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Running Head: WEATHERRHETORIC CALL TO VIOLENCE

weatherrhetoricthe call to violence

speaing to e!tre"es in support o# a $righteous% cause

A&'TRACT: The #ollowing paper anal()es a particular rhetorical event in the histor( o# the

revolutionar( underground group Weather"an*a single speech during their +ece",er -./.

0lint1 2ichigan $War Council%*then e!pands outward to their use o# actual e!plosives to createwhat +eluca 3-...4 calls $"ind ,o",s5% This paper also used 6regg7s 3-.8-4 notion o# the $ego9

#unction% o# protest rhetoric to discover what #unction ,oth e!plosive rhetoric and rhetorical

e!plosions served #or the organi)ation5 2( thesis: Weather"an7s rhetoric and Weather"an7s,o",s served the sa"e purpose5 2( purpose is si"ple: We need to understand how Weather"an

ca"e to ,e and how it "anaged to co""it the actions it did1 and we "ust do the sa"e #or all

#or"s o# protests ,ecause e!plosive rhetoric does not e"erge spontaneousl( it co"es #ro"

so"ewhere and it does1 indeed1 have a point5

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE -

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE;

part one : same rhetoric, different day

Whenever there are guns and bombs, the line narrows between politics and terror, between

rebellion and gangsterism. Bill Ayers, 0ugitive +a(s(p. 2!"

'o"eti"es1 our rhetoric gets ahead o# us5 InNove",er o# last (ear;ust co"e down5 &( the end o# the da(1 police and other vehicles were

in #la"es in 0erguson5 0urther rioting and violence would occur5 +a(s later1 Louis Head tells

CNN:

I was so angr( and #ull o# raw e"otions1 as so "an( others were1 and granted1 I screa"edout words that I shouldn7t have screa"ed in the heat o# the "o"ent555 It was wrong1 and I

hu",l( apologi)e to all those who read "( pain and anger as a true desire #or what I

want #or our co""unit(5 3Hanna1 ?ere) @ ?roupec)1 ;

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE

eas( #or rhetoric to wor this wa( in e!tre"e situations5 One o# the wo"en in the radical

Weather"an group writes in her poe" $0or Assata 'haur% o# $A ,allooning ,reath o# anger

caged inside B Care#ull( choosing the "o"ent o# attac% 3+ohrn1 A(ers @ ones1 -.8DB;

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE=

$nderground1 said he was $e",arrassed ,( the arrogance1 the solipsis"1 the a,solute certaint(

that we and we alone new the wa(J The rigidit( and the narcissis"5% 3Fuoted in '"ith1 ;oe a,out the distri,ution o#

wealth% 3i,id45 On the one hand1 he cannot re"e",er sa(ing it1 (et he is sure it was a >oe5 The

surrounding rhetoric was is clear5 A huge papier9"chM "achine gun hung in the ,allroo" where

the( held their $War Council5% A poster on the wall depicted a ri#le and the words ?IECE NOW5

6itlin 3-.84 descri,es a $twent(9#oot poster that depicted ,ullets attached ecu"enicall( to the

Weather"en7s ene"ies7 list: 2a(or +ale(1 Hu"phre(1 ohnson1 Ni!on1 Ronald Reagan1 the

)uardian*and 'haron Tate555% 3p5 ..45 Tate was the victi" to who" +ohrn re#erredto1 the one

who was sta,,ed with a #or5 Her i"age was on the wall at the $War Council% (et we are

supposed to ,elieve that +ohrn was >oing when she dugTate7s "urder5 It "a( have ,een si"pl(

rhetoric1 so"ething to ,e said ,ut not necessaril( ,elieved1 ,ut it is di##icult to ,elieve that it was

a >oe5

Varon 3;

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCED

white people are the ene"(% 3p5 -.45 &eing a part o# a nation1 as the( saw it1 illing Vietna"ese

,a,ies on the other side o# the world1 the( #elt a responsi,ilit( #or it5 The( were part( to

so"ething a,horrent*"uch lie Louis Head1 the( pro,a,l( did not wantto see A"erica in

#la"es1 ,ut the( saw no other wa( to stop it ,ut to #ight ,ac1 with e!tre"ist rhetoric and with

e!plosives5 O# eFual i"portance to the e!tre"ist rhetoric around the ti"e o# the War Council1

Varon argues1 is the #act that Weather"an pulled itsel# ,ac #ro" $a ind o# a,(ss where the(

stopped power#ull( de#ined the entire >ourne(% 3p5 -/845 This turning point in the rhetoric is vital

in understanding the ongoing trans#or"ation1 #ro" '+' to Weather"an to Weather

Qnderground5 The Weather Qnderground iteration o# Weather"an co""unicated with the world

through a series o# communi*u+s state"ents released to the press*and a series o# ,o",ings5

