/genetic fallacy/ad hominem/circumstantial ad hominem.  

The Lexical Definition is the definition of a term/concept as it is most commonly used by users of the language.

3f

Stereotyping:  An unwarrented conclusion or generalization about an entire group of people.




3g

A: Fox news is fair and balanced?  Ha! It's about as balanced as the leaning tower of Pisa. 

B: MSNB's slogan is "lean forward."  More like "lean left"!

C:

Ridicule:  The use of derision, sarcasm, laughter, or mockery to disparage a person or idea (Lewis Vaughn).

3.h
A: Women vs Men with Math

B:  Oh! You're a philosopher?  You must be charming and witty.


Stereotyping:  An unwarranted conclusion or generalization about an entire group of people and/or to judge someone not as an individual but as a part of a group whose members are thought to be alike.

MAIN POINT FOR CRITICAL THINKING

Why do rhetorical devices matter?

• Because there is a claim being asserted instead of providing an argument. If X is so q, then give an argument to show this.  Making the assertion isn't an argument.