Howard Stern and Occupy Wall St.

Sometimes the media takes more a humorous approach to current events. When people think of comedic media, names like Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and Bill Maher often come up. But we can't forget long-time radio and television icon, Howard Stern. Stern is generally known for his more racy style of commentary and his unique selection of interviews. After getting his start on more traditional syndicated radio, Stern has made his way to XM/Sirius satellite radio in 2006 and reaches millions of listeners every day. His guest list has included the likes of gaudy pop-star Lady Gaga, playboy Hugh Hefner, and wrestling celebrity Hulk Hogan.

Recently, Stern has made his way into the media craze over the "Occupy Wall Street" phenomenon that I have gone over in previous blog posts. Stern went out to interview some of the young protestors, with some very interesting results. Although little disclaimer is given, a normal person could probably guess that those interviewed by Stern are (hopefully) not representative of the entire group that has taken to the streets across the nation. It appears to be a case of cherry-picking susceptible-looking protestors with fairly simple questions.

The responses Stern receives appear to indicate a low level of intelligence and/or purpose amongst those who had come out to the New York-based protest, but again, the results are not exactly scientific. Regardless, Stern provides an effective and humorous take on the controversial rallies, letting people forget about all of the hype surrounding the "Occupy" events.

Other Blogs

As creative and clever as I may be, the topic of rhetoric in the media is hardly a unique one. The topic is often covered in various publications in print as well as online. And of course, the topic is also covered in the so-called "blogosphere."

One such blog is very blunt in it's title, MediaRhetoric. This particular blog is written by a very credible author, Dr. Janet Lynn Johnson, Ph.D. Her doctorate happens to be very relevant; she holds a degree in Rhetoric from Texas Woman's University. She also holds a Master of Arts in journalism, also very relevant to her subject. The blog, at least as of late, has concentrated on the various dramas of the Republican Presidential Primary. The blog features in-depth analysis of both the rhetoric employed by the various candidates, as well as the commentary by the long list of networks and pundits who constantly analyze the race. In my opinion, the target audience of the blog would likely be those affiliated with the Republican Party, or at least those who would have some interest in their primaries.

Another blog is similarly titled MereRhetoric. The author, Omri Cerin, also has similar credentials to Dr. Johnson; he is working at his Ph.D in Rhetoric from the University of Southern California at their communications school. His blog also deals with rhetoric in the media, predictably concentrated on political events like the primary and President Obama's administration. His blog seems to appeal to a wider audience, as his posts do not revolve solely around the Republican side of politics.

Both blogs certainly have different audiences than Team America and the other readings that we have done in class, as they, like most blogs, seem to appeal to the common person rather than an academic crowd.

Visual Rhetoric: Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street

Recently, there has been somewhat of a grassroots counter-attack to the popular and controversial Tea Party. The Tea Party, a generally right-wing conservative movement has found a challenger in the "Occupy Wall Street" movement and its various spinoffs. The Occupy Wall Street Movement, according to the "unofficial, de facto" online resource, OccupyWallSt.org, is a "horizontally organized resistance movement employing the revolutionary Arab Spring tactic to restore democracy in America." The movement generally seems espouse socialist and anti-corporate ideas, judging from most reports of their rallies across the nation.

As arguably the original grassroots movement, the Tea Party has been subject to a variety of visual displays of violent rhetoric. The most prominent can be found in the much-maligned TEA PARTY ZOMBIES MUST DIE online video game, where players must use a variety of hand-held weapons and firearms to fight off zombified Tea Partiers.

Although the Occupy Wall Street movement is relatively new, they have been met with much less violent responses. They are, however, the butt of jokes in cartoons like this one.

The contrast between the level of violence in visual attacks against these two grassroots movements is striking. A good googling couldn't produce any violent images about the Occupy movement, but a quick search could give you access to an online avenue for slaughtering Tea Partiers. The difference could be explained by the youth of the Occupy movement, but it is certainly eyebrow-raising to see the varying levels of violent rhetoric employed by each side.