Trees or forest?: A response to Gresson's “phenomenology and the rhetoric of identification”

Gresson's discussion of the phenomenology of coalition formation emphasizes the importance of “transcending experiences” for the alliance of sociopolitical outgroups. This article suggests two additional considerations. First, the outgroups which Gresson examines are the consequence of a democratic system which failed to adequately establish a societal “we‐relationship.” Second, the communicative act itself (apart from its content) creates or nurtures a “we‐relationship” between individuals. Thus, leader communication with the potentially disaffected may help unify the society, apart from the message strategies employed. President Carter's public appearances during his first 17 months were studied to illustrate his coalition of “we‐relationships.”