Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, presented a
speech regarding the rights of LGBT members around the world. In 2011, Clinton
presented an audience in Geneva. Below you will find broken down parts of the
speech used to emphasize how she used some political communication strategies.
IDENTIFICATION
“Now raising this issue, I know, is sensitive for many
people and that the obstacles standing in the way of protecting the human
rights of LGBT people rest on deeply held personal, political, cultural and
religious beliefs. So I come here before you with respect, understanding and
humility."
Clinton is using the political communication strategy
identification in order to assure the audience that she holds the same values
and morals as them. This particular strategy is very effective because it
creates a harmonious environment between the speaker and the audience.
LABELING
“Some have suggested that gay rights and human
rights are separate and distinct; but in fact they are one in the same.”
This point is made by Clinton to kind of break down the
labeling barrier within the minds of the audiences. While some speakers will
use labeling to separate and show differences, Clinton is doing the opposite. She
wants the audience to not get caught up behind the label. All people, gay or
straight, deserve the same basic rights.
POLARIZATION
“Some seem to believe it
[homosexuality] is a Western phenomenon, and therefore people outside the West
have grounds to reject it. Well, in reality, gay people are born into and
belong to every society in the world.”
Secretary Clinton uses
this strategy to show differences in the two belief. Basically Clinton is
saying, I know some people see it this way, but it is actually this way. This use
of polarization helps the audience distinguish between the two beliefs
pertaining to LGBT in the world and is a very powerful use of political
communication.
EXPRESSION
“There is a phrase that people in the United States
invoke when urging others to support human rights: “Be on the right side of
history.”
When Clinton is talking about the right side of history
she doesn't actually mean a location. She uses expressive language in order for
the audience to create a picture in their heads that show them being more
tolerant towards members of the LGBT community. This specific quote is a direct
example of expressive political communication.
REINFORCEMENT
“The Obama Administration defends the human rights of
LGBT people as part of our comprehensive human rights policy and as a priority
of our foreign policy. In our embassies, our diplomats are raising concerns
about specific cases and laws, and working with a range of partners to
strengthen human rights protections for all.”
Considering that Clinton was a member of the Obama Administration at that point in time it is easy to see why she chose to speak on
the groups values. She, as a speaker, wants to create, manage, and maintain
credibility. She is telling the audience, I believe the same things that you
do, but people [LGBT members] need help. You should join me in this cause
because it’s the fair thing to do. She then ends on a note where she is letting
the audience know that the group that she works for stands by these values. She
is reinforcing the idea that she knows what she’s talking about because her
group follows these standards.
PERSONAL EVALUATION
As a member of the LGBT, I felt that Hillary’s approach
was very successful. However, I’m not sure how members from different cultural
backgrounds would have rated the speech overall. After keeping up with class
readings and going over the text version of the speech, I can say that this
particular piece of rhetoric used a strong amount of political language.
