Page 237 - Gabrijela Kišiček and Igor Ž. Žagar (eds.), What do we know about the world? Rhetorical and argumentative perspectives, Digital Library, Educational Research Institute, Ljubljana 2013
P. 237
the analysis of insulting practices – sticks and stones
in the croatian parliament 237
mi kad dođemo mi ćemo radnicima, plaće se ne isplaćuju, a što se dešava? Upravo
njegovih 17 tvrtki za koje je on interesno vezan, ne papirnato nego su one njegove,
prenesao je, ne isplaćuju plaću svojim radnicima. Ovdje je 1000 radnika u igri
koji ne primaju plaću, a on licemjerno laže ljudima u oči i kaže da će se boriti protiv
toga. Borit će se za nešto drugo, to je istina. Gospodine ministre, lijepo vas molim,
što ćete učiniti i sa ostalim radnicima koje ovakvi tajkuni izrabljuju na razini
robova ih drže, ne isplaćuju im plaću? (6/23, Aktualno prijepodne, 6. travnja
2011.)
S. Đ. (CDU): I will ask you, Minister Popijač, what is it all about. The ques-
tion is about a former Minister who was part of, thank God, the former Coalition
Government from 2000 to 2003, who had liberally used his ministerial man-
date and mantled jobs valued at 132 million kunas. My question does not ad-
dress that issue, but is related to his recent media appearance, where he shouts
and storms, we will fight, when we come (to power) the workers will be paid. Wag-
es are not paid, and what is happening? His 17 companies for which he is bound
by interest, not only on paper, do not pay wages to their workers. We are talking
about 1000 workers who do not receive a salary, while he is being a hypocrite
and blatantly lying to their faces and saying he will fight against it. He will fight for
something else, that is for sure. Minister, I kindly ask you, what will you do with
other workers who are being exploited in a slave-like manner, and who are
not being paid? (6/23, Question time, April 6, 2011)
Here, we have several strategies being intertwined to use this ethos-
oriented logos. The MP is using antonomasia, in order to avoid revealing
the proper name of the insult target, but anyone who was even remote-
ly familiar with the situation knew who s/he was referring to. Another
strategy the MP chose to use was praeteritio, by actually first incriminat-
ing the insult target and then asserting that this is not part of the ques-
tion and that it is not relevant. We can say that it makes a subversive ad
personam attack. Also, we see some rhetorical questions that are again
answered by the MP herself. Finally, juxtaposition of opposite notions,
such as corruption, lying vs. morals, is constantly emphasized through-
out the question.
4.2. (Un)parliamentary Mitigation Strategies in the Croatian
Parliament
Every MP knows that there are rules of conduct that should be
obeyed in the Parliament. In order to avoid institutional sanctions Cro-
atian MPs often resort to mitigation strategies. Fraser (1980, qtd. in
Haverkate, 1992: 505) says that mitigation serves to disguise the inten-
tion of the speaker for the purpose of reducing “unwelcome effects of
in the croatian parliament 237
mi kad dođemo mi ćemo radnicima, plaće se ne isplaćuju, a što se dešava? Upravo
njegovih 17 tvrtki za koje je on interesno vezan, ne papirnato nego su one njegove,
prenesao je, ne isplaćuju plaću svojim radnicima. Ovdje je 1000 radnika u igri
koji ne primaju plaću, a on licemjerno laže ljudima u oči i kaže da će se boriti protiv
toga. Borit će se za nešto drugo, to je istina. Gospodine ministre, lijepo vas molim,
što ćete učiniti i sa ostalim radnicima koje ovakvi tajkuni izrabljuju na razini
robova ih drže, ne isplaćuju im plaću? (6/23, Aktualno prijepodne, 6. travnja
2011.)
S. Đ. (CDU): I will ask you, Minister Popijač, what is it all about. The ques-
tion is about a former Minister who was part of, thank God, the former Coalition
Government from 2000 to 2003, who had liberally used his ministerial man-
date and mantled jobs valued at 132 million kunas. My question does not ad-
dress that issue, but is related to his recent media appearance, where he shouts
and storms, we will fight, when we come (to power) the workers will be paid. Wag-
es are not paid, and what is happening? His 17 companies for which he is bound
by interest, not only on paper, do not pay wages to their workers. We are talking
about 1000 workers who do not receive a salary, while he is being a hypocrite
and blatantly lying to their faces and saying he will fight against it. He will fight for
something else, that is for sure. Minister, I kindly ask you, what will you do with
other workers who are being exploited in a slave-like manner, and who are
not being paid? (6/23, Question time, April 6, 2011)
Here, we have several strategies being intertwined to use this ethos-
oriented logos. The MP is using antonomasia, in order to avoid revealing
the proper name of the insult target, but anyone who was even remote-
ly familiar with the situation knew who s/he was referring to. Another
strategy the MP chose to use was praeteritio, by actually first incriminat-
ing the insult target and then asserting that this is not part of the ques-
tion and that it is not relevant. We can say that it makes a subversive ad
personam attack. Also, we see some rhetorical questions that are again
answered by the MP herself. Finally, juxtaposition of opposite notions,
such as corruption, lying vs. morals, is constantly emphasized through-
out the question.
4.2. (Un)parliamentary Mitigation Strategies in the Croatian
Parliament
Every MP knows that there are rules of conduct that should be
obeyed in the Parliament. In order to avoid institutional sanctions Cro-
atian MPs often resort to mitigation strategies. Fraser (1980, qtd. in
Haverkate, 1992: 505) says that mitigation serves to disguise the inten-
tion of the speaker for the purpose of reducing “unwelcome effects of
