Kenneth Burke is a prominent American literary theorist whose concept of “aggressive concession” fits into a broader view of language as a form of political action. He saw rhetoric not just as a way of speaking or persuading, but also as a way to form identity and inspire action.
Actively yielding means acknowledging criticisms and weaknesses and reframing them to more effectively convey your point of view. This approach recognizes that disagreement can foster deeper understanding and transform resistance into resilience without ignoring opposing views.
After the 2010 midterm elections, which Barack Obama described as “a tough battle,” he conceded aggressively by acknowledging voter dissatisfaction and adjusting his legislative priorities accordingly. Although disappointing to many supporters, recognizing these setbacks enabled Obama to recalibrate his approach and use this realization to regain political momentum. By contrast, President Biden’s administration misread voters’ complaints and attributed them to a lack of understanding of good policy, as if facts alone answered criticism.
“Given concessions” aims to turn criticism into a strategic advantage, in contrast to the ultimately futile approaches of confrontation and rigid defense or autocratic privilege. Criticism of authoritarian politics and liberalism may be in vogue, but both are collapsing under their own contradictions. They promise stability while suppressing dissent, creating the conditions for their own destruction. As Founding Father John Adams pointed out, all forms of government – democracy, aristocracy, monarchy – contain the seeds of destruction through “vanity, pride, greed, or ambition.” [*]
This is especially relevant today, as similar dynamics are playing out in contemporary American politics. For example, political parties across the board supported or acquiesced in 62 lawsuits targeting vote counting and certification, despite clearly fair elections. Moreover, after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, many stood their ground and reelected indicted leaders who made even more threatening promises.
The question now is not whether these voters constitute a true majority, but how to control the damage to democracy before it finally collapses.
Many liberals, on the other hand, seem to mirror the behavior they criticize, denouncing election manipulation in battleground states while simultaneously trying to “cancel” dissent and legislate their own moral biases. It is said that Variations on trigger warnings, even when well-intentioned, have the effect of stifling discussion. Today’s committed conservatives do not have a monopoly on authoritarian thinking.
Kenneth Burke made it clear that willing to concede is not just about slipping into later arguments and manipulating criticism to one’s advantage. Instead, it’s important to be someone you can trust and worth listening to. It is about avoiding monologues and “preaching to the choir” and accepting that “everyone meets midday at his own door.”
Burke does not advance a “each unique” point of view, but argues that “each unique.” voice“No matter how you look at it. The genie of freedom and democracy cannot go back in the bottle. The right to choose wrong, no matter how divine or moral, no matter how difficult the consequences, Resisting resolution. A definitive imprint.” Clear answers are a dream, and nostalgia for absolutes obscures complexity and trivializes our divisions today.
Acknowledging criticism and weaknesses and actively engaging with opposing views may not solve anything, but it will earn you respect, and without consensus there are no bells and whistles.
Kenneth Burke was known for his straightforward style despite his complex personality. Perhaps he would have appreciated an informal approach of willing concessions. For example, in my interactions with you, the reader, do I really want consent or respect? I’m welcome to agree, but what I know without a shadow of a doubt is that It’s good to remember that this is exactly where I could be wrong. No matter how you look at it, there are ways you can’t see it. What am I missing? It helps if my critics think that way too.
Each of our limitations can be an advantage. GK Chesterton once said, “The essence of every photograph is the frame, and art is the limit.”
The turmoil of the times proves the point. Conviction can be the real enemy in your heart. That’s what happens when you don’t give anything away.
notes and reading
[*] These are John Adams’ famous words. “Remember that democracy never lasts long. It quickly wears out, wears out, and kills itself.” His full argument is more nuanced than the soundbite suggests. is. Adams was not defending against Democracy. He was a central figure in the American Revolution and helped design the (representative) democratic system. What he wants to say is balanced Government, with checks and balances to prevent one group from seizing absolute power, was the best way to ensure longevity. Adams was debating Political opponents confuse democracy with direct democracy. (Letter: “John Adams to John Taylor, December 17, 1814”)
About authoritarian (predisposition) characteristics – Get a great overview using 7 powerful sources. The undisputed classic on this is written by political psychologist Karen Stenner. authoritarian dynamics (2005): “Authoritarians are never more intolerant than when forced to endure a vibrant democracy.” (p.334)
“Everyone sees noon on their porches.” – be A French idiom referring to the time when people judged the time by the position of the sun in their homes. That meant everyone had a slightly different “noon.” (For French speakers: Chacun voit midi à sa porte.)
Kenneth Burke – Permanence and Change: Anatomy of Purpose, 3rd Edition (1984), On Symbols and Society. (1989); religious rhetoric (1970). The reason Burke is not well known outside of academia is largely due to widespread misconceptions about “rhetoric.” He was a great critic of literary critics such as Harold Bloom, the literary critic and theorist Frederick Jameson, and philosophers such as Michel Foucault and René Girard (despite his reservations, Girard was a “scapegoat”). praised Burke as an “extraordinary achievement” for his recognition of the principle) and influenced rhetoricians such as Wayne Booth (classical author, rhetoric of fiction), theologian Stanley Hauerwas (inspired by Burke’s concept of identification, Hauerwas explored how stories foster a sense of purpose within religious communities). Burke was a corrupt Catholic and called himself a “secular theologian.”
The Cunning of Conviction – Divide: How Fanatic Conviction is Destroying Democracy – Taylor Dotson (2021), especially Chapter 7, “Democratic Societies and Their Enemies.” Dotson is an associate professor of social sciences at New Mexico Tech. He is a frequent contributor to publications such as. new atlantis, salon, conversationand The Washington Post.
Social devoicing: Why we don’t talk to each other anymore – John Locke (1998). Locke is Professor of Human Communication Sciences at the University of Sheffield, UK. He previously served as Director of the Neurolinguistics Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Snitch #161 – After all
Approximately 2 + 2 = 5: https://williamgreen.substack.com/about
Source: 2 + 2 = 5 – williamgreen.substack.com
