Running head: RHETORICAL ANALYSIS OF SHAPIRO 1

A Rhetorical Analysis of “Calling for Reason and Civility' Doesn't Make You Hitler”

Brett Moravec

The University of Texas at El Paso

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A Rhetorical Analysis of “Calling for Reason and Civility' Doesn't Make You Hitler”

Introduction

The discourse in our country has become extremely polarized in recent years which is

counterproductive to societal cohesion and progress. It is all too common today to see someone

demonized for their political affiliation, religious beliefs, stance on a topic or even their lifestyle.

Reasonable and civil discourse is seen by many as the best way we as human beings work out

our differences and learn to get along. Ben Shapiro is a political commentator and the editor-in-

chief of The Daily Wire, a conservative leaning online news site, and the host of a podcast called

The Ben Shapiro Show. On September 3rd of 2019, he penned an article in response to a

Washington Post article he found offensive and counterproductive to open dialog in the country.

In this paper I will examine the rhetorical strategies employed by Mr. Shapiro in his article.

Ethos

Credibility is very important in writing as it speaks to how reliable the information that is

being presented is. In this article Shapiro employs several strategies to bolster and continue his

line of credibility. The first strategy of ethos in this article is the long history Shapiro has with

writing, his first syndicated article being published at the age of 17, and having a history of self-

correction and acknowledgement of when he has written a bad article (he even wrote an article

about all of his bad articles). Having a long history of publishing articles and having he fortitude

to admit when he is wrong definitely plays to the ethos of this article. Secondly this article also

cites the article he is responding to several times verbatim and explains exactly what his issues is

with the exact line. Direct citation is very important in building ethos in an article as general
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summation can be misconstrued or important details can be left out. Shapiro is also very careful

to define his words and meanings so the reader does not muddle up what he is talking about.

Logos.

The logos of any article or argument is held up by its inherent logic. If someone wrote an

article arguing that the sky is green or birds fly with the power of witchcraft, the reader wouldn’t

take the article seriously as the statements made are not logical or go against common

sense/reasoning. Approaching a topic with verifiably false information cuts against the

credibility of the writer and undercutting your credibility is not a logical way to persuade or

inform an audience. In this article, Shapiro takes a logical approach to countering the

Washington Post article. He describes the logical fallacy he sees in the Washington post article

and compares it to another logical fallacy to show their similarities. Shapiro quotes the Eva

Fairbanks (2019) article and equates her statement, that Conservatives’ use of the words reason

and civility and so did the Old South during the time of the civil war when they defended

slavery, with the Hitler/dog logical fallacy. The Hitler/dog fallacy is a logical false hood that

since Hitler liked dogs, if you like dogs you must be like Hitler. This is an argument that a

person can determine to be false just by simple reasoning. Another strategy Shapiro uses to lend

logos to his article is the use of history and facts. While events in history can seem to me

illogical in nature, the fact that they happened stays inherently true. Making an argument that

ignores, omits or falsifies actual events is not a logical way, again, to make an argument or

inform the author’s intended audience. In his rebuttal to some of the statements made in the

article written by Fairbanks, Shapiro uses historical facts about the civil war such as the attack on

Fort Sumter and the death toll after the war ended. Using historical facts when presenting an

argument is a very logical approach when creating an argument.

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Pathos.

Emotion can, at times, be more powerful than both logic and reason and that is why it is

an important part of writing. Human beings are emotional creatures and we listen to our hearts

or guts more often than our brains sometimes. Shapiro utilizes emotion in his article to convey

his disapproval and objection to the Washington Post article. Much of the “flavor” text used in

the article such as when he points out the logical fallacy in the Fairbanks article by saying “Also,

you know [how] I know that conservatives today are not like the Old South when they call for

reason and civility? Because I'm not whipping black folks while I'm calling for reason and

civility, you moron. Because I don't own slaves, you dumba**. Like, what are you, what are you

even talking about? This is it. It is exactly the Hitler/dog argument” (2019). His use of less than

professional language and rhetoric evokes an emotion of resentment towards the thesis of

Fairbank’s article and his outrage at the comparison of himself and others to the evils of slave

holders in the Civil War era.

Audience and Conclusion.

The audience of this article are those who frequent the site The Daily Wire and possibly

those who read the original Fairbanks article in the Washington Post. Some audience members

may have come across the Fairbanks article and searched for other perspectives on the subject

matter, whether it aligned with or went against their own beliefs. The audience that needs to

read this article are the former as listening and understanding that yours is not the only opinion

or “correct” opinion out there is healthy. Too often today people find themselves in an

intellectual echo chamber where their views are never challenged and their minds are never

changed. It is my analysis that Shapiro’s article utilizes strategies of Ethos, Logos and Pathos

effectively in his article/rebuttal of the Fairbanks article printed in the Washington Post.
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References

Shapiro, Ben (2019) Calling For 'Reason And Civility' Doesn't Make You Hitler. Retrieved from

https://www.dailywire.com/news/51320/shapiro-calling-reason-and-civility-doesnt-make-

daily-wire

Fairbanks, Eve (2019) The ‘reasonable’ rebels. Retrieved from

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/08/29/conservatives-say-weve-

abandoned-reason-civility-old-south-said-that-too/?arc404=true