Commonplaces and Ideologies depend on the culture - For 09/08/11

Again, we touch on Kairos, but in a different way. Yes, there is a specific time and place for everything and you must seize the moment to have you argument be the most effective, but this time we're talking more about the literal setting of where you're rhetor-ing.

Commonplaces are like social norms, rules set for a society by those in the society and enforced, sometimes harshly. Go against the status quo and you might end up pretty sad and possibly shunned, in the harshest of punishments.

So, if you're an outsider and want to make an effective impact, you must take into account your audience and where your audience is coming from. While each person is different, every person in a society lives by the same basic principles and value systems. A little research can pay off.

This especially is important if you are running for a political office. You want your constituents to feel that you relate to them and you are the person they want representing them. By you knowing some of their particularities, they get more of a feeling that you're one of them and that you know them.

People like people who are like them.