Bringing attention to the human costs of war: grievability, deliberation, and anti-war numbers
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Frank J. Stec [1]
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[1] Pennsylvania State University
Pennsylvania State University
Borough of State College, Estados Unidos
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- Localización: Southern communication journal, ISSN 1041-794X, Vol. 81, nº 5, 2016, págs. 271-288
- Idioma: inglés
- Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
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Resumen
Numbers matter. Given the official administrative silence in public concern- ing civilian casualties during the so-called “ war on terror, ” the burden of counting in public has shifted to nongovernmental organizations. This article analyzes and critiques the rhetoric of two attempts to count civilian casualties in Iraq and, hence, to promote democratic deliberation over the human costs of war. Rhetorical critics need to focus on the rhetorical elements of numbers, particularly as these studies reveal how counting can increase the capacity to grieve an almost invisible Other. Anti-war voices reveal the tensions inherent in counting war dead and showcase two different — though not exhaustive — methods for making the numbers matter: the process of humanizing through naming and the numeration of massive totals of war dead.
