Celebrity Rhetoric And Sexual Misconduct Cases

"This book considers the rhetorical strategies used by celebrities and their surrogates and attorneys when faced with claims of sexual misconduct. During the past five years, a series of public figures have claimed that their celebrity persona is distinct from their "real" self as a way of eluding allegations of sexual misconduct in the courthouse and in the court of public opinion. This book examines three case studies in which such claims were employed, namely Terry Bollea/Hulk Hogan, President Donald Trump/Reality Show Host Donald Trump, and R. Kelly/ Robert Kelly, to assess the mediated and legal communicative strategies used and their potential implications. Using a technique which the author calls "discursive self-cleaving", these stars strategically craft statements on social media, in the press, and in the courtroom to create a discourse that works to shift blame away from their behavior. The book also traces the relationship between these discursive approaches and the politics of sexual violence and domestic abuse during the early months of the #MeToo movement and beyond. Providing a richly detailed analysis of how this discourse functions and why jurors and members of the public find it convincing, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of Communication Studies, Rhetoric, Media, Law, and Popular Culture Studies"--

This book considers the rhetorical strategies used by celebrities and their surrogates and attorneys when faced with claims of sexual misconduct. During the past five years, a series of public figures has claimed that their celebrity persona is distinct from their “real” self as a way of eluding allegations of sexual misconduct in the courthouse and in the court of public opinion. This book examines three case studies in which such claims were employed, namely Terry Bollea/Hulk Hogan, President Donald Trump/Reality Show Host Donald Trump, and R. Kelly/Robert Kelly, to assess the mediated and legal communicative strategies used and their potential implications. Using a technique which the author calls “discursive self-cleaving,” these stars strategically craft statements on social media, in the press, and in the courtroom to create a discourse that works to shift blame away from their behavior. The book also traces the relationship between these discursive approaches and the politics of sexual violence and domestic abuse during the early months of the #MeToo movement and beyond. Providing a richly detailed analysis of how this discourse functions and why jurors and members of the public find it convincing, this book will be of interest to students and scholars in the field of communication studies, rhetoric, media, law, and popular culture studies.

Violence is more than an issue in America. It is a pandemic, its negative impacts and corrosive character are harming us whether we are a victim, a bystander or professional tasked with public health and safety. Violence affects us regardless of class or social standing. For decades, celebrities and well-known public figures have taken to the media to share their own experiences with violence. This book spotlights the celebrities and their loved ones who have survived self-harm, bullying, intimate partner violence, sexual assault, family abuse, home invasion, gun violence, or police brutality. Violence prevention experts increasingly recognize the influence of celebrities and work with them to spread awareness. This collection of case studies aims to support this growing influence by documenting the effects of violence prevention through celebrity advocacy.

In examining the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, and by extension their communication styles, this book provides a foundation for understanding charismatic leadership and its potent effect on followers. The book identifies each leader’s charismatic leadership attributes, focusing specifically on communication and impression management. It presents a qualitative collection of leader observations and outcomes based on publications and audio and video recordings. By examining two distinctly different leaders, each with evidence of effective, if controversial, outcomes, it shows a spectrum of approaches to mobilizing followers. This book is suited to students and readers interested in leadership studies, leadership communication, and persuasion.

Soccer has long been known as 'the beautiful game'. This multi-disciplinary volume explores soccer, soccer culture, and the representation of soccer in art, film, and literature, using the critical tools of aesthetics, poetics, and rhetoric. Including international contributions from scholars of philosophy, literary and cultural studies, linguistics, art history, and the creative arts, this book begins by investigating the relationship between beauty and soccer and asks what criteria should be used to judge the sport’s aesthetic value. Covering topics as diverse as humor, national identity, style, celebrity, and social media, its chapters examine the nature of fandom, the role of language, and the significance of soccer in contemporary popular culture. It also discusses what one might call the ‘stylistics’ of soccer, analyzing how players, fans, and commentators communicate on and off the pitch, in the press, on social media, and in wider public discourse. The Aesthetics, Poetics, and Rhetoric of Soccer makes for fascinating reading for anybody with an interest in sport, culture, literature, philosophy, linguistics, and society.

