Processus rhétoriques et psychosociaux d'un « débat émotionnel » à l'occasion d'une indignation féministe

Abstract

Following several feminist outrages in media, a reader's letter provokes an exceptional debate in a Swiss daily newspaper: It is one of those "emotional debates" that can seem discouraging, or even unsolvable. This article focuses on the rhetorical and social processes involved in such a debate. After a brief presentation of the main configurations of the antagonistic positions, the analysis reveals the way in which shifts in emphasis (éclairage) of the subsequent texts aim at the readers adhering, without seeking to convince them by detailed examinations of arguments from both sides, and a rigorous refutation of the weaker position. Hence, in the course of the interventions, the debate evolves towards some kind of conformism, eliminating extreme positions, to the detriment of a socio-cognitive resolution of the initial issue.

Keywords

• argumentation in context
• conformism
• « hot debate »
• new rhetoric
• natural logic
• feminism
• sexism