Zombie Ent(r)ailments in Risk Communication: A Rhetorical Analysis of the CDC’s Zombie Apocalypse Pr...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Beteiligte: Cheek, Ryan
In: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication, 50, 2020, 4, S. 401-422
veröffentlicht:
SAGE Publications
Medientyp: Artikel, E-Artikel

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Umfang: 401-422
ISSN: 1541-3780
0047-2816
DOI: 10.1177/0047281619892630
veröffentlicht in: Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Sprache: Englisch
Schlagwörter:
Kollektion: SAGE Publications (CrossRef)
Inhaltsangabe

<jats:p> Apocalypticism is a powerful brew of eschatological belief and political imagination that is extremely persuasive. This article addresses the intersections between apocalyptic rhetoric and the technical communication of risk, disease outbreak, and disaster preparedness by analyzing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s zombie apocalypse preparedness campaign. Specifically, I argue that the framing of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s campaign relies on and extends problematic iterations of apocalypticism and undermines the educational objectives of disaster preparedness and response. I conclude with suggestions for how technical communicators designing public awareness and outreach campaigns can use existential risk rhetoric for engagement without succumbing to the pernicious side effects of apocalypticism. </jats:p>