What's the Big Idea?

Rhetoric is not just the ability to write persuasively. Nor is it merely the use of certain cliches to make a point. Rhetoric has been abused so much that it has become associated with these things. But rhetoric is the skill of articulating the truth. Contary to what Ned Naylor says in the movie, "Thank You For Smoking" it does matter if what you say is actually true. And it does matter how you argue. You cannot make falsehood true by clever wordsmithing. You should not use untrue wordsmithing to prove something that is true. The end does not justify the means. In fact the end may not even matter that much.
The art of rhetoric is actually quite a difficult skill. It combines the necessity of knowing what is true with the ability to communicate that truth not just compellingly, but truthfully/integrally. It is the art of persuasion and word smithing without manipulation. Manipulation, spin, and bad logic dominate the media. The sad part is that most of us aren't even aware that we're trying to be persuaded to believe something. This just makes it super simple to get us to buy into something untrue. I think that the result of that is that we live in a false reality, if it can even be called a reality. The more accurate way of saying what I mean is to say that we live in the false. We rarely question things. We often just accept things. If something tickles our feelings toward how we wished the world was, (we never stop to wonder if the way we wished the world was was the way the world should be) we accept it. Regardless of the logic, or ethic behind it. I mean we actually think, often for no reason at all, or for reasons that seem to us to be reasons that really aren't, that the American way of life is the "real world".
I know I am talking about big things. This blog is not a place for essays. It's a place where thoughts can take place. So I don't feel bad for keeping things brief, broad, and undemonstrated. I don't believe you'd read it anyway. If you're really interested you'd comment, and then we could talk and discuss. Depending on the response I get to these ideas will determine whether I go into them further. So please leave your comments. Thanks.