When we were kids, my big sister and I didn’t always listen to our parents. Whether it was the dangers of fire or the value of a dollar, sometimes the best teacher was a burnt digit or sitting at home with no BB gun and an empty piggy bank. When I was about four years … Continue reading WOKE
Author: BrettRhetoric
I am a communication professor and a singer-songwriter. After the 2016 election, my wife and I decided to do something gigantic. We quit our teaching jobs, sold nearly everything, hit the road in a van. We spent over a year talking to people about polarization and division in our public discourse. I try to write what I've learned about politics, religion, public rhetoric, mental health, music....
STAND TOGETHER, STAY APART
Yesterday afternoon dozens of cars full of honking, waving Rountree Elementary teachers were streaming down our street. They were driving block by block, with balloons and posters on their cars, reminding students they are missed and loved. It was hard to keep my eyes dry as I watched little kids overcome with joy to see … Continue reading STAND TOGETHER, STAY APART
“SOMETHING GIGANTIC,” THE SONG…
The first single from my new solo album, Something Gigantic, dropped today. If you would be so kind as to give it a listen on your favorite streaming service (link to Spotify here), that will help ignite the algorithm section (the most overlooked member of the band) and boost the profile of the song and … Continue reading “SOMETHING GIGANTIC,” THE SONG…
MY SUPER TUESDAY
After a sleepless night full of strange and terrifying dreams, I started the day thinking about the things that pull us together and tear us apart. It’s Super Tuesday. And the coronavirus is spreading. Fourteen states and American Samoa are holding presidential primaries, and the battles between so-called progressives and moderates in the Democratic Party … Continue reading MY SUPER TUESDAY
Hash Browns, Hot Sauce, and the Rhetoric of Love
John Sisco was one of my communication professors in college. He was the last of a kind: very tough, demanding, often disgusted. His research agenda had included the bare-knuckle rhetoric of labor unions. He parsed ideas with precision and he didn’t suffer fools. His skin was leathery, his eyes piercing, and his authoritative baritone could … Continue reading Hash Browns, Hot Sauce, and the Rhetoric of Love
BLACKFACE THE NATION
We discussed “call-out” and “cancel” culture in my communication ethics class last week. These days, when someone is found to have committed some wrongdoing (racism, homophobia, sexual assault, etc.), we take to social media to call them out publicly, or we summon the hostility of the masses and “cancel” them, or boycott them in some … Continue reading BLACKFACE THE NATION
NO CONVICTION
I grew up believing I was created for something gigantic. “I don’t know what it is yet, but the Lord has a big plan for your life,” my mom would tell me when she prayed for me at night. I don’t think I’ve ever completely come to terms with how that affected me. I’ve always … Continue reading NO CONVICTION
CHICKEN LITTLE, THE SKY IS FALLING, AND ME
My friend, Will, hosted an event at Urban Roots Farm last October – a small gathering of farmer-poets and songmakers, reading their words and singing their sounds. It was a crisp fall evening. The firepit was warm, the words were wise, and the honest sense of community was reminding me why we had returned to … Continue reading CHICKEN LITTLE, THE SKY IS FALLING, AND ME
THE BABY, THE BATHWATER, AND THE OVERTON WINDOW
I’m returning to the academic classroom this fall. Sorta. I’m teaching a graduate course in communication ethics at Drury University; and as I prep my syllabus and lectures, I’m trying to integrate some of the things I’ve learned from our time on the road listening to America. We met a lot of people out there … Continue reading THE BABY, THE BATHWATER, AND THE OVERTON WINDOW
ROUNTREE HOME
Betsy grew up on the corner of Grand Street and Pickwick Avenue, in the Rountree Neighborhood: an eclectic, century-old, sidewalked, tree-canopied, university area in Springfield, Missouri. She lived there through college, until we were married in 1986. After a few years away, we ended up settling back in Rountree about 20 years ago. We befriended … Continue reading ROUNTREE HOME
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