Identity Words. Groups tend to develop a set of words or culture types that express their values, identity, and goals.The rhetorical critic Richard Weaver called one such set of words “god and devil terms.” He suggested that progress was the primary “god term” of American culture in the mid- twentieth century. People were willing to do almost anything to achieve the benefits the word suggested. Other terms of the 1950s, such as science, modem, and efficient, enjoyed similar power because they were rooted in American values. On the other hand, words like Communist and un-American were “devil terms.” Devil terms strengthen group ties by suggesting what we are not. Culture types can change over time: By the mid-1970s, words like natural, peace, and communication were emerging god terms; liberal and pollution were emerging devil terms.
Other words also seem charged with unusual power, perhaps because they refer to basic needs. The term security expresses our desire for safe, stable surroundings. According to political scientist Murray Edelman, expressions like “national security” and “social security” have a kind of built-in resonance that makes the programs they advance hard to resist. “Home security systems” may seem like an especially good investment, even when they are expensive. Communication scholar Michael Calvin McGee has also introduced the idea of ideographs, special words that express a country’s basic political beliefs. McGee suggests that words like freedom, liberty, and democracy are important because they are shorthand expressions of political identity. Expressions like “freedom fighters” or “democracy in action” have unusual power because they use ideographs. But one person’s “freedom fighter” can be another person’s “terrorist.” We need to look behind such glittering words to inspect the agendas they may hide.
In addition to national culture types, you should also consider whether there may be special words that express group identity for your audience. In what does your school take pride? Who are its rivals? One student at Indiana University strengthened her appeal for blood donations by arguing: “Purdue students have done it—why can’t we?” Presumably, student speakers at Purdue University could use Indiana in the same way. Culture types add strength to a speech when used ethically. They remind
us of our heritage and suggest that we must be true to that identity. However,
you must prove that they are properly applied to your topic.

Leave a Reply