Rhetoric Society Quarterly May 2019

Dangerous Demagogues and Weaponized Communication

Jennifer R. Mercieca

Abstract

This essay argues that we can usefully separate “heroic demagogues” from “dangerous demagogues” by whether or not the demagogue allows themselves to be held accountable for their words and actions. “Dangerous demagoguery” can be thought of as “weaponized communication” that uses words as weapons to achieve the dangerous demagogue’s strategic goals. The essay examines several recent examples of dangerous demagogues using weaponized communication strategies, including conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, President Donald Trump, and Neo-Nazi Andrew Anglin. Weaponized communication is a danger in any democracy as it corresponds with democratic erosion.

Journal
Rhetoric Society Quarterly
Published
2019-05-27
DOI
10.1080/02773945.2019.1610640
Open Access
Closed

Citation Context

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Cites in this index (0)

No references match articles in this index.

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CrossRef global citation count: 29 View in citation network →