Obstacles Arising from the Subject and Purpose
Chapter 9
It would be naïve, at best, to assume that the obstacles any rhetorical communicator faces can be
viewed as separate and distinct from each other. Communication does not exist in a vacuum, but rather
all the elements (obstacles in this case) must be viewed as an interrelationship between one another.
There are two major obstacles created by subjects or topics: (1) resistance created by
complexity and (2) resistance created by the cultural history of the issue.
 Complexity--some issues are complex or at least the audience views them as complex. When this
happens, audiences are likely to see the subject as distant from their personal experience…..perhaps
they require a certain technical knowledge or some other kind of special expertise….or they might be
bound up with other difficult issues. So expect resistance when your audience doesn't see how the
issue affects their lives (no personal experience); they don't feel competent to weigh in with opinions
or actions (lack certain knowledge), or they feel overwhelmed because there is so much going in their
lives or with other issues related to this subject. For example, the civil rights movement in this
country illustrates the complexity of a problem. Initial efforts to attack the denial of civil rights resulted
in eliminated segregated schools, businesses, etc and the passing of legislation to ensure equal
treatment under the law. But when these very basic battles were largely won, other issues emerged
that were not as clear-cut or as easy to define. Like what exactly is quality housing, quality education,
good jobs? Definitions differ, depending on your view-point and your experiences; your knowledge,
etc. And successes become more difficult to measure in concrete terms; and take time to change. In
short, clear evidence of progress is often hard to see. In sum, a subject may create obstacles
because of real or perceived complexity.

Cultural History--this obstacle arises due to the roots of the event happening long before your
rhetorical message is delivered. And they may include such factors as boredom or indifference since
we are already well versed on the topic; some audience minds may be closed about further
discussion, considering it a taboo topic; some audience members may consider the subject to be
emotionally loaded; and finally, some audience members may find that the subject conflicts with their
cultural values.
Purpose-Related Obstacles--sometimes rhetorical communications need to induce some kind of
participation for the audience. And the kind of response you seek might create obstacles for the audience:
(1) resistance to the cost involved in responding to the request; and (2) the perception that they have no
control over the issue in question (the members don't see themselves as agents of change).

Cost--This focuses on what the audience is expected to do and what the cost is in time, energy,
money, inconvenience, and maybe even ridicule. Logically, the greater the (perceived) cost, the less
likely the audience will act. For example, what cost obstacles are you likely to meet if you attempt to
persuade a smoker to stop? A couch-potato to start exercising? A political liberal to be more
conservative or a political conservative to be more liberal? And greater the cost, the longer it will take
to convince someone to take action. And the greater the time, the energy, or the commitment
demanded by your proposal, the more resistance you will meet. And there is also a cost linked to our
cultural values. Some beliefs (dress, traditions, religion) our families or culture might hold near and
dear could be ridiculed by others in our society. So the rhetorical problem of cost, measured in the
price the audience must pay in time, energy, inconvenience, commitment, money, expertise, or social
pressure for going along with your proposal. And the more you demand of your audience, the greater
the rhetorical problem you face.

Control--the audience's perception that it has at least some control over the outcome, whether or not
its members believe they can affect change. The problem grows when the audience feels it has no
control; that no matter what they feel, it makes no difference. For example, many people don't vote
because they feel it doesn't matter; that their vote is in an insignificant impact and the costs are too
high to bother. Unfortunately, when we feel completely at the mercy of forces greater than us and we
have no control within the system, we might resort to violence as a means of exercising some
element of control. People who believe the political or justice system cannot not address their needs
may resort to violence as a way to accomplish their goal. This can be a major problem for the
rhetorical communicator…how do you convince an audience it can have some control if it has been
conditioned to believe it has no control? How hard must it have been for Martin Luther King, Jr. to
convince his audience of non-violence to affect change when they had felt for so long that the justice
system was broken when it came to serving their needs?