Rhetoric Shaping History-

Nicholas Schweers

The world today is filled with examples of rhetoric’s use in shaping culture. While most of these examples may seem disappointing in modern times, they are still shaping our beliefs and our future. Examples can range from Black Lives Matter, to the Victim Culture of the West, to even the Presidential Election of 2016. In a culture as fluid and viscous as the United States, politicians and leaders have to adapt their rhetorical styles to help promote and move forward their ideologies.

Western culture, largely the American culture, changes and adapts to new ways of thinking constantly. What has happened most recently has been caused by a sense of victimization. Since World War Two, the United States have boasted being the best (which is undeniably true), but it has left most feeling entitled. This entitlement has done both good and bad. It has led to discourses of equality, putting blacks and whites, men and women on the same playing field. Sadly, this has also led us to expect more from society than is reasonable.

When looking at the current (2016-2020) Presidential election, both main candidates have decided to appeal to these desires. Mrs. Hillary Clinton promises tax cuts and totally free education for all Americans. While it has been proven to be monetarily impossible to achieve that goal, she appeals to said sense of entitlement, promising equal chances through socialism. Mr. Donald Trump appeals to conservatives by attempting to promote equal chances to gain advantage over others. He says that he will bring in jobs being lost to outsourcing, giving more people the chance to gain economic stability. While Hillary appeals to the desire for “equality” for less, Donald appeals to the American desire for “equality” through hard work. However the election goes, it will have a largely historic effect on the US. That is because whoever gains the presidency, will most likely control the Senate, Supreme Court, and more. This will allow them to best fulfill their goals to appeal to our entitlement. This is a chance to greatly influence the economy and politics of the United States, for better or for worse.