Abstract
Currently, in the United States, the courts have ographics. categorized pornography as a form of expression and therefore it is protected by the First Amendment. However, Catharine MacKinnon argues for the reframing of pornography to a civil issue of gender discrimination. This paper examines MacKinnon's rhetorical strategies through traditional argumentation theory and her use of presence at the Minneapolis Civil Rights Hearings in 1983. This paper also examines MacKinnon's vast and diverse supporters and hypothesizes as to why she is popular among a diverse audience by utilizing Chaim Perelman's theories on presence and universal versus particular audiences. This paper also begins a discussion on whether rhetorical strategy or argumentative fluidness is a more effective tool of persuasion for rhetors.
Sacks, Lauren Peta (1998). Frames, audiences, and presence in Catharine MacKinnon's anti-pornography argument. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1998 -THESIS -S23.