Rants, rallies and riots — discourse of dissent

Voices of unrest — the power and peril of public expression

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Disclaimer: Please remember, this blog space is solely for constructive and respectful dialogue. Everyone is welcomed; let’s be kind and thoughtful. Happy reading and I am always open to feedback and comments.

About four years ago, as a Doctoral student, I served as the Teaching Assistant (TA) for a third-year class catalogued at the University of Waterloo, Canada, as “The Discourse of Dissent.” It is a course offered periodically maintaining much of the same content with added currency for relevance. This course instance Winter 2020, examined the social, historical, and rhetorical elements of collective action, offering a comprehensive view of what we termed “dissent.” Together with the students, we examined the underlying mechanisms of consent and conformity to understand the reasons, impacts, and methods behind the expression of dissent.

This instance of the course was particularly immersive and challenging, aligning with the disturbing events of the Capitol Hill Riots of 2020 and set against…