DTC 355: Blog #2

My name is Dena Lacey and this is my embarrassing story.

It was some time in the fall of 2002. I was working at Apple Computer in Austin, Texas as a Sales Support Specialist trying to claw my way up to the next rung of an endless corporate ladder. I had recently been approved to train for another position in the dog race for a title that today eludes me. With much trepidation I sat down at the desk to shadow my trainer, Eric, and jump into using a totally new software program that had more loopholes and less organization than a chaotic board of mismatched Scrabble words. Phone call after fielded phone call left me feeling helpless and stupid as I tried to navigate through the software program and commit it to memory; the minutes and the hours ticking by as the frustration mounted. My trainer patiently explained the program AGAIN and I felt more pressure to succeed despite his patience and reassurance that this was a difficult program to master. To add to my frustration, other work laid waiting at my own desk and a mandatory staff meeting was creeping up on us.

Then it happened. The call came in and like a perfect dream I was able to complete the call, navigate the software and complete the task without help from Eric. We shared an elated high five before signing off the phones and heading to our meeting. As we walked down the hall and stood in the threshold of the conference room where our meeting was being held I blurted out an enthusiastic but warped, “I DID IT!” I say warped because the way in which I uttered these words can best, albeit not necessarily PC, be described as being said like a ruhtard (retard). Everyone within earshot could clearly hear me and the manner in which I spoke these words, and since I was standing in the doorway of the conference room, this would include more than half of my co-workers and peers including my immediate supervisors and, much to my dismay, 3 executive supervisors visiting our campus. All eyes were on me. Even though half the room was laughing at me because they thought the way I made my exuberant statement was funny, I could feel the color and heat rise underneath the surface of my skin; my embarrassment was impossible to conceal. Even a couple of the execs thought it was funny and wanted to know what had made me so happy. From that day on, I was unfortunately known as the “I DID IT!” ruhtard and anytime anybody did something good, they would exclaim, “I DID IT!”

What did I learn that day? Look before you speak, especially when entering a conference room for a staff meeting!

For part two of this assignment, we are asked to answer the question: What is dangerous about amplification through simplification?

In sitting down to contemplate the answer to this question the first thing I thought of was cartoons I enjoy watching like Venture Bros. or South Park. Each of these adult cartoons focuses precisely on amplification through simplification as described by Scott McCloud. By stripping down “real life” to something cartoon political and social norms can be parodied to point out the ridiculousness of an event or situation. What I consider to be dangerous about this is that although it’s funny, the message can be masked by the simple pleasure of the cartoon. Perhaps the cartoonist/creator is trying to make a point and bring awareness to their audience. However, the audience runs the risk of misinterpreting the message or missing it altogether. Worse yet, I have seen/heard people misinterpret the message and adopting this misinterpretation as their own philosophy. As McCloud wrote, “The cartoon is a vacuum into which our identity and awareness are pulled…an empty shell that we inhabit which enables us to travel in another realm.” Sometimes it seems a shame we do this…sometimes.

McCloud, Scott. The Vocabulary of Comics. Print.

DTC 355: Blog #1

According to Foss, Foss and Trapp rhetoric is defined as “the human use of symbols to communicate.” (1) Foss et al have broken down this definition into three parts consisting of “human”, “symbols” and “communicate.” They agree that humans are symbol-using animals that create realities through the use of symbols. That is to say, we as humans have the mental capacity and intelligence to assign meaning to symbols in order to communicate.

“Symbols are distinguished from signs by the degree of direct connection to the object represented.”(2) Foss, Foss and Trapp used the example of a tree. Standing alone in a forest a tree isn’t a symbol, but the word chosen to represent “tree” is a symbol. Likewise, the tree can be symbolic as is the case with a Christmas tree. “Rhetoric” is often easily interchangeable with the word “communication.” Foss, Foss and Trapp say the distinction between defining “rhetoric” and “communication” depends on the person, and whether the meaning of something is intended or not.

Even throughout the history of rhetoric, Foss et al reiterate that rhetoric is linked to education and literacy, indicating that humans and their use of symbols are essential to communication. It is an art incorporating the five canons of rhetoric: invention/discovery, organization, elocution or style, delivery and memory. Although there has been rhetoric has seen its share of evolution through time, it stands firm in its association with human, symbols, and communication.

Merriam-Webster dictionary online: (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhetoric)
Definition of RHETORIC
1 : the art of speaking or writing effectively: as
a : the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times
b : the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion
2 a : skill in the effective use of speech
b : a type or mode of language or speech; also : insincere or grandiloquent language
3: verbal communication : discourse

Answer.com: (http://www.answers.com/topic/rhetoric)
1. a. The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively.
b. A treatise or book discussing this art.
2. Skill in using language effectively and persuasively.
3.a. A style of speaking or writing, especially the language of a particular subject: fiery political rhetoric.
b. Language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous: His offers of compromise were mere rhetoric.
4. Verbal communication; discourse.

I chose to include the expanded definitions given for rhetoric because I thought it was appropriate and conducive to our reading’s definition. Even in trying to explain Foss, Foss and Trapp’s definition of rhetoric I found it hard to just simplify it. The same applies to the definitions I found online. It isn’t a theory; it isn’t black or white. Rhetoric encompasses using the five canons. Words like “study”, “art”, “language”, “effective”, “communicate” all indicate a level of intelligence that accompanies the use of rhetoric. As Foss et al have described in their article, the art of rhetoric originates and requires education.