Kelly 1 Ryan Kelly II Dr.

John Blake Scott ENC 3331 Section 0001 14 November 2011 Rhetorical Citizenship Paper 2 Finding the Right Motivation: A Service Ethos in Rhetorical Citizenship Introduction Its impossible to turn on the television these days without seeing some celebrity, politician, or TV personality pontificating about a solution they have to a seemingly insuperable problem. And, as dictated by my original definition of rhetorical citizenship, one could not help but applaud their oratory ability along with their superlative social awareness. But by the same token, if we were to examine, say, Adolf Hitler or some other powerful figure of ill repute (to certainly say the least), according to my original standards for rhetorical citizenship, we might be compelled to praise even them. What does this all mean? That an urgent amendment to my original definition of rhetorical citizenship is needed one that adds another criterion to the tenuous terms currently supporting it. Because it takes more than a silver tongue and a sense of initiative to be a true rhetorical citizen. Belief in ones own parochial perception of right and wrong can cast even the most altruistic of intentions in a malignant light. Hence, in order to truly attain the status of rhetorical citizenship, one must engage in every community endeavor with the publics interest at heart. Still, for some this may hardly be a distinguishable addendum, so some elaboration would be appropriate.

Part One: A Downward Spiral of Egotism

Kelly 2 Needless to say, Americans have proven themselves to be quite a resilient race. With that being said, it only makes sense that we would predicate our individual actions on, well, being individuals. Never saying never, pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps, and ultimately, fulfilling our own ambitions. This is most likely the reason why my previous definition of rhetorical citizenship seemed so apropos at first. Our wont as Americans is to do whatever seems correct in our own minds. Fortunately, this semi-retrospective has allowed me to identify two key misconceptions that led to my initial, slightly incorrect definition: A pervasive bent in society towards privatization and the obfuscation of what real public good is. If youre like most Americans, in that youd prefer to be shielded from the mercurial ways of the government, chances are youve taken refuge in the private sector. And why not? You have more control over your own welfare and likewise have more authority in what you are able to do with what your money affords you. In this way, one might believe at first that a privatized occupation is the best way for one to experience rhetorical citizenship. Unfettered by public regulations, freedom to pursue a personal goal would be feasible. Besides the fact that these goals are usually very self-centered anyway, consider what would happen if all American institutions followed this provincial thought process. The health-care industry, higher education, and other institutions once considered the pillars of the public sector have now been besmirched by the trend of privatization. No longer are they aspects of our society that make use more socially aware, but they are merely expedients designed for special-interest fat-cats to have their way (Welch 33). Sure, to succeed in your own specific agenda, you should have an acute knowledge of local and/or global happenings as well as be a glib talker. But can we honestly say that a person who fits this bill is a rhetorical citizen? No. One whose predominant concern is

Kelly 3 public service through ones private interests is not exemplifying rhetorical citizenship. It is a seductive facsimile, but not quite legitimate. Speaking of public service, its high time the definition of that was explicitly stated, though it really should be a given considering the fact that the words public and service are pretty lucid concepts. My original definition of rhetorical citizenship took for granted the essence of what public service really is. Somewhere along the course of human history, public service became synonymous with the hackneyed principle the end justifies the means. People want to solve the problems in their communities but effectively put the cart in front of the horse when they focus on what they want before what the public wants. If we were to switch our emphases on fulfilling the will of the community and not our own personal beliefs, the end result would be an even higher level of prosperity for all within firmament. Some may argue that its near impossible to gauge what everyone wants and that it is impossible to please everyone. Wrong. The founding fathers of our United States Constitution have enumerated the unalienable rights of mankind and, provided that we stay true to those principles of old, we can succeed in finding the elusive everlasting compromise. How so, specifically? It means one has to step down from the pulpit of representative bodies like Congress and the federal judiciary and be willing to listen to the voices of the people (Wells 329). Rhetorical citizenship seems to connote close coordination with government bodies, but this would be an ill-founded assumption. Rhetorical citizenship is a pure concept that allies itself with the will of the people unfiltered through sanctimonious charlatans in shirts and ties and political backgammon. By that sort of definition, we see that rhetorical citizenship isnt that hard to attain after all. If Americans manage to corral their tendency to go to the extremes ends of the community spectrum on one side being privatization from paranoia and the other being

Kelly 4 complete immersion into all things government, we can find the golden mean that will allow us to become rhetorical citizens although it should be acknowledged that many will furrow their brow at this new definition yet and still. After all, since so few people can be called rhetorical citizens, it stands to reason that it is difficult to find the balance between public and private motivation. Under the circumstances, I find that I would make a fine example of how to best straddle these two ideas.

