Inside Joke

There is nothing less effective than telling an inside joke to a group of people on the 'outside.' Rhetoricians would say this group is outside the network of interpretation of the speaker. Networks of interpretation are an almost innate concept and used by all ages on an everyday basis.

Inside jokes may be the most profound example this concept on a small scale. A group of people interpret certain words or phrases a certain shared way due to a shared experience. An even smaller scale example would be a friend knowing just the right to say to their friend to cheer them up. They wouldn't say the Mets won, if the friend was a Phillies fan, because it is known that within this particular network of interpretation, the Phillies are favored team.

Networks of Interpretation can play a role on a larger scale such how different words are interpreted in completely different ways between the northern and southern United States. One major example is the word 'bet.' In the south, it is commonly used to show you agree with something. However in the north, it might confusing if someone were to use bet in that manner. Yet these examples are somewhat  unimportant in a civic sense, but networks of interpretation have become increasingly important in this election year.

Networks of interpretation are especially relevant since Trump has become president because of his view of certain media. He claims that CNN and other media outlets are fake news. Thus if you were having an argument with someone who shared Trump's viewpoint, using a CNN article to support your claim might not help your case for that particular dispute. The media example is a seemingly jarring example of opposing networks of interpretations that has only surface in this past year.

It is incredible how often networks of interpretation play a role in everyone's everyday life. Yet it is even crazier how it is not something that is taught, everyone seems to just understand it and apply it.





Comments

  1. Lucy SpicherSeptember 21, 2017 at 7:08 AM

    Kevin, I think you picked out some easy and relatable networks of interpretation, especially for college students. In particular, when you talked about inside jokes and knowing just the right thing to say to a friend to cheer them up, I think you also have an underlying effect of kairos. The way people interpret something depends on the timing that it is brought up AND the experiences they have had. I agree that networks of interpretation are important to understanding and argument, and I would add that kairos also contributes to the greater understanding.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cara SchwartzSeptember 21, 2017 at 7:17 AM

    I appreciated the examples you gave of different networks of interpretation. I find them very relatable, especially the inside joke example. Networks of Interpretation is a valuable part of rhetoric. However, I think it is also part of the authors job to influence the networks of interpretation the audience uses (as much as they can). For example, defining terms the audience may not understand and using symbolism.

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  3. Carly SnyderSeptember 21, 2017 at 12:18 PM

    I know in my family the network of interpretation is vastly expansive! My family uses so many inside jokes and key phrases that anyone outside of our family would be lost in a conversation after only two minutes. I love how networks of interpretation can form such incredible bonds between people! In a more professional sense, using the network of interpretation is critical when forming an argument. I find, with your specific media example, that unbiased pieces are the most effective route to take when giving supporting evidence in an argument.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Isabella ScarberrySeptember 21, 2017 at 7:51 PM

    I think your discussion of the networks of interpretation is very insightful! It is something that we use everyday without realizing it.

    ReplyDelete

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