Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society Jun 2021 RSS Open Access

“The People are the Plague”: Rhetorics of Blame During COVID-19

Abstract

From May through July 2020, we collected several hundred images shared on Facebook depicting blame for U.S. Covid-spread. Across these posts, we identified recurring patterns of blame accomplished through two rhetorical devices: attenuation and augmentation. We found two themes in these patterns of blame: individualizing social unsafety and identifying Americans as outsiders. In this article, we explain the processes of panopticonning, and provide examples of the two discourses of blame that result from panopticonning in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Journal
Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society
Published
2021-06-22
CompPile
Search in CompPile ↗
Open Access
OA PDF Gold
Topics
rhetorical criticism social media
Export
BibTeX RIS

Citation Context

Citation data not yet available for this article.

Citation data is not available for Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society. This journal's publisher does not deposit reference lists with CrossRef.

Related Articles

  1. Computers and Composition Jun 2026
    Navigating platform algorithms: Global south feminist activists’ rhetorical and composition practices in digital advocacy on social media ↗
    Kalpana Shrestha
    rhetorical criticism social media gender and writing
  2. Argumentation Feb 2026
    When Emmanuel Macron Goes Social: Using Social Media Influencers as a Rhetorical Strategy ↗
    Keren Sadoun-Kerber
    rhetorical criticism discourse analysis argument collaborative writing social media affect and writing
  3. Res Rhetorica Jan 2026
    Normy retoryczne na pograniczu kultur – kampania wyborcza w mediach społecznościowych ↗
    Agnieszka Kampka
    rhetorical criticism social media
  4. Res Rhetorica Jan 2026
    Politicians’ privacy management in social media as a tool for shaping ethos ↗
    Anna M. Kiełbiewska
    rhetorical criticism argument social media public rhetoric
  5. Pedagogy Jan 2026
    Contributors ↗
    rhetorical criticism genre theory writing pedagogy graduate education two-year college teacher development social media race and writing gender and writing affect and writing literary studies editorial matter