Using the Terror Management Theory as a theoretical basis, this paper analyzes several presidential speeches by George W. Bush focusing on their instrumentalization of fear, depiction of out-groups and the usage of certain topic-related words in their context.
George Bush’s presidency, and particularly his foreign policy, was strongly influenced by the attacks on the World Trade Center on September the 11th, 2001. Not only did the attacks strengthen American patriotism and create a strong awareness of and antipathy against the threat of religiously motivated terrorism, but they also changed the president’s foreign policy and influenced his public image in an unpredictable way.
In the days and weeks that followed 9/11, he explained the events to the public in more detail, but also advertised and advocated his political response. Under his initiative, a military campaign against the Taliban in Afghanistan was launched. This campaign was part of the war on terror, a vague term which Bush coined and which would dominate American foreign policy for over ten years from then on. Bush frequently used this strong term in his speeches to justify any kind of military action taken against a global threat.
He simplified the political matter of terrorism in his speeches by dividing the world clearly into good and evil, by ignoring Al Qaeda’s motivation for the attack and any possibility for a diplomatic solution, and by describing the matter in a very emotional manner, often devoid of logical reasoning. Instead of clearly and fully explaining his political actions, Bush resorted to the use of simple and emotive appeals to Americans’ sense of justice and patriotism, thereby presenting himself as a compassionate and righteous president.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Emotions as a Political Instrument: Terror Management Theory and its Relevance
2.1 Fear and Mortality Salience According to Terror Management Theory
2.2 Out-group Stigmatization as a Result of Mortality Salience
2.3 TMT and post-9/11 attitude change in America
2.4 Rhetoric Instrumentalization of Prejudice, Fear and Patriotism
3. George Bush’s post 9/11 Policies, Speech Context and Content
4. Speech Analysis
4.1 Frequency, Context and Text Position of Emotional Content in Bush’s Speeches
4.1.1 Emotion-related words
4.1.2 Keywords
4.1.3 Words Related to Ethic and Moral Values and Judgment
4.1.4 Mortality Salience - and Death-related Words and Phrases
4.2 Rational Arguments: Linguistic and Logic Analysis and Criticism
5. Other Speech Analyses of Bush’s 2001 and 2002 Speeches
6. Connection to Terror Management Theory and Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This paper examines how George W. Bush utilized rhetorical strategies, specifically the instrumentalization of fear and mortality salience, to justify military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq while avoiding purely rational argumentation. By applying the psychological framework of Terror Management Theory (TMT), the study explores how the president leveraged emotional appeals to consolidate patriotism, stigmatize out-groups, and present a binary worldview following the 9/11 attacks.
- Rhetorical instrumentalization of fear and emotions
- Application of Terror Management Theory to political rhetoric
- Analysis of emotion-related language and keywords in presidential speeches
- Construction of enemy stereotypes and moral justification for war
- Critique of logical fallacies in war-related foreign policy discourse
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.4 Mortality Salience - and Death-related Words and Phrases
As has been discussed before, mortality salience is distinguished from any ordinary kind of fear by the strength and broadness of its effects on human behavior and, more importantly, attitude towards social groups. The terms covered in this section increase mortality salience because they describe or relate to the event of death. The direct effect of a single death-related word on a person’s attitude toward out-groups may be infinitesimally small, yet when used in combination with deliberate out-group stigmatization, emotion- and ethic-related words, and in great frequency, death-related words may increase and complement the effects of the other categories. Words like war, conflict and fight are also included, as well as weapons, since they are contextually associated with death.
Bush’s 2001 speech contains 45 death-related words and phrases, the most frequent being “war” (B1: 1) with a total count of twelve times, and “attack” (B1: 1), which was used six times. The frequent use of “war” (B2: 1) becomes particularly peculiar when considering that Bush had not launched Operation Enduring Freedom by the time the speech was given, so technically no war was going on. The 9/11 attacks were portrayed as an “act of war” (B2: 1), which was part of justifying the military intervention in Afghanistan – had Bush not wanted to send troops there, he would have shaped a different impression of the event. In the 2002 speech, Bush used a total of 57 death-related terms, the most prominent ones being “war” (B2: 1), which occurs ten times, and “weapons” (B2: 1), which is used twelve times.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the impact of 9/11 on Bush's foreign policy and sets the research goal of proving that rhetorical appeals to emotion replaced rational justification for war.
2. Emotions as a Political Instrument: Terror Management Theory and its Relevance: Introduces TMT as the theoretical foundation to explain how mortality salience triggers out-group hostility and in-group patriotism.
3. George Bush’s post 9/11 Policies, Speech Context and Content: Details the political context of the four selected speeches from Bush's first term and the move toward military action.
4. Speech Analysis: Provides a comprehensive rhetorical breakdown of emotion-related words, keywords, moral vocabulary, and rational arguments found within the speeches.
5. Other Speech Analyses of Bush’s 2001 and 2002 Speeches: Compares the author's findings with existing critical literature regarding Bush’s war rhetoric and its lack of hard evidence.
6. Connection to Terror Management Theory and Conclusion: Synthesizes the analysis, confirming that Bush’s rhetorical strategies align with TMT mechanisms to manipulate public opinion.
Keywords
Terror Management Theory, Mortality Salience, George W. Bush, 9/11, War on Terror, Political Rhetoric, Emotional Manipulation, Patriotism, Out-group Stigmatization, Foreign Policy, Axis of Evil, Moral Judgment, Linguistic Analysis, War Justification, Fear.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this research paper?
The paper analyzes the rhetoric of George W. Bush following the September 11 attacks, specifically investigating how he used emotional language and psychological manipulation to justify military interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Which central thematic fields are covered?
The study covers political communication, the psychology of fear (Terror Management Theory), presidential war rhetoric, and the sociological construction of "enemy" figures versus American moral identity.
What is the primary research question?
The primary goal is to prove that President Bush avoided purely rational arguments for his war policies by strategically appealing to the audience’s fear of death, patriotism, and moral judgment.
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author uses a qualitative rhetorical analysis, categorizing specific emotion-related words, keywords, and death-related terminology across four key presidential speeches to demonstrate psychological manipulation.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body evaluates the frequency and context of specific word categories, analyzes Bush's rational argumentation style, and compares these findings against previous academic criticisms of the president's rhetoric.
How would you characterize this work in keywords?
The work is characterized by terms such as Terror Management Theory, mortality salience, rhetorical instrumentalization, war on terror, and emotional stigmatization.
How does the "axis of evil" concept fit into the author's analysis?
The author identifies the "axis of evil" as a strategic keyword that creates a false association between unrelated nations and terrorists, serving to concretize an intangible threat and justify broader military aggression.
What role does "mortality salience" play in Bush's speeches?
According to the analysis, mortality salience is invoked through death-related language to heighten the audience's psychological need for security and ideological protection, which Bush then leverages to support his aggressive anti-terror policies.
Does the author conclude that Bush was aware of TMT mechanisms?
The author argues that while Bush may not be explicitly familiar with the formal psychological framework of Terror Management Theory, he intuitively captured the national zeitgeist and employed its primary psychological mechanisms to maintain political power.
- Quote paper
- Jonas Faust (Author), 2015, The Instrumentalization of Fear in the Rhetorics of George W. Bush. A Linguistic Analysis, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/468171
