What is the Rapunzel effect?
The Rapunzel effect is a phrase for the rhetorical prejudice that communication, especially in scholarly and/or academic pursuits, be presented in one way, as one type of text. Most often these texts are essays following academic conventions and language varieties.
What is rhetorical equity?
Rhetorical equity is a communication ethic and strategy for undoing the Rapuzel effect. In more words, rhetorical equity is a communication practice that is very reader-centric and asks authors and/or editors to engage in composing practices that includes a variety of accesses: technological access (e.g., content is web accessible and accessible for a variety of devices), circulatory access (e.g., content is easily shared), readability access (e.g., accessible for audiences with a variety of expertises and knowledges), and preferential access (e.g., access to audiences preferred ways of reading.) The key is to offer a constellation of texts alongside each other communicating the “heart” of an idea and allowing audiences choices in ways to engage.
What is rhetorical equality?
Rhetorical equality is a communication ethic concerned with technological access (e.g., content is web accessible and accessible for a variety of devices) and circulatory access (e.g., content is easily shared).
What are some examples of rhetorical equity in practice focused on readability
and preferences?
Interface Design
Times it takes to read a text is a rhetorically equitable move helping readers navigate a text for their preferences and particular needs at a time and place. The Yahoo! Sports App I like how there is a visual slideshow communicating the gist of the story and an option to read the article more in depth. It’s like having Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat stories and a longer description of what’s going on.
Pop Culture
A recent example in popular media is Once Upon a Deadpool. Though certainly new content is added, the media retells Deadpool 2 with a PG-13 rating, allowing younger audiences to access it along with new content for those who have seen it already.
The Yahoo! Sports App I like how there is a visual slideshow communicating the gist of the story and an option to read the article more in depth. It’s like having Facebook, Instagram, or Snapchat stories and a longer description of what’s going on.
Education
A class called “Literature for the Cocktail Party” offered alongside a survey of literature that considers primary texts would offer equity for student preferences and for students who might have readability issues with older texts. “Literature for the Cocktail Party” could be taught using Cliff’s Notes and/or SparkNotes. The more traditional literature survey would focus on reading the primary texts.
Rhet/Comp Webtexts
Transmodality in action: A manifesto. By: Artz, K., Hashem, D., & Mooney, A.
May the #kairos be with you: Accessibility, authdi, veils, and Star Wars. By: Muhlhauser, P., Blouke, C. & Schafer, D.
Swipe right on find/replace: Invention, equity,
and technofeminist potentials of find/replace technologies. By: Muhlhauser, P. & Self, M.
‘Believing in feminism, lovable
sexism: Rhetorical inaction and fallacies of authenticity. By: Muhlhauser, P., Fowler, J. & Schafer, D.
What are some problems with rhetorical equity?
The concept is focused on reader preferences and fails to account for authorial equity. For instance, what would it mean to add minutes of writing alongside minutes it takes to read a text? Would the experience be weighed differently in how time is valued? What sorts of templates are available for authors of texts to use to help them complete their work in multiple formats?
Practicing rhetorical equity takes time and expertise, and, for businesses, it can cost money.
What are the major benefits of practicing rhetorical equity?
Anti-privilege
Rhetorical equity is fundamentally and ethic of anti-privilege practices (e.g., anti-racism, anti-sexism, and anti-classist). Though certainly the content of an author practicing rhetorical equity might be racist, sexist, and/or classist, presenting the information in rhetorically equitable ways, at least, allows the content to be understood for more audiences on their terms.
Unshaming Readers
A major feature of rhetorical equity is to help limit such readerly feelings of shame. Practicing rhetorical equity is a practice in helping readers who are frustrated for not “getting it” or understanding a solitary text’s meaning.