Rhetoric & Public Affairs Jun 2017

Fixating on the Stasis of Fact: Debating “Having It All” in U.S. Media

Sarah Kornfield

Abstract

Abstract Drawing on stasis theory, this essay explores how the debate frame functions within U.S. journalism. Using the news coverage of Marissa Mayer’s coinciding pregnancy and promotion to Yahoo! CEO and the reportage of Hillary Clinton’s upcoming grandchild during the 2016 precampaign as case studies, I develop a two-part argument. First, by analyzing the rhetorical mechanisms within this media debate, I demonstrate how the debate frame makes facts themselves infinitely debatable, thereby stagnating this public debate at the stasis of fact. This ultimately perpetuates the “having it all” debate—and its sexist assumptions. Second, I consider the escape routes out of this dominant discourse, analyzing how arguments maneuver beyond the stasis of fact to consider policy reforms regarding women in the workplace.

Journal
Rhetoric & Public Affairs
Published
2017-06-01
DOI
10.14321/rhetpublaffa.20.2.0253
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Topics
classical rhetoric rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument gender and writing public rhetoric
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