Abstract
Prior political turmoil in the United States constituted a precarious foundation for living and teaching through a pandemic. In this essay, I contend that pandemic separation and ideological distortion have exacerbated polarization and distrust. I also consider the pedagogical implications of rising extremist discourses and conspiratorial thinking for both students and faculty. Educators must pay attention to the rising threat of extremism and consider that our students may be susceptible to radical antidemocratic ideologies as well. To conclude, I provide examples from some of my classes in the communication discipline to illustrate my approach to teaching the complicated intersections of rhetoric and reality in today’s polarized political climate.
Highlights
Prior political turmoil in the United States constituted a precarious foundation for living and teaching through a pandemic
The United States was already suffering before the World Health Organization (n.d.) declared COVID-19 a global pandemic on March 13, 2020
As a communication professor who studies political rhetoric and teaches classes ranging from Public Speaking to Rhetorical Criticism, I have always emphasized that rhetoric creates reality
Summary
To slow the spread of the highly contagious coronavirus, countries around the world imposed nationwide lockdowns to keep people from gathering in groups. The more people engaged online, the more they participated in echo chambers that often perpetuated misinformation and disinformation. The lives of U.S citizens abiding by pandemic restrictions got smaller and more insular. For those citizens who already adhered to an antigovernment worldview, the year of pandemic-related limits reinforced their disdain for government overreach. Destructive emotions such as anger, fear, and resentment had ample time to fester as American minds wandered in quarantine isolation. The internet has complicated John Stuart Mill’s idealized metaphor of democracy as a marketplace of ideas because the marketplace includes unverified information circulating in partisan and extremist echo chambers. Unchecked inflammatory discourses have painted fellow citizens in nefarious terms and have perpetuated distrust that is highly detrimental to democracy
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
