David R. Gruber (Communication Studies) recently published "Ecologies of 'Sleepy Joe' and 'Mini Mike': The affective politics of ethos and the ethics of Ad Hominem Light" in the journal, Enculturation. The article argues that constructions of credibility (Ethos) are not confined to nice, positive appeals about a character's expertise or good civic standing but, rather, can be built through all kinds of speech and even through lobbing insults. The article outlines a new form of Ad Hominem fallacy, drawing on examples of political insults designed to endear core audiences and get a laugh.
