Unique genres in activism

This week's readings and discussions have really emphasized how extensive genre is, and how the term can be applied to many things we wouldn't typically think of as a genre. I wanted to explore some unique genres that are only or mostly found in activism, and particularly in animal rights activism.

Immediately what came to mind is what I will call "the exposé."I consider this to be a work, typically a documentary or piece of print journalism, that exposes something objectionable that most people are not aware of. There are countless examples of this in the animal rights movement. For a very recent example, see this video from Plant Based News.

I will now analyze this genre using the four questions explained in Writing About Writing:

Questions about situational elements: What conditions (situations) call for the genre? What prompts this sort of document to be written? What is the need or reason for a given action or communication?

Works in this genre are created becuase the creator becomes aware of something that is happening that they consider to be morally wrong, and they believe more people should know about this thing. The ultimate goal is to stop the thing and prevent it from happening again. For this example: The creators of the video wanted to draw attention to the harm of salmon farming and cause it to stop.

Questions about substantive characteristics (content): What sort of content (substance) is typically contained in this genre? What do these texts tend to talk about or say?

This genre usually includes evidence of the bad thing taking place in the form of undercover or covert film and photography and/or written description from eyewitnesses. These texts talk about the thing that is happening and why it is bad. In this example: The video includes footage of salmon farming and testimonies from witnesses and participants in this practice.

Questions about stylistic characteristics (form): What form does this sort of genre take? What does it look like? How is it organized? What language does it use? What tone does it take?

Form can vary depending on whether the work is a feature-length documentary, a short documentary, an article in a newspaper, and so on. Tone is usually solemn and urgent as the creator tries to convince audiences that this thing is wrong and worth their attention. Specifically, this example takes the form of a short video with an upsetting tone that compels viewers to action.

Questions about the organizing principle: What makes this genre what it is? What are the common denominators of the genre? What makes a resume a resume, for example? Of each characteristic that you identify in the first three questions above, you might ask, “If I took out this characteristic, would it still be recognizable as this genre?”

The main organizing principles for this genre, in my opinion, are the element of exposing a hidden injustice and illustrating that injustice in the form of video footage, photography, and written or spoken testimony.