Constitutive Rhetoric in the Stewart/Colbert Universe
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THE LOGIC OF IRONIC APPROPRIATION: CONSTITUTIVE RHETORIC IN THE STEWART/COLBERT UNIVERSE Christopher A.Medjesky A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate College of Bowling Green State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY August 2012 Committee: Michael L. Butterworth, Advisor Gary Heba Graduate Faculty Representative Joshua Atkinson Clayton Rosati ii ABSTRACT Michael L. Butterworth, Advisor Scholars have long considered myth to be the driving force of rhetorical constitution. While myth has and remains a key logic that aids rhetoric in the formation of audiences, Roland Barthes argues that myth is a tool best served to produce right-leaning political discourse. As such, the shared logic of myth has encouraged the constitution of audiences that are positioned to act in ways that lead to predetermined judgments of politics and society that reinforce current power structures. Yet, Barthes argues that, despite myth’s dominance in discourse, another logic must exist that is better suited for left-leaning political purposes. Looking at the related paratexts from Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, and the entire Stewart/Colbert universe, I argue this universe utilizes such an alternative logic to produce left- leaning constitutive rhetoric. This logic of ironic appropriation serves to hail an audience into being, position that audience toward action, and uses that action to make judgments about the world in which the audience lives. Using the three principles of ironic appropriation—irony, intertextuality, and interactivity—the Stewart/Colbert universe produces texts that encourage individuals to come together into an audience that questions the normalization of incommensurability in discourse and, instead, seeks to find ways to build bridges and increase political activity. Far from producing a cynical audience, the Stewart/Colbert universe uses ironic appropriation to help the audience see democracy as an interactive experience that truly serve the needs of the people when the people are willing to work together. iii This text is dedicated to Edythe Staats and Evelyn Martindale, who got me ready for college, and Nikki Medjesky, who got me through it. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Here let me acknowledge and thank those that, in numerous and various ways, helped me complete this study: Family First • Nikki, I keep all those early Fs you gave me on my first writing assignments to remind me of how far I have come. Without your constant and honest support in all aspects of my life over these 11 years of college, I would be miserable instead of doing what I love. This is just as much yours as it is mine. • Connor, you have given me a reason to remember why I got into this profession and helped me remember what I want my life to be about. I am the luckiest dad in the world. • Hogan, you kept me sane when I felt alone with my thoughts, and forced me to nap when I needed sleep. I love all three of you so much. • Mom, you always pushed me and encouraged me. I never had any doubt I could accomplish this task and that confidence came from you. Thank you! • Pop, thank you for taking care of Mom when I no longer could. I knew she was in good hands (and so were you!). I love you and Mom, and I am happy to make you proud. • Finally, thank you to the rest of my family who never complained when Mom bragged on me and always supported me. I really am lucky to have you. Committee • Dr. Mike Butterworth, from the first day we met you challenged me (I still think professional wrestling is a great rhetorical subject!). You never stopped challenging. I am a better scholar every day I know you. I have learned to both make and take criticism from our relationship. I could not have had a more perfect advisor for my needs, but I know anyone would be lucky to work with you. I have full confidence that, as the years pass, people will stand in awe of the fact that I am a Butterworthian descendent. • Dr. Joshua Atkinson, you scared everyone in the Social Movements course so bad I knew I had to have you on my committee. You have always been honest and supporting, but I know you will also keep me thinking and never let me settle that my first conclusions were the right ones. I only hope that I can now be allowed to call you Josh. • Dr. Clayton Rosati, you are a wonderful example of what a graduate faculty member should be. Supportive in every way, you gave up so much time to help me get to this point that I could never repay you let alone pay it forward. I know the value of scrutinizing every word now, and will continue to pay that much attention to my work. • Dr. Gary Heba, in hindsight, I wish I could have taken courses with you. I was very lucky to have you as my outside committee member. You ensured I was treated fairly and challenged me on some important areas that helped shape this dissertation. v BGSU Supporters • Drs. Gi Woong Yun & Sung-Yeon Park, thank you for giving me so many opportunities to learn from you as teachers and scholars. It is rare that someone would take on a student that was not one of their advisees and give them so much support, let alone someone who does not come from the same paradigm. • Dr. Tom Mascaro, no one I have ever met has been so willing to give of their ideas and feedback. You are a role model for what I should be as a professor both to students and colleagues. • To the rest of the BGSU Media & Communication faculty, we may be small and without the reputation of a top tier school, but collectively you show the rest of the discipline why graduates like me should be as respected as anyone else. Thank you all for all your support. Academic Support • Dr. Andrew Ade, you had no reason to be my mentor and yet you never stopped being the one person I know I can turn to when I feel frustrated or concerned. You are a gift to students. • Dr. Jeffrey Bersett, thank you for encouraging me to begin the journey to graduate school and always treating me with the respect of a friend and colleague. • Dr. Deborah Mitchell, without you and your teaching I would never have known what I wanted to do with my life. Although I do not just do film studies anymore, without your courses I would be in a cubicle right now. • Drs. Betsy Ford, Suzanne Prestien, and the rest of the Westminster College Film Studies and Theater faculty, thank you for laying the foundation for this accomplishment. • Dr. Jay Clarkson, right out of the gate I knew you were going to be tough on me. And you were. But without that toughness I would not have been positioned to write this dissertation. I was two steps ahead at almost every turn, and you were the one that shoved me out in front. • To the people at the 2011 Wayne State Doctoral Honors Seminar, in particular Dr. John Lucaites, thank you for your early and honest feedback on the early stages of this project. • To Group B of the 2011 NCA Doctoral Honors Seminar, thank you too for feedback on the early parts of this project. In particular, thanks to Dr. Kent Ono for taking an hour to help me shed some of the problems before I wasted time developing them. • To Dr. Charles Morris III, who gave up his personal time throughout the past year to offer advice, thank you. Chapter II owes more to you than you could imagine. vi My Friends and Colleagues • Kyle, thank you for being my guiding light during this process and always showing me the way by doing it a year before me. • Lesley, thank you for keeping Kyle sane so he could be that guiding light. • Franklin, we did this whole process together. I am proud to say I earned my degrees with you. • Suzanne, you are a great friend and scholar. Thank you for all your kindness and for always being a lunch partner. • Sean, when I first met you, I thought you were a pompous know-it-all. And I was right. Which is why I value our friendship so much—you’re just like me. I only hope we get to work together again in the future. • Matt, I wish you had come along two years sooner. I could only imagine what more we could have accomplished. I know we will be chasing each other down the career path for the next 25 years, and I could not think of a better person to do it with. • Brian, you have been a great friend. I hope I stay friends with everyone, but I know we will be there to bounce ideas off each other for the rest of our lives (and hopefully play a round.) • Cory, like Kyle, you were brave enough to be one move ahead of me. Without your example, I would have never known what to expect from “The Trifecta.” • Tom, you were the one that helped me become a part of the film studies program at Westminster. I am so proud to have you as a friend and appreciate of the many opportunities you have given me. • Dave, you have always made me want to be tougher and smarter. I am lucky to have such a great friend for so long. • Ben, you are an inspiration of a person.