E!plosions served as a new rhetoric #or an organi)ation "aing an e##ort to ,e less e!tre"e5

Qnderstanding the relationship1 violence as rhetoric1 is integral to understanding not onl(

Weather"an ,ut an( organi)ation 3whether de#ined in a constitution or si"pl( ad hoc4

responding to the darer aspects o# the world1 to ineFualit(1 to racis"1 to govern"ent9sanctioned

violence and oppression5 &uilding on +eLuca7s 3-...4 idea o# the $i"age event% and 6regg7s

3-.8-4 ideas a,out the $ego9#unction% o# protest1 the #ollowingthispaper will e!ploree!ploresthe

rhetoric o# Weather"an1 how it changed over ti"e1 ,ut "ore i"portantl( how it did not5 Hai"an

3-./84 acnowledges1 $"uch o# the current rhetoric o# the streets e!ceeds the ,ounds o#

per"issi,le ti"e1 place1 and "anner% 3p5 -usti#(

e!tre"e tactics1 necessaril(1 ,ut it is vital that we loo to a group lie Weather"an on its own

ter"s1 to neither $dis"iss i"age events as gi""ics or the antics o# the unrul( nor to reduce

the" to #lares sent out to gain attention #or the Preal7 rhetoric% 3+eLuca1 -...1 p5 -845 We need to

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE/

understand how Weather"an ca"e to ,e and how it "anaged to co""it the actions it did1 and

we "ust do the sa"e #or all #or"s o# protests5 E!plosive rhetoric does not e"erge spontaneousl(

it co"es #ro" so"ewhere and it does1 indeed1 have a point5

part two : the ego-function of mind bombs

We were in communication. Bill Ayers, -ugitive ays (p. 22"

&e#ore we get into detail with Weather"an1 we should e!a"ine the ter"inolog( to co"e5

+eLuca 3-...4 and 6regg 3-.8-4 o##er us two wa(s to loo at the e!plosive rhetoric and

rhetorical e!plosions o# Weather"an5

+eLuca 3-...4 #ocuses on environ"ental organi)ations lie 6reenpeace and Earth 0irstG

He tells us1 $Earth 0irstG1 lie 6reenpeace ,e#ore the"1 Junderstands that the signi#icance o#

direct actions is in their #unction as i"age events in the larger arena o# pu,lic discourse% 3p5 /45

In other words1 direct action serves the sa"e #unction as ver,al rhetoric1 sparing a conversation1

even #orcing a response5 In e!a"ining the actions o# Earth 0irstG1 +eLuca 3-...4 writes o#

$e!tralinguistic con#rontational activities1% which is reall( >ust a #anc( wa( o# descri,esing

an(thing #ro" a protest in the streets to a 6reenpeace odiac ,oat putting itsel# ,etween a whaler

and its pre( to ,lowing the head o## the Ha("aret statue in Chicago two (ears in a row as

$e!tralinguistic con#rontational activities5%5?h(sical actions1 intended #or pu,lic consu"ption1

,eco"e what +eLuca calls $i"age events% or1 upping his rhetoric ,rie#l(1 $"ind ,o",s5%

+eLuca cites Ro,ert Hunter1 director o# 6reenpeace1 in descri,ing a "ind ,o", as $an i"age

event that e!plodes Pin the pu,lic7s consciousness to trans#or" the wa( people view their world7%

3p5 -45 That con#rontation with the odiac ,oat and the whaling ship*6reenpeace #ailed to stop

the harpooning1 ,ut the( caught the event on #il"1 and $it ,eca"e the i"age seen around the

world% 3i,id45

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE8

The internal a##ecte##ecto# an i"age event ,eco"es a sort o# si"ulacru" o# +e&ord7s

3-.8

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE

The student protest at Colu",ia Qniversit(1 #or e!a"ple1 didput out a list o# si! speci#ic

de"ands1 reasona,le de"ands that could,e answered ,( the universit(5 &ut then1 in their

rhetoric1 the Colu",ia 'trie Coordinating Co""ittee 3-./4 proclai"ed:

&ut in realit(1 striing students are responding to the totalit( o# the conditions o# our

societ(1 not >ust one s"all part o# it1 the universit(5 We are disgusted with the war1 with

racis"1 with ,eing a part o# a s(ste" over which we have no control1 a s(ste" whichde"ands gross ineFualities o# wealth and power1 a s(ste" which denies personal and

social #reedo" and potential1 a s(ste" which has to "anipulate and repress us in order to

e!ist5 3p5 /4

The strie taes on #ar larger a reach than the si! speci#ic de"ands5 The universit( cannot end

war5 It cannot end racis"5 It cannot end the s(ste" in which it is $a cog in this "achine5% &(

