We’re constantly trying to wedge our views within a narrow window of credibility by checking off all these rhetorical boxes. We waste pages and pages trying to keep socio-rhetorical power at bay: “If I give this disclaimer or affirm their (likely imagined or fake) hate crimes, maybe he won’t call me a homophobe or racist.” Once you feel this habit in your own writing or speaking, you can begin to squash it. And once you’re aware of it, you will see how it operates in discourse. We’re playing a rhetorical game, one that is rigged against us. Don’t play the game.
