On Sat, 24 Jan 1998, Adam Kessler wrote:
> Although (perhaps unfortunately) the wsn list has an audience of 20, it
> would still be a good thing if the above paragraph written by Austin became
> famous. It basically says that the victims of the Gulag deserved what they
> got (like racists and neo-nazis). God save us from those who love mankind!
Please explain the logic of this argument. I am very interested in hearing
the creative rhetoric that one might one might use to justify the claim
that my expose on the rhetorical function on the testimonial can be boiled
down to a claim that the victims of the gulags deserved what they got.
Adam, my argument need not be heard by anyone outside this circle for it
to be "famous." The argument I used is not original. The testimonial is
widely understood as a basic propaganda technique. The fact that the
"horror story" works, and a rather sophisticated understanding of the
psychological reasons behind its working, are basic to social science.
Worked on you, didn't it?
Andy