"aing the rhetorical ai"s so large1 actual success ,eco"es i"possi,le5 This does not "ean that

the group does not wantactual success5 &ut1 iIn what is apparentl( a natural #unction o# protest

rhetoric1 the group "aintains its e!istence ,( continuing to ai" ,igger and continuing to #ail5

6regg 3-.8-4 separates out three conditions or stages to the ego9#unction o# protest

rhetoric1 one o# which is ego9denial5 A protest group can onl( continue as long as it #ails5 Actual

success "eans the death o# the organi)ation5 Through these three conditions1 a protest group can

$constitute sel#9hood through e!pression that is1 with esta,lishing1 de#ining1 and a##ir"ing

one7s sel#9hood as one engages in a rhetorical act% 3p5 8=45 The three condition are ego9#or"ing1

ego9"aintenance and ego9denial5 I have alread( descri,ed1 so"ewhat1 ego9denial1 and we will

see "ore detail later in regards to Weather"an5 Ego9#or"ing rhetoric1 lie that in Weather"an7s

initial state"ent 3Ashle( et al1 -./.4 or its $+eclaration o# a 'tate o# War% 3+orhn1 -.8

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE.

Innate1 inherent1 enduring attri,utes1 perhaps ,iological1 especiall( genetic1 de#ine categor(

distinctiveness% 3p5 -;D45 0or Weather"an1 this was a trou,ling position5 As we will see later1

the( had serious discussions a,out the "oralit( o# illing white ,a,ies5 White A"erica was the

out9group #or Weather"an1 ,ut ever( "e",er o# Weather"an was white1 ever( "e",er o#

Weather"an was A"erican5 This would "ae ver( little sense ,ut #or 6regg7s 3-.8-4 conditions5

Weather"an7s ver( e!istence served as ,oth ego9#or"ing and ego9denial5 An( potential

h(pocris( in Weather"an7s position reall( >ust proved that Weather"an was right5 Ego9

"aintenance1 though1 would have to wait until the ,irth pangs were over1 as the organi)ation

went underground a#ter the War Council5

part three : what historians wont talk about

/emory is a mother0uc'er. Bill Ayers, 0ugitive +a(s(p. "

When it co"es to taling a,out the rhetoric o# Weather"an1 there are #ew outsiders who

engage it1 and those who do are generall( historians1 intent not on e!ploring the rhetoric itsel# ,ut

the historical role o# the group5 Even when outside authors do approach Weather"an1 the group

is usuall( little "ore than a #ootnote to the New Le#t1 despite (ears o# ,o",ings and place"ent

o# at least one o# its "e",ers on the 0&I7s 2ost Wanted5 The rhetoric o# Weather"an is a #ailed

rhetoric so #ew ,other to loo closel(5 Virtuall( no outside author reall( sees to understand why5

+avis 3-.4 reviews #ive ,oos a,out the New Le#t and #inds1 $Though the #ive ,oos descri,e

o#ten in agoni)ing detail*how the "ove"ent in the Qnited 'tates ,eca"e de"onic1 the( do not

e!plain what was wrong at its heart that "ade it end that wa(% 3p5 D;45 O# course1 +avis uses the

h(per,olic $de"onic% to descri,e the later "ove"ent and he sees #it to include details #ro"

2anson "urder speech #ro" the 0lint War Council and groups together = ,o",ings co""itted

,( nu"erous organi)ations1 essentiall( severing the individual ideologies and "otivations #ro" a

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE-oe5 6itlin #ollows the #our sentences ,( pointing out1 $0lint7s

#avored greeting was #our slightl( spread #ingers*to s(",oli)e the #or% 3p5 ..45 2atusow

si"pli#ies the rest o# Weather"an7s (ears into a single #ollow9up sentence: $A#ter 0lint1

Weather"an lived out the guerilla #antas( ,( going underground to set o## ,o",s against the

propert( o# the e"pire% 3p5 =;45 It is not inaccurate1 ,ut it is dis"issive in its ,revit(5

There was"ore to +ohrn7s speech1 o# course5 In e!plaining wh( +ohrn re#erenced the

2anson "urders1 Wilerson 3;

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE;;

+ohrn7s 2anson co""ents were neither isolated nor particularl( spontaneous5 And16 given the

potential tongue9in9chee nature o# Ru,in7s description1 +ohrn7s words do sound "ore lie the(

could ,e a >oe1 $"ocing A"erica7s una,ashed love a##air with violence% 3&erger1 ;

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE;

,e ,orn #or the ne!t "illenniu"% 3p5 =ust stand around and tal a,out it wehave to get into ar"ed struggle5% 'he conde"ned our racist1 chauvinistic societ( and

urged the wo"en to ,eco"e "ore involved in all aspects o# the "ove"ent5 3p5 -ected intentions In

6itlin here re#erences ,oth the title o# oan +idion7s -./ collection o# essa(s1 1louchingowards Bethlehem1 that paint a ver( ,lea i"age o# the counterculture1 particularl( in Haight9

