Series: Art of Discourse
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Power Punching Up as Art and Truth as Boxing Glove Reader, you’ve returned! Splendid! Why are the loudest out there often the ones punching down? At some point you’ll notice these things for the distractions that they are. The most powerful liars out there are often the loudest because they fear being heard. Sound strange?…
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How Punching Down Hurts All Now, let us cast our gaze upon a darker shadow in the realm of discourse: punching down. To punch down is to target the powerless, the vulnerable, or the nearly voiceless; those who have no say in the systems that govern their lives and who have most often been used…
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Leveraging Truthful Criticism of Immoral and Illegitimate Power Here we arrive as a most profound truth: the powerful are often immoral. This is a mere observation. Power corrupts, as the adage goes. Yet, there remains more to this than a simple warning. The powerful are not merely flawed, anymore than others; they are often systematically…
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Identify the Patterns of Power to Unravel Now, let us step back and examine the pattern we’ve uncovered. There is a reason why these two elements of discourse (speaking truth to power and punching up rather than down) are so vital. The first principle, speaking truth to power, ensures that those in authority are held…
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Destroy the Corruptive Element with the Corrective What does it mean for discourse to be a weapon against corruption? It is the primary means by which we challenge the powerful, expose their lies, and force accountability. Discourse is the tool that allows us to speak truth to power and punch up rather than down. Where…