The Rhetoric of Sissy-Slogans: How Denigrating the Feminine Perpetuates the Terror Wars

Abstract

This article uses rhetorical tools to study the denigration of the feminine prevalent in popular U.S. discourse during the era of the terror wars. The article argues that denigration of the feminine, often in the form of “sissy-slogans,” actually helps perpetuate the terror wars by rhetorically crafting an overtly feminine — and weak — home front that needs protection from outside forces.

Keywords: rhetoric, terror, gender, feminism, war, logic