Unethical or Irrational Persuasion/Rational Discourse

Definition: use of rhetoric that exceeds reasonable bounds without consideration and judgment of morality or logic. Moreover, unethical or irrational persuasion can be seen in the behavior and in the word choice of a person or group that is delivering a speech or participating in a protest.

Example: Donald Trump's irrational persuasion in his presidential speech in which he negatively references and portrays immigrants from Mexico that come into the United States of America.

Excerpt from Donald Trump's presidential announcement speech on June 16, 2015.

Image credit: Digital Image Provider Unknown. "Donald Could be President." Web. 03 February 2016.

From the text: Haiman's text, "The Rhetoric of the Streets: Some Legal and Ethical Considerations," evaluates the criteria for protests with two focal points. His notions are based on whether the rhetorical acts are legal and ethical. Moreover, Haiman provides two sides to his argument over the legality and the ethics of street protests. Based on page 25 of his article, we see Haiman argue that street protests exceed the bounds of rational discourse with use of "unethical" and "irrational" persuasion.

Works Cited:
Haiman, Franklyn S. "Rhetoric of the Streets: Some Legal and Ethical Considerations." Readings in the Rhetoric of Social Protest. Browne, Stephen Howard, and Charles E. Morris III, eds. State College, PA: Strata Publishing, Inc., 2013.

Digital Image Provider Unknown. "Donald Could be President." Web. 03 February 2016. Retrieved from: http://hillary-clinton-16.tumblr.com/ask