The Environmental Rhetoric of "Balance": A Case Study of Regulatory Discourse and the Colonization of the Public

Technical Communication Quarterly Jan 1997

The Environmental Rhetoric of "Balance": A Case Study of Regulatory Discourse and the Colonization of the Public

Robert Patterson ; Ronald Lee

Abstract

The twelve-year long battle over the relicensure of the Kingsley Dam in western Nebraska is a representative anecdote of environmental regulation. Typical of regulatory discourse, the metaphor of "balance" determined the available fopoi. We argue that "balance" procedurally diminishes the public, cloaks the subjectivity of decision making, and reduces the reasonable rhetor to the role of umpire. Finally, we explore rhetorical strategies for undermining the appeal to "balance."

Journal: Technical Communication Quarterly
Published: 1997-01-01
DOI: 10.1207/s15427625tcq0601_3
Open Access: Closed
Topics: qualitative research

Citation Context

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