Google one of more press conferences, speeches, or public addresses from any of the following: President Trump, Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Governor Andrew Cuomo, or Mayor Latoya Cantrell. Discuss the successes and failures of the rhetoric you examine. What is the central argument? How is it constructed?

For this blog post, I am using Mayor Latoya Cantrell’s press conference she lead on March 23th regarding COVID-19. You can find it here.

In this press conference , Mayor Cantrell touches base on the coronavirus and the need to stay at home during this time. She explains that it is of critical need to stay home except for essential outings. We do not know where our current curve is, and we won’t know until weeks to come.

The central argument of this press confrence to get people to stay home. You think it would be easy, but it’s not. Aside from the many people who are still considered “essential employees,” you have those who beleive that the virus is not a big threat since they are healthy and young. Latoya brings up that this virus can affect everyone; and if people keep staying out – the virus will remain out there.

Her argument is constructed fairly simple: fact bombs and referring to the guidelines that the WHO and CDC have imposed regarding COVID-19.

I believe she is successful in trying to get people to stay home. She brings up that this week defines our future. This is a life or death situation. She is telling it how it is and the reality of what will happen if we don’t stay home. She says it’s not just the city of New Orleans, but the surrounding region. The longer people don’t comply with the stay-at-home orders, the longer we will remain in this weird state of everything being closed.

She brings up countless evidence: essential guidelines from the CDC and WHO for banks, pick-up only restaurants , etc. She uses examples that we can relate to that make tune us in to everything she says.

I think some failures don’t have so much to do with what she’s saying, but how she’s saying it. Some times, I feel like she is speaking like a robot with no emotion. No emotion means it is less believable , kind of how it feels like when someone is reading off their powerpoint slide the entire time.

Right now, everyone is going to find something to be offended by. I honestly can’t take much more of it! The comments on her video were disgusting and she is just trying to do her job, as mayor, and keep us safe. It doesn’t matter if you’re left, right, up, down: we all need to shut up and stay home.

And you CAN’T change my mind.