Abstract Title
An Application of Bahktin’s Theory of the Dialogic to the “No More Campaign”
Abstract
In response to increasing high profile cases of domestic violence, the NFL and Joyful Heart Foundation launched the “No More Campaign.” The campaign features celebrities from procedural dramas saying “no more” to phrases traditionally used to normalize domestic abuse. Using Mikhail Bahktin’s dialogic theory to analyze the campaign, several social implications can be drawn from the campaign. Bahktin’s focus on recognizing intangible systems of discourse and meaning that surround issues demands an interrogation of the constitutive nature of the campaign. An analysis based on these rhetorical parameters reveals that the campaign falls short of its goals. While the campaign begins the conversation by deconstructing common sayings, it fails to establish a replacement of the ways such issues should be discussed. The use of celebrities as a medium limits the ability to transform the situation, because it overgeneralizes instances of abuse and assumes an ability to trust power structures. While the campaign is a first step it is overall unsuccessful.
An Application of Bahktin’s Theory of the Dialogic to the “No More Campaign”
In response to increasing high profile cases of domestic violence, the NFL and Joyful Heart Foundation launched the “No More Campaign.” The campaign features celebrities from procedural dramas saying “no more” to phrases traditionally used to normalize domestic abuse. Using Mikhail Bahktin’s dialogic theory to analyze the campaign, several social implications can be drawn from the campaign. Bahktin’s focus on recognizing intangible systems of discourse and meaning that surround issues demands an interrogation of the constitutive nature of the campaign. An analysis based on these rhetorical parameters reveals that the campaign falls short of its goals. While the campaign begins the conversation by deconstructing common sayings, it fails to establish a replacement of the ways such issues should be discussed. The use of celebrities as a medium limits the ability to transform the situation, because it overgeneralizes instances of abuse and assumes an ability to trust power structures. While the campaign is a first step it is overall unsuccessful.
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Poster #Th20