Modern Rhetoric Through a Classic Lens: An Exploration of Andrew Tate, Cancel Culture, and the Art of the Clip

Abstract

Emory Andrew Tate III, commonly known as Andrew Tate or the Top G, catapulted himself to the peaks of internet stardom in a fashion previously unmatched through his stylistic rhetoric and strategic implementation of the art of the clip; an artform popularized through Tate to have supposedly proved a paved road to besting cancel culture. In order to effectively analyze the rhetorical art of the clip, this document will provide embedded videos and live links to some of the most viral oratory moments leading up to and following the cancellation of Tate. In addition to the videos, this paper will ensure the integral transmission of the clip is still preserved in a transcribed form, emphasized and contextualized where necessary, protecting the expression lost in translating stylistic discourse into the confines of a research-based analysis. Furthermore, contrasting, reflecting, and comparing Tate’s rhetoric to the ancient work of Aristotle’s “The Art of Rhetoric” will clear the way for an objective assessment of Tate’s stylistic abilities. Ultimately serving as a classical lens with a focalized point to view modern rhetoric in the context of Tate and the pressures of cancel culture on the unbounded art of the clip.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Robert Einarsson