From the trials of Oscar Pistorius to O. J. Simpson and Michael Jackson, this innovative book provides a critical review of 11 high profile criminal cases. It delivers an accessible examination of the sociological and psychological processes underpinning the construction of guilt and innocence in criminal trials, the media and wider society.

In recent decades, some of the most celebrated and culturally influential American oratorical performances have come not from political leaders or religious visionaries, but from stand-up comics. Even though comedy and satire have been addressed by rhetorical scholarship in recent decades, little attention has been paid to stand-up. This collection is an attempt to further cultivate the growing conversation about stand-up comedy from the perspective of the rhetorical tradition. It brings together literatures from rhetorical, cultural, and humor studies to provide a unique exploration of stand-up comedy that both argues on behalf of the form’s capacity for social change and attempts to draw attention to a series of otherwise unrecognized rhetors who have made significant contributions to public culture through comedy.

This Handbook gathers together empirical and theoretical chapters from leading scholars and clinicians to examine the broad issue of adult mental health. The contributors draw upon data from a variety of contexts to illustrate the multiple ways in which language as action can assist us in better understanding the discursive practices that surround adult mental health. Conversation and discourse analysis are useful, related approaches for the study of mental health conditions, particularly when underpinned by a social constructionist framework. In the field of mental health, the use of these two approaches is growing, with emergent implications for adults with mental health conditions, their practitioners, and/or their families. Divided into four parts; Reconceptualising Mental Health and Illness; Naming, Labelling and Diagnosing; The Discursive Practice of Psychiatry; and Therapy and Interventions; this Handbook provides a comprehensive overview of current debates regarding adult mental health.

This thesis investigates young peoples’ meaning-making around celebrity victims of image-based sexual abuse, utilising semi-structured focus group interviews with 13 women (aged 18-25) and 4 men (aged 20-27). Image-based sexual abuse covers a range of behaviours in which nude, sexual or intimate images are non-consensually shared, regardless of the nature and context of their creation. The term is used as a replacement for the mainstream misnomer ‘revenge pornography’. This study found meaning-making of image-based sexual abuse indicated some variation in accepted definitions of violence, with women generally constructing image-based sexual abuse as a form of sexual violence and men constructing a narrow understanding of violence and harm, in terms of physicality, that precludes an understanding of imagebased sexual abuse as violence or abuse. Further, focus group data suggested female victims’ sexual status (based on sexual history, reputation and sexualised appearance) had more of an effect, than celebrity status, on participants’ constructions of undeserving and deserving victims. These hegemonic patriarchal constructions of femininity support rape myths that deny victimisation of some women. Female participants constructed a continuum of risky behaviour, through the discussion of celebrity and non-celebrity victims. This suggests a convergence of responsibilisation and heteronormative femininity, ultimately demonstrating the prevalence of victim-blaming rhetoric. The male participants did not discuss risk, however their constructions of male (hetero)sexuality supported the young women’s perception of the ever-present possibility of abuse and the need for women to manage risk. Conversely, in discussions surrounding why men engage in both non-consensually sharing and the viewing of such images, female and male participants relied on a naturalisation of the differences between male and female (hetero)sexualities, essentially excusing illegal, immoral and unethical male behaviour. Overall, this thesis provides insight into how young people negotiate and adopt available patriarchal discourses that support victim-blaming attitudes and rape myths.

Why are we fascinated by celebrities we’ve never met? What is the difference between fame and celebrity? How has social media enabled a new wave of celebrities? The Psychology of Celebrity explores the origins of celebrity culture, the relationships celebrities have with their fans, how fame can affect celebrities, and what shapes our thinking about celebrities we admire. The book also addresses the way in which the media has been and continues to be an outlet for celebrities, culminating in the role of social media, reality television, and technology in our modern society. Drawing on research featuring real life celebrities from the Kardashians to Michael Jackson, The Psychology of Celebrity shows us that celebrity influence can have both positive and negative outcomes and the impact these can have on our lives.