Book Review: Thank You For Arguing Author: Jay Heinrichs Updated Edition. Three Rivers Press, 2013. ISBN: 9780385347754. 432 pages. After group class the other day, one of the participants and I got into a conversation about oratory and rhetoric. And I can’t talk about rhetoric without recommending my favourite book about speaking. If you don’t…
Demagogue, n.: A leader of a popular faction, or of the mob; a political agitator who appeals to the passions and prejudices of the mob in order to obtain power or further his own interests; an unprincipled or factious popular orator. (Oxford English Dictionary) In democracies the principal cause of revolutions is the insolence of…
Oh, how I love election season! Oh how I love debate night! Granted, I’d love it more if an evening of making pop-up rhetoric videos wasn’t bookended with a cranky, gassy, screaming baby, but such is life. In this Pop-Up Rhetoric video, we get into Red Herrings, Straw Man arguments, and Ad Hominem attacks. That’s…
I’ve been doing a fair bit of reading lately of both the print and audiobook variety, and want to share with you some of the more interesting books I’ve come across. So from time to time I’ll be sharing with you reviews for books that have caught my attention. I hope you enjoy them and…
I love rhetoric. I love political speeches. This means that election seasons are heaps of fun for me. I stayed up way too late on July 27 to create a new pop-up rhetoric video for you. This one pulls various rhetorical and oratorical devices, strategies, figures, and techniques from Joe Biden’s speech at the July 27…
The word charismatic gets thrown about quite a bit. I’ve heard people call someone “charismatic” when I would have labelled that same individual “bombastic a**hole.” I’ve also encountered people I would label as highly charismatic that others describe as inaccessible or aloof. The last year has been an interesting study in political charisma, with Justin…
There is a by-election in the Ward 12 area of my hometown. A seat on city council, left vacant by a counsellor who rose to the ranks of federal MP, is currently being eyeballed by no less than 29 candidates. Among those who declared their intention to run is 22 year old Nicole Szymanowka, who…
WARNING: this is a geek-out post. Get ready to get a dose of rhetoric! (I am so, so happy that we get to enjoy a nice, long Canadian Federal election this year! It’s like Christmas has come early and it’s going to last for two extra months.) If you’ve been following the federal election at…
The other day I was working with a client, and I gave him a section from a political commentary article to read aloud. He glanced over the article, which was about Justin Trudeau and the recent Liberal Party leadership race. We briefly chatted about Trudeau’s famous father and the current buzz around the newly elected Liberal…
Have you ever wondered how to tell when it’s time to shut your gob? Causing a child to cry is a pretty good indication: Dear Little Girl: Sorry We Made You Cry About ‘Bronco Bamma’ and Mitt Romney. Poor thing. I’ve felt that way during truly atrocious presentations. Incidentally, Canadian news gets…