Part Two: The Evolving Infrastructure Its almost a moot point to discuss my goals for my own rhetorical citizenship in an ideal world. After all, actions arent performed in a vacuum; there is a context, there are variables to account forand there may be consequences that may or may not have been foreseen. Be that as it may, at the very least, this should not preclude cogitation on how I could live my civic life with all other things being equal. From what Ive been able to project about my future so far, I have hypothesized that my scholastic endeavors (those being from undergraduate through law school) will serve as the spring board to my ideal civic engagement. As stated previously, since I define rhetorical citizenship as not only community awareness and good communication skills but a devotion to public interest (not government), my infrastructure represents a compromise between government-sponsored activities and more private entities. At the University of Central Florida Im involved in a pretty healthy amount of extracurricular activities, but in all honesty I can only say that I interact with about three groups on a regular basis: The National Black Law Student Association, the SGA Judicial Council, and the University Writing Center. Each contributes something specific that will push me towards my ideal rhetorical citizenship. The writing center has taught me how to work with others and to

Kelly 5 assess the rhetorical quality of my own pieces. The SGA Judicial Council has taught me about the ambiguity of the law and the importance of being an impartial member serving it. And the NBLSA grounds me in that it helps me to stay true to what my ultimate goals of being an ethical and civically engaged lawyer. All of these groups have already begun to lend me their power and I intend to use what I have gained from them in law school. As a side note, my induction into the National Society of Collegiate Scholars makes me ever aware that simpler ways exists for helping others. Though I dont particularly care for performing such menial tasks, I do acknowledge their importance and if I had the time and resources, I would probably be more involved in it. Once I get into law school, my actual education in class will take more prominence. A balanced curriculum of both private and government law courses (with no preponderance towards either one) will ensure that I stay true to my definition of rhetorical citizenship. Law review membership will also help me refine my writing skills and build upon the foundation that was set in my undergraduate education. Likewise, membership in the official law school chapter of BLSA (as it is known in law school) will help me to maintain my sense of community. Clinical opportunities in law school will allow me to provide legal services free of charge to the indigent and in need, reinforcing the principles of my definition of rhetorical citizenship. I will have reached the pinnacle of my evolution when I gain my first job in the legal market: A lawyer who specializes in federal regulation (specifically communications law) and is trained to argue before government agencies (like the FCC). Special cases of public import will be taken on a pro bono basis, thus fulfilling my definition of rhetorical citizenship. Once I have reached this point in my life, my growth will be complete and all that will be left to do is to

Kelly 6 maintain the rhetorical citizenship that I have acquired through my focus on both private and public issues, combined with attention to the community. William Shakespeare once said, There is no good and evil, but thinking makes it so. But he was mistaken. Motivation makes it so. People must ultimately decide who they will ally themselves with: Each other, or their own interests. People dont realize that ideology is impersonal. It only seeks to satisfy itself. The quintessential rhetorical citizen will not remain immured in a big business building trying to figure out what other bird he can kill with his stone and will similarly not deliberately distort the purpose of our government with selfish views. The quintessential rhetorical citizen will do right by the people and for the people.

Kelly 7 Works Cited Welch, Nancy. Aint Nobodys Business? A Public Personal History of Privacy after Baird v. Eisenstadt. The Private, the Public, and the Published: Reconciling Private Lives and Public Rhetoric. Ed. Barbara Couture and Thomas Kent. Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 2004. 1730. Wells, Susan. Rogue Cops and Health Care: What Do We Want From Public Writing? College Composition and Communication. 47.3 (1996): 325-41. Print.