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Full-Text Articles in Speech and Rhetorical Studies

"Kissing For Equality" And "Dining For Freedom": Analyzing The Ego-Function Of The August 2012 Chick-Fil-A Demonstrations, Jill M. Weber Jan 2013

"Kissing For Equality" And "Dining For Freedom": Analyzing The Ego-Function Of The August 2012 Chick-Fil-A Demonstrations, Jill M. Weber

Communication Studies Faculty Scholarship

In August 2012, thousands of Americans traveled to their local Chick-fil-A restaurants to participate in the Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day and the National Same Sex Kiss Day, two demonstrations designed to show support and opposition, respectively, to the company’s public endorsement of the “biblical definition of the family unit.” This essay draws upon Richard B. Gregg’s theory of the ego-function to analyze the important persuasive functions the protests served for the participants involved. An analysis of the messages shared among members in the groups’ respective Facebook pages shows that the participants promoted a message of victimage, virtuousness, importance, strength, and unity. …


James Danforth Quayle, Iii, "Murphy Brown Speech" (19 May 1992), Jill M. Weber Jan 2009

James Danforth Quayle, Iii, "Murphy Brown Speech" (19 May 1992), Jill M. Weber

Communication Studies Faculty Scholarship

In his "Murphy Brown Speech," Quayle assessed the 1992 Los Angeles riots and discussed the Bush administration's plans for addressing social and economic inequalities. His brief critique of a fictional television single‐mother, however, overshadowed his message and became the focus of intense criticism from the media. After the controversy died down, Quayle's assertions inspired a debate over the family, welfare policies, economic opportunity, and the role of government in social policy that continues today.


Gloria Steinem, "Testimony Before Senate Hearings On The Equal Rights Amendment" (6 May 1970), Jill M. Weber Jan 2008

Gloria Steinem, "Testimony Before Senate Hearings On The Equal Rights Amendment" (6 May 1970), Jill M. Weber

Communication Studies Faculty Scholarship

In her testimony before the Senate ERA hearings, Gloria Steinem refuted sex‐based myths about women and championed the ERA. Situating the ERA within the larger civil rights movement, Steinem called on Congress to acknowledge women's oppression as a serious political issue. She also worked to make women's rights issues more appealing to a mainstream audience by talking about the ERA's benefits for men and women and by emphasizing the democratic principles it embodied.


Minister Louis Farrakhan, "Million Man March" (16 October 1995), Jill M. Weber Jan 2007

Minister Louis Farrakhan, "Million Man March" (16 October 1995), Jill M. Weber

Communication Studies Faculty Scholarship

An examination of Louis Farrakhan's controversial speech at the Million Man March in October, 1995.


William Jefferson Clinton, "Racism In The United States" (16 October 1995), Jill M. Weber Jan 2006

William Jefferson Clinton, "Racism In The United States" (16 October 1995), Jill M. Weber

Communication Studies Faculty Scholarship

In "Racism in the United States," President Bill Clinton acknowledged racial differences and called upon Americans to "clean our house of racism." Maintaining that the discussion of differences was the first step in alleviating racial tension, Clinton made dialogue a centerpiece of his race initiative. Clinton's approach to civil rights and his emphasis on dialogue marked an important step in the ongoing debates over civil rights in America by illustrating a president's role in shaping such debates.