Holy Antecedent Rhetorics !
Antecedent public rhetorics is an idea derived from a similar concept found in genre studies . In genre studies , identifying and understanding the genres which comprise or inform the creation of subsequent genres are instrumental in its interrogations . According to Kathleen M . Hall Jamieson in “ Generic Constraints and the Rhetorical Situation ,” “ perception of the proper response to an unprecedented rhetorical situation grows not merely from the situation but also from antecedent rhetorical forms ” ( 163 , emphasis original ). In the case of the Batroversy , the situation was similar ( intense dissatisfaction with the casting of Batman to cause a protest which drew media attention ), but the times had changed . Thanks to the internet , no one was writing letters anymore as in the Keaton protest ; however , it is important to note that fans , previous to the Keaton casting news , had been given agency to include their input in at least one major decision affecting the continuity of the Batman narrative , at least as far as the comic book was concerned . In 1988 , DC set up a telephone hotline for fans to make the decision to save or kill off Jason Todd who was the second Robin . Thousands of fans voted , and Robin subsequently met his demise at the hands of the Joker . Parsons describes the “ telephone poll deciding the fate of a somewhat unpopular Robin ” as “ one of the more prominent examples of fan power ” ( 86 ). The trajectory of such empowerment for a specific public , much more invested in a cultural institution than the casual television viewer , demonstrated that , “ Serious comic fans are not passive consumers of cultural product ; they are in many ways active participants in its creation ” ( Parsons 86 ).
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