Speech can be toxic in many ways, to many degrees, and it can cause a variety of different harms. This talk will focus on the toxic dimensions of right-wing extremist rhetoric, for two purposes. First, to understand its mechanisms, and second to identify ways to resist and promote resistance. Dr. Tirrell’s approach focuses on discursive practices rather than one-off speech acts, emphasizing patterns of speech that enact norms shaping how we treat each other, how well we can thrive, and we function as citizens. When a society is besieged by the drumbeat of hate in everyday speech and in political pronouncements, what can the average citizen do? Let’s explore this together, with a clear eye on what is at stake.
This event is co-sponsored with the Department of Linguistics, Department of Philosophy, and the Humanities Institute.
