Analysis Of Clooney Clinton And Useless'soft Outrage '

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Facts, Irony, and useless “meager suggestions”
In S.E. Cupp’s article, “Clooney, Clinton and useless 'soft outrage ',” many topics, both controversial and potent, are tackled. She outlines several different situations—the Sony hack, Paris attacks, Chibok kidnappings, and Nigeria killings—and the reactions to them by celebrities and political leaders. She uses multiple specific occurrences and factual evidence along with direct quotes, logical organization, and witty undertones. This, paired with her strong, opinionated voice, is nearly enough to convince readers that her argument is effective and sound. However, this is not the case. While Cupp uses a surplus of factual backing and even some emotional appeal, her argument is ultimately lacking. …show more content…

Immediately following this summarization, she jumps right into her accusatory tone, using the terms “soft outrage” and “hashtag activism” to explain what celebrities are doing by posting about these events on their various social media sites. Cupp coins the term early on in her article, retorting “… one only needs to look back at some recent examples of other horrifying atrocities to know that mere symbolism and solidarity -- what I call the weapons of "soft outrage" -- will not be enough to stamp out terrorism in Europe or anywhere else (par. 7). Later, she adds another made-up term into reader’s vocabulary, “hashtag activism.” She defines this by commenting “even though [#BringBackOurGirls] went viral… hashtag activism hasn 't proven very effective in the face of violent Islamic extremism” (Cupp, par. …show more content…

She makes her point that “soft outrage” and “hashtag activism” are completely pointless and unhelpful clear, but suggests one tactic—force. She does not give any other ideas, and does not even elaborate what she even means by force. The audience has to assume that Cupp expects George Clooney, Hilary Clinton, and Michelle Obama to suit up and go take care of the issues addressed for themselves. In order to strengthen her argument, she should add more suggestions of what would be the right thing to

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