From ejt1@columbia.edu Sun Apr 11 08:09:05 1999
Received: from mxu2.u.washington.edu (mxu2.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.9])
	by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.02/8.9.3+UW99.01) with ESMTP id IAA41926
	for <classics@lists.u.washington.edu>; Sun, 11 Apr 1999 08:09:04 -0700
Received: from konichiwa.cc.columbia.edu (IDENT:cu58912@konichiwa.cc.columbia.edu [128.59.59.132])
	by mxu2.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW99.02/8.9.3+UW99.01) with ESMTP id IAA02224
	for <classics@u.washington.edu>; Sun, 11 Apr 1999 08:09:04 -0700
Received: from localhost (ejt1@localhost)
	by konichiwa.cc.columbia.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id LAA13385
	for <classics@u.washington.edu>; Sun, 11 Apr 1999 11:09:03 -0400 (EDT)
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 1999 11:09:02 -0400 (EDT)
From: Elias J Theodoracopoulos <ejt1@columbia.edu>
Sender: ejt1@columbia.edu
To: Classics List <classics@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Rhetoric in high places
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.4.10.9904111039560.5802-100000@sawasdee.cc.columbia.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII


National Public Radio this morning had a segment in which Kathleen Hall
Jamieson, of the Annenberg School of Communications, University of
Pennsylvania, commented on the President's use of language in his speeches
concerning the war campaign in Yugoslavia. Her analysis was detailed and
perceptive, so far as it went, and touched on form, content and context of
delivery.

My questions to you all: Why aren't there classicists trained in ancient
rhetoric called on to comment on the same matters as Jamieson? For I
believe that any classicist so trained would be a more astute observer and 
critic of modern rhetoric. Why are classicists called upon by NPR to
comment only on "harmless" topics (be they literature or ancient customs
and their modern analogues, vel sim.)? We have been assured repeatedly on
this list that classicists do harbor political opinions (but are reluctant
to express in public, on the list). If so, they *must* be able to
analyse cogently a speech or two dealing with preparations for war, right?
Why is this type of contribution to national affairs absent from the
national dialogue? 

Why don't classicists do it then? And what is the APA outreach team doing
about it?

--Elias J. Theodoracopoulos     



.