Rhetorical Analysis Of The Smug Style In American Liberalism

Rhetorical Analysis

American liberalism has deviated from its core values and constituents hence metamorphosing into a toxic disdainful movement. Emmett Rensin in his article in Vox dubbed “The Smug Style in American Liberalism” captures these observations perfectly. He notes that through the condescending notion of knowing has alienated the contemporary liberals from their core values that were deemed progressive in the past. The movement is currently cloaked as the “monopoly on reason” and has a “defensive sneer toward any person or movement outside its consensus” (Rensin). The article infuses rhetorical strategies that are critical in advancing the author’s core message to his target audience.

In his article, Emmett Rensin starts by plotting the historical grounds for the smug liberalism that has pervaded the mainstream media and in policy. He projects that the smug liberalism

By using the story of Kim Davis the clerk that refused to issue marriage certificates to gay couples in Kentucky County, Rensin shows the brutal side of the disdainful liberals. He cites that the smug liberals enjoyed “mocking her appearance, openly celebrating the incarceration of an ideological opponent.” With phrases such as “hateful bigot,” “dumb hicks,” “rubes” are thrown in the article to highlight the condescending tones adopted by the liberals in the recent years against those that they deem conservative or less open to the liberal agenda (Rensin). He even incorporates George Bush’s encounter with the smug liberals that underestimated his Presidential ambitions and tenure as the President. With reference to the Daily Show’s rants, the article continues to show how the liberals have continued to make fun of the “dumb hicks” as “private entertainment of elites blowing off some steam”