Say Something Real
Truth Doesn’t Stop Dangerous Campaign Rhetoric
By Michelle Bryant
Michelle Bryant
Without fail, I am a person who likes to know the history behind the things I see and hear. I believe in facts and don’t take kindly to “alternative” truths. As a child, I learned about the consequences of telling a lie. As my hair has grayed and life has provided more lessons, I’ve also come to understand the meaning and use of rhetoric. Substantively, there is a difference between the two. Yet these days, it’s getting harder to tell the difference. Let’s deal with some history, first.
Like many of you, I’ve heard the phrase “it’s raining cats and dogs” or some variation. In doing some research, the most plausible account I found said the following: “The phrase is supposed to have originated in England in the 17th century. City streets were often filthy and heavy rain would occasionally carry along dead animals. Richard Brome’s The City Witt, 1652 has the line ‘It shall rain dogs and polecats’. Also, cats and dogs both have ancient associations with bad weather. Witches were supposed to ride the wind in the form of cats during storms. In northern mythology, the storm god Odin had dogs as attendants.” Do with that explanation, what you will!
What I can’t explain, though, is the reckless and senseless lies being told by Republican POTUS and VP nominees, Donald Trump and JD Vance, respectively. Elevated on a national platform, during the recent debate between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump falsely claimed that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, OH were eating the pets of area residents.
In his bizarre September 10th matchup with Harris, Trump said “A lot of towns don’t want to talk about it because they’re so embarrassed by it,” he added. “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats … They’re eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what’s happening in our country, and it’s a shame.” Many questioned was he crazy, lying, employing dog whistles, or just spouting political rhetoric?
Simply put, rhetoric is the art or skill of speaking or writing formally and effectively, especially as a way to persuade or influence people. Add in politics, and rhetoric becomes the strategies used to construct persuasive arguments in political debate. Trump used false stories, about Haitian pet-eating immigrants, to coax voters to fear Harris’ immigration policies.
The problem is that the Trump/Vance campaign had been flatly told that the stories of missing pets and Haitian immigrants were completely false. Specifically, they were informed that a single resident had contacted authorities to report that she believed her Haitian neighbors had taken and eaten her cat. A few days after filing the report, the woman admitted that her pet was found inside her own home in the basement. Trump and Vance intentionally lied about those facts and in their statements claimed that the Haitians were illegally in the country.
The fallout and threats, to the Springfield community, have been costly. School evacuations, bomb threats, and white supremacist visits to the city have threatened the safety of many. While cat-and-dog-eating rumors are false, Trump and Vance are intentional liars. If they are willing to continue to lie about this, what else are they willing to do and say?