E11: re:cap (part 2)

This week’s episode is the second, concluding part of our series reviewing concepts and topics from last season. (If you haven’t yet listened to part 1, you can find it here.)

In part 2 of our re:verb “re:cap,” we rekindle the critical ideas brought up in episodes 6 through 9. First, we build upon our discussion of urban renewal and gentrification from episodes 6 & 7, talking through the ongoing transparency controversy at the heart of Pittsburgh’s “bid” for Amazon HQ2, the economistic frames used by both proponents and opponents of the bid, and the difficulty of staging place-based resistance to massive corporate entities like Amazon. Then, we examine two cases that exemplify people’s affective & emotional attachments to evidence (a call-back to Jenny Rice’s work, discussed in episode 8): the liberal-left split over #Russiagate and the cryptic, all-encompassing, extremely-online #QAnon conspiracy. We go on to discuss the brilliant treatment of language ideology (a concept previously covered in episode 9) in the film Sorry to Bother You (Boots Riley, 2018), particularly its depiction of code-switching and “white voice.”

Finally, we reflect on some of the unresolved tensions across all of our conversations on the show so far: rhetorics of “the future,” certainty vs. uncertainty, the role of aesthetics in rhetoric, and the relationship between language and power.

Previous episodes discussed:

Episode 6: How do spaces and places function in resistance movements? (Rhetorics of Place: Part 1) (w/ Derek Handley & Liana Maneese)

Episode 7: What are the economic, social, and political forces fueling gentrification? (Rhetorics of Place: Part 2) (w/ Scott Riess)

Episode 8: What can conspiracy theories teach us about how we use "evidence"? (w/ Jenny Rice)

Episode 9: How does language influence our identity (and vice-versa)? (w/ Barbara Johnstone)

Works & Concepts Referenced in this Episode:

Creswell, J. (2018, Aug. 5). Cities’ offers for Amazon base are secrets even to many city leaders. The New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/05/technology/amazon-headquarters-hq2.html

Hart, R., & Dillard, C. (2001). Deliberative genre. In Sloane, Thomas O. Encyclopedia of Rhetoric. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from: http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195125955.001.0001/acref-9780195125955-e-64.

Kroskrity, P. V. (2004). Language ideologies. A companion to linguistic anthropology, 496-517.

Org Charts of the QAnon Conspiracy compiled by “The Infomaniac”: https://throughthelookingglassnews.wordpress.com/2017/11/24/q-anon-learn-to-read-the-map/

Rice, J. (2017). The Rhetorical Aesthetics of More: On Archival Magnitude. Philosophy & Rhetoric, 50(1), 26-49.

Rihl, J. (2018, Feb. 8). How Amazon’s HQ2 may both bring growth and imperil Pittsburgh’s talent pool. Public Source. Retrieved from: https://www.publicsource.org/how-amazons-hq2-may-both-bring-growth-and-imperil-pittsburghs-talent-pool/

Scahill, J. (2018, Feb. 21). RussiaMania: Glenn Greenwald vs. James Risen. Intercepted Podcast. Podcast retrieved from: https://theintercept.com/2018/02/21/intercepted-podcast-russiamania-glenn-greenwald-vs-james-risen/

Shoemaker, J.D. (2018, April 11). Activists call on Pittsburgh officials to release Amazon bid, include residents in economic development decisions. Public Source. Retrieved from: https://www.publicsource.org/activists-call-on-pittsburgh-officials-to-release-amazon-bid-include-residents-in-economic-development-decisions/

Shoemaker, J.D. (2018, July 5). Amazon’s ripple effects: Six things that might happen if Pittsburgh gets HQ2. Public Source. Retrieved from: https://www.publicsource.org/amazons-ripple-effects-six-things-that-might-happen-if-pittsburgh-gets-hq2/

Shoemaer, J.D., & Davidson, M. (2018, June 21). Advocacy groups file court brief supporting media efforts to make Pittsburgh’s Amazon HQ2 bid public. Public Source. Retrieved from: https://www.publicsource.org/advocacy-groups-file-court-brief-supporting-media-efforts-to-make-pittsburghs-amazon-hq2-bid-public/

VanDerWerff, T. (2018, July 27). 100 years of the American left in 5 minutes, with Sorry to Bother You director Boots Riley. Vox. Retrieved from: https://www.vox.com/2018/7/27/17620246/boots-riley-sorry-to-bother-you-history-of-the-left-interview

Full version of the QAnon conspiracy map (see source above).