DOCUMENT RESUME ED 299 605 CS 506 390 AUTHOR Rogers, Richard A. TITLE Assurance through Performance: The Iran-Contra Hearings as Celebration. PUB DATE Nov 88 NOTE 32p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Speech Communication Association (74th, New Orleans, LA, November 3-6, 1988). PUB TYPE Speeches/Conference Papers (150) -- Information Analyses (070) -- Reports - Evaluative/Feasibility (142) 'RS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Community Attitudes; Discourse Analysis; Foreign Policy; Government Role; *Hearings; Mass Media Role; *Persuasive Discourse; *Rhetorical Criticism IDENTIFIERS Classical Rhetoric; *Epideictic Rhetoric; Government Citizen Relationship; *Iran Contra Hearings; Watergate ABSTRACT Drawing on Michael Halloran's genre of public proceedings, the Iran-contra hearings can be viewed from a celebratory or epideictic perspective, with several conceptualizations of the genre combined to illuminate the functions of the hearings. The primary function of the hearings, at least from an epideictic viewpoint, was the reassurance of the community as to the continued validity of its values and system of government. The hearings can be seen as constituting a socially defined significant event, the occurrence of which is more important than the specific content. The perceived legitimacy of the hearings takes on critical importance in order for the "performance" of the hearings to achieve its goal of community continuance. The primaryepide4-- function was accomplished largely by means of what Walter Beale terms the rhetorical performative: the mere act of the hearings, defined by our system and made by our media into a significant event, could accomplish this reassuring function. Specific content may be important only so long as it adds to the appearance of legitimacy. This rhetorical situation may represent an ultimate genre of "democratic discourse," typifying the need to strengthen the community in the course of any major political/rhetorical event. The Iran-contra hearings certainly reinforced the power and necessity of epideictic rhetoric in contemporary American political rhetoric. (Sixty-five notes are attached.) (RAE) ****************tt***************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * ******************ft**************************************************** - s Assurance Through Performance: The Iran-contra Hearings as Celebration U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS Once of Educational Researchand Improvement MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC} OThis document has been reproducedas ,.\(\cAcZ recewed from the person or organization Ofiginatmg rt. 0 Mini Changes havebeen made to improve reproduction ouahty Pomts 01viewOf OtamOnS Stated on thtSdOCIr TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES ment at, notnecessarily represent &haat OEM position or poucy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." by Richard A. Rogers Department of Communication Univemity.of Utah Salt Lake City UT 84112 Presented to the o Seventy-Fourth Annual Meeting of the cs, co Speech Communication Association New Orleans, Louisiana k-1 November 1988 2 BEST COPY AVAILABLE A ABSTRACT Drawing on Halloran's genre of public proceedings,the Iran- contra hearings are viewedfrom an epideictic perspective, withseveral conceptualizations of the genre being combined toilluminate the functions of the hearings.The primary function of the hearings,at least froman epideictic viewpoint,is the reassurance of the communityof the continued validity of its valuesand system of government. The hearingsare seen as constituting a socially defined significantevent, theoccurrence of which is more important than the specific content. Theperceived legitimacyof the hearings takeson critical importance in order for the'performance" of the hearings to achieve its goal of communitycontinuance. a In July 1974, the televised debate of the House JudiciaryCommittee on the impeachment of Richard Nixon significantly changed theAmerican political scene. Granted, televised proceedings were notentirely new, nor for that matter were Congressional hearings oncorruption or wrong-doing in government, including debate on impeachment.But the combination of the two had far reaching implications for our politicalsystem tr.id, perhaps more importantly, the public's viewof it. Thirteen years later, the American public was to bear witness to anothertelevised public hearing with similar implivtions: the Iran-contra hearings,held from May 5 to August 3, 1957. The 1974 impeachment proceedings were used as a guidingexample in the outlining of a genre of public proceedings by Halloran.I The business of representative bodies involving decision-making heldbefore the