A narrative analysis was performed on obituaries and tributes to the folk singer and activist Pete Seeger, who died in January 2014. The paper explored how journalists and commentators mediated the nation’s mourning of his death (Kitch, 2000, p. 173) and how their work helped the nation reflect on what Seeger’s life said about our “national character” (p. 172). Mediation by journalists was assessed in light of the fact Seeger spent most of his life criticizing the status quo. While Seeger may not have brought about systemic change, he had success in pushing back against injustice and corporate negligence for more than seven decades. The analysis revealed the myth emerging from coverage of Seeger’s death includes the rhetorical foundation for a status degradation ceremony (Garfinkel, 1956). The honors and accolades heaped upon Seeger make him seem “out of the ordinary” (Garfinkel, p. 422), at least as far as activism is conducted today. It is implausible to just grab a banjo, head to a rally somewhere, and begin protesting. Seeger’s simpler, more organic approach to activism is less professional, claim journalists, than the one followed by today’s activists, and is obsolete. Thus, these texts indicate Seeger is once again “inconvenient.”
About the presenterRon Bishop
Ron Bishop, Ph.D. (Temple University, 1997) is a professor in the Department of Communication at Drexel University in Philadelphia, where he teaches courses in journalism and media studies. His fifth book, “Holding Up the Sky Together: Exploring the National Narrative About People With Intellectual Disabilities,” was published in 2018 by Hamilton Books. He has published more than 50 articles in a variety of academic journals across numerous disciplines.