Rhetorical Analysis of Resistance to Environmentalism As Enactment of Morality Play between Social and Ecological Well‐Being

Abstract

Well‐being is a goal pursued by many consumer resistance movements. This study contributes to the literature by analyzing the rhetorical appeals and techniques utilized by the Resisting the Green Dragon (RGD) movement that employs the value of social well‐being to oppose environmentalism. We integrate prominent consumer resistance discourses and religiously charged nationalistic mythical narratives to interpret the RGD phenomenon using rhetorical analysis. The authors examine the rhetorical structure of the RGD YouTube campaign designed to activate resistance to environmentalism. Results indicate that the RGD campaign portrays environmentalists as morally bankrupt individuals surreptitiously limiting the freedom of all‐too‐willing mainstream consumers. The results further suggest that the RGD campaign positions environmentalism as an anti‐Christian and un‐American phenomenon that sacrifices social well‐being for ecological well‐being. The foundations of the RGD's view are elaborated on and implications are discussed.