body's constituents was characterized as ii unique and important genre inthe rhetoric of contemporary America. Among other characteristics,Halloran discussed the celebratory, or epideictic, aspects ofpublic proceedings. However, there are significant differences between thetwo sets of hearings, even beyond their specific content. Aspointed out by Halloran, the House Judiciary Committee's proceedings were toinclude official action whether or not to advise the House of Representativesto impeach President Nixon. The House and Senate committees involved in theIran-contra hearings were to make no such significant decision. Their goal, asstated by many of those involved in both their openingstatements and, throughout the hearings, was to uncover the facts, present them to the Americanpeople, and make recommendations in their report as to anychap-9s that could be enacted to prevent a similar occurrence in thefuture? But the emphasized 41 goal of the hearings was to uncover thefacts, to answer such questionsas "What did the president know?" and "Wheredid all the money go?" The recommendations were to come later,as a part of their report. Halloran himself clarified the difference: "Yetthere is a difference in that the hearing, unlike a true public proceeding,cannot include official action by the body "3 Thus, as I pondered the question ofhow to categorize these hearings genericallt. Halloran's genre of publicproceedings came close, butwas inadequate. Checking the hearings againsthis criteria, however, didserve a purpose, pointing me in a direction which, I believe,illuminates the function of the hearings in our society.I will not attempt to construct thegenre or genres of which the Iran-contra hearings area part, but instead focus on the celebratory aspects of the hearings. I donot necessarily advance the argument that the hearings are best describedas epideictic rhetoric, but rather that we can gain significant insightsinto the hearings by using celebration as a perspectivea sot of (rose?)colored lensesthrough which to view them. Thenwe VA step back and see what this particularvantage yields, see how it advances our understandingof these hearings, American society and politics, and of the epideicticgenre. This reflects Campbell and Jamieson's view that "Classification IsJustified only by the critical illumination it produces, not by the neatnessof a classificatory schema."4 I will begin by looking at some of theelements of epideictic rhetoric that have been proposed, Including Halloran'sspecific work on celebration in public proceedings. With thatas a basis, I will examine the Iran-contra hearings to illuminate both their epideicticaspects as well as the functions of those aspects. Characteristics of EoideicticRhetoric Meng others haveexamined what has been termed the"macro-genre" of epideictic.5 Variousaspects of the genre have been dismissedas inaccurate or not useful, and new conceptualizations andcharacteristics proposed.6 Although there is little agreement on a precisedefinition of thegenre, several characteristics reflect some degreeof consensus. Thefollowing list of characteristics is not exhaustive,and attempts toreflect Miller's point that "a rhetorically sound definition ofgenre must be centerednot on the substanceor the form of discourse but on the action itis used to accomplish "7 Thimannanonungungharlivn Condit posits that epideictic rhetoricserves to explain the socialworld of the community involved. This Isparticularly important"when some event, person,group, or object Is confusing or troubling:8 This isseen in traditional sub-genresof epideictic such as the eulogy, Thecommunity is assured of the continued existence of its valuesand itself. Millers alteration of 8itzer'sconcept of exigence further clarifies thisfunction: "Exigence must be located in the socialworld... lit) isa form of social knowledgea mutualconstruing of objects, events, interests, andpurposes that not only links them but also makesthem what theyare: an objectified social need "10 Although Aristotle's conception of epideicticas being primarily concerned with the present has beendismissed as overlysimple, Beale's explanation of epideictic as present-centered fitswell with Condit's definition/understanding function. He states thatepideictic rhetoric tends "to be Informed by the 'present' invery special ways, oftentaking their very subjects and forms from the 'present' actionsor ceremonies in which they are embedded, and often serving to bolster faithor pride in the ideals of the 'present system,' or assessing 'wherewe are now' as a community:1i While reconciling the Aristotelian view of epideictic, Bealealso points to the next function of the genre, concerning community values. Value Clarification, Reinforcement, and Reassurance