[Linganth] Ling Anth in the Lion's Den?

[Shana Walton]

Hey y'all - So I'm doing some freelance writing to make ends meet, and I
get this job from a consulting firm to research men's and women's debating
styles. Turns out, they got the assignment from someone who will be
appearing as a guest on Fox and Friends! They were focused very much on how
aggression might be a negative trait in men in a debate. I suggested that
it could also be positively perceived, and suggested there was a difference
between hot-headedness (Howard Dean) and being "aggressive." I also said,
it depends on aggressive about what. I talked them into widening their
scope to look more generally at how men's speech and women's speech are
perceived.

They only want 500-750 words! And then a few bullet points afterward. So, I
only get to make the broadest of points. Right now I'm planning on using
Ann Richards, Nancy Pelosi, and Hillary Clinton as examples of political
women's speech. And maybe Nikki Haley.

Other suggestions? ideas? Remember, I have a TINY amount of space. And I
have to make good academic points in a way that I can convince a nonscholar
to say them. I'm ghostwriting here.

OK, I thought I'd throw it out there. I actually have to turn it around in
24 hours, so it's a good thing this is pretty well researched territory --
thanks to all of you out there who have been doing this work for so long!

I will append a References list for them, of course.

Oh - and the guy was so funny. He said, you know, I think people really
need to research this. How people perceive think about their genders could
influence their votes! I said, well, you know, there's a lot of research
out there about this. He said, Really? Can you find it? I said, Oh yes.

I became a genius for being able to research something any linganth
undergrad could do!

This is really discouraging about the state of research for television talk
shows!! They are calling up consulting firms, who are then hiring
freelancers over the Internet for rock-bottom prices!! Am I the only person
who finds this disturbing?? I mean, I'm happy to earn the money ($75!), but
do you think most freelance writers would put a whole lot of research into
a $75, 500-word writing assignment? And this is for the most heavily viewed
network news show currently being aired. I would crawl in a hole if I
didn't need to look up a reference...

Y'all have a good day - full of better news than I brought you.

Shana



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-- 
Shana Walton
Associate Professor
Dept. of Languages and Literature
Nicholls State University
Thibodaux, LA  70310
985.448.4458
shana.walton at nicholls.edu
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