Ash,ur(1 and the source o# that title1 W5 &5 eats7 poe" $The 'econd Co"ing5% eats7 3-.-.4

poe"1 o# course1 speas o# the end o# the world and includes the lines1 $2ere anarch( is loosedupon the world1 B The ,lood9di""ed tide is loosed1 and ever(where B The cere"on( o#

innocence is drowned555% ?erhaps 6itlin still ro"antici)es the counterculture 3and Weather"an4

>ust a little1 denouncing the" with poetr(5

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Weather"an7s inaugural state"ent*%ou +on7t Need a Weather"an to Know Which Wa( the

Wind &lows%*the strateg( is clear:

555to "o,ili)e the struggle so sharpl( in so "an( places that the i"perialists cannot

possi,l( deal with it all5 'ince it is essential to their interests1 the( will tr( to deal with itall1 and will ,e de#eated and destro(ed in the process5 3Ashle( et al1 -./.4

Weather"an called #or the de#eat and destruction o# the i"perialists5 Weather"an wanted to

$s"ash i"perialis"% and a (ear ,e#ore the organi)ation went underground1 it was alread(

arguing #or secrec(5 It writes:

To win a war with an ene"( as highl( organi)ed and centrali)ed as the i"perialists will

reFuire a 3clandestine4 organi)ation o# revolutionaries555 &ecause war is political555 the

centrali)ed organi)ation o# revolutionaries "ust ,e a political as well as "ilitar(1 what is

generall( called a $2ar!ist9Leninist% part(5 3i,id4Weather"an7s rhetoric included notions o# violence and "ilitaris" #ro" the start5 aco,s 3-.8

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This was no $illusion% o# strength1 ,ut a legiti"ate strengthening o# the core group*the so9

called Weather,ureau*and those closest to it5 6regg 3-.8-4 e!plains that1 while $rhetoric o#

protest would Plogicall(7 see" to ,e ai"ed at the power or positions in authorit(1% what reall( is

happening is that $the pri"ar( appeal o# the rhetoric o# protest is to the protestors the"selves1

who #eel the need #or ps(chological re#ur,ishing and a##ir"ation% 3pp5 898=45 The antiwar 3anti9

i"perialist4 "ove"ent had ,een put down violentl( at Colu",ia1 at &erele(1 at Cha"paign1 at

Harvard1 and in the streets o# Chicago two (ears in a row5 Weather"an and its #ollowers needed

so"ething to energi)e the"1 to galvani)e the" as a new1 cohesive unit5 Those who were o##ended

need not appl(5 Wilerson 3;usti#ied their plans Fuite

si"pl(:

At that point we had deter"ined that there were no innocent A"ericans1 at least no white

ones5 The(*we*all pla(ed so"e part in the atrocit( o# Vietna"1 i# onl( the passiveroles o# ignorance1 acFuiescence1 and acceptance o# privilege5 Qniversall( guilt(1 all

A"ericans were legiti"ate targets #or attac5 3i,id4

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'i"ons 3-.8ust when the organi)ation needed one5 A(ers 3;

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their cause% 3p5 -;845 'ee"ingl( rando" ,o",ings served onl( to turn the pu,lic against

Weather"an5=Lae argues against his own $onl(% and I "ust argue against "ine5 ?rotest rhetoric

primarilyserves an internal1 constitutive #unction1 6regg7s 3-.8-4 $ego9#unction5% Its e##ect on

the pu,lic was secondar(5

We cannot dis"iss the e##ect on the pu,lic5 The #irst Weather"an co""uniFuM was a

$+eclaration o# a 'tate o# War% against A"eria5 And1 Weather"an pro"ised to $attac a

s(",ol or institution o# A"erian in>ustice% 3+ohrn1 -.8

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hoped1 the precise sta"p o# a cut dia"ondD5 Terrorists inti"idate1 while we ai"ed onl( to

educated5 No1 we7re not terrorists5 3p5 ;8-4

In its second/co""uniFuM1 Weather"an "ade clear three things: #irst1 (es1 the( set the ,o", in

the police headFuarters second1 the( called in a warning ,e#orehand so that no one was hurt

#inall(1 the( piced that target #or a speci#ic reason: $The pigs in this countr( are our ene"ies%

3Weather"an1 -.8

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WEATHERRHETORICCALL TO VIOLENCE;.

societ( apparent ,( the"selves ,eco"ing "onstrous% 3p5 -/D45 Weather"an sought to provoe

A"erian societ( ,( ,lowing up parts o# it that served its i"perialist actions5 Lie

0ranenstein7s "onster1 Weather"an was ,orn out o# a nation regularl( co""itting violence

how else was Weather"an supposed to e!press itsel# In the #il" he Weather $nderground

36reen @ 'iegel1 ;

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