No human being is perfect. Donald Trump deserves praise, and criticism.
Wikipedia: Richard Malcolm Weaver, Jr (March 3, 1910 – April 1, 1963) was an American scholar who taught English at the University of Chicago. He is primarily known as an intellectual historian, political philosopher and a mid-20th century conservative and as an authority on modern rhetoric.
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Weaver condemned modern media and modern journalism as tools for exploiting the passive viewer. Convinced that ideas, not machines, compelled humanity towards a better future, he gave words precedence over technology. Influenced by the Agrarians' emphasis of poetry, he began writing poetry. In a civilized society, poetry allowed one to express personal beliefs that science and technology could not overrule. In Weaver's words, "We can will our world". That is, human beings – not mechanical or social forces – can make positive decisions through language that will change their existence.Title: How Donald Trump Answers A Question. Source: Nerdwriter1. Date Published: December 30, 2015.
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In his The Ethics of Rhetoric, Weaver coined the phrases "god terms" and "devil terms." "God terms" are words particular to a certain age and are vague, but have "inherent potency" in their meanings. Such words include progress and freedom – words that seem impenetrable and automatically give a phrase positive meaning. In contrast, "devil terms" are the mirror image, and include words such as Communist and Un-American. Rhetoric, Weaver argued, must employ such terminology only with care. Employing ethical rhetoric is the first step towards rejecting vague terminology with propagandistic value.Upon hearing a "god" or "devil" term, Weaver suggested that a listener should "hold a dialectic with himself" to consider the intention behind such persuasive words. He concluded that "a society's health or declension was mirrored in how it used language". If a language is pure, so too will be those who employ it.
Title: Donald Trump Speaks At A 4th Grade Level. Source: Secular Talk. Date Published: October 22, 2015.
Title: Richard Weaver's Theory of Truth and Rhetoric. Source: Amanda K. Date Published: December 13, 2015.
