Popular Press
When the Discourse of Theater Trumps Truth
Anthropology News
(2017)
Abstract
Of the many disturbing trends surrounding the new occupant of the White House, the slipperiness of Trump’s words most perplexes many intellectuals and political reporters. His statements, no matter how outlandish, fail to stick to him the same way, say, President George H.W. Bush’s “read my lips” pledge on taxes did. To understand why, we must return to Jane Hill’s distinction between the two types of discourses that underpin American politics: the discourse of truth and the discourse of theater. On the one hand, Trump’s outlandish and often contradictory statements seem to have been mostly interpreted through the discourse of theater by many of his voters. As a former reality TV star, Trump comports himself like a celebrity rather than a politician. This helps frame his discourse as spectacle. On the other hand, while candidate Trump’s fabrications were given a pass by a large portion of the electorate, the same cannot be said for Hillary Clinton, whose statements were primarily viewed through the discourse of truth by voters.
Keywords
- truth,
- theater,
- discourse,
- political discourse,
- Trump,
- politics,
- honesty,
- election results
Disciplines
Publication Date
March 1, 2017
DOI
10.1111/AN.375
Publisher Statement
Copyright 2017 American Anthropological Association
Citation Information
Adam Hodges. "When the Discourse of Theater Trumps Truth" Anthropology News (2017) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/adamhodges/69/