Expert Says Rhetoric Must Walk Fine Line
by Winsip Custer
Following his Tuesday night rant at conservative talk show diva, Laura Ingraham, Ed Schultz apologized and removed himself indefinitely from the airways. "I have embarrassed my family," said Ed who admitted that during a career that reaches back to 1978 this is the lowest of the lows.
I asked Dr. Philbert Wegnets of the Center for Refined Rhetoric to analyze what Ed had said and to give some alternatives to the kind of non-bucolic verbiage that triggers anger, retaliation and resentment.
"First of all Ed called Laura Ingraham a 'conservative slut'. That draws too vivid a picture. It lays out for everyone images of a woman who is constantly on her back for conservative causes and who indiscriminately embraces, but not necessarily for pay, only conservative causes. Ed would have been on firmer ground if he had said that "Laura Ingraham is a conservative prostitute,' said Wegnets.
"While I would not think that it would be wise for Ed to call her a 'conservative whore', though if you consider who pays her for her opinions this may, in fact, be a more accurate picture than 'conservative slut'. I have viewed her video tape of her early Fox News rehearsal and find that while what Ed said attempts to capture some sense of this woman's vileness, which in all honesty matches his own, it is best to avoid the direct connection of calling someone something like a 'slut.' I think if he had said 'Laura Ingraham practices slutty conservative tactics' he would have not opened himself to this unfortunate embarrassment. Now, for some clear and pointed rebuttal, Ed should NOT have apologized in the manner in which he did. Typically the man looks shifty as he says 'I'm sorry' and looks off camera toward the floor. He comes off looking like a shifty buffoon. Men in communication are on unequal ground when they are 'hot' personalities and by 'hot' I mean a lightening rod for people's anger by expressing their own. We clearly saw this in that other Bozo-ish personality on Fox who finally retired, bless my soul!"
I asked Dr. Wegnets if he meant Glenn Beck. "Yes, that's him. That impishly, borderline bimbo-ish, Bozo-ish, mentally challenged, ascetically displeasing, buzz-cut, jack-ass-ish, bilge water-ish, pimp-ish, male prostitute-ish, weasel-ish former television personality."
For Laura Ingraham's video which informed Ed Schultz's remarks see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3lCfHtaR30
For Laura Ingraham's video which informed Ed Schultz's remarks see
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3lCfHtaR30
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