Dear Viewers, A Rousing Intercourse is a vlog that comments on everyday rhetorical practices. This first episode is about readymade rhetoric and valediction. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll identify with that frustrating aspect of our digital lives: email valediction. Enjoy our humorous take on email valediction as well as our suggestions for changing valediction to better fit with our current cultural moment. Warmest Regards, A Rousing Intercourse
Harlot
A revealing look at the arts of persuasion
This is an awesome video, very well done! I laughed all the way through. I’ve seen some pretty evil ‘warmest regards’ out there. You’ve released me from my signing imprisonment. Amy
I now understand why I never hear back from all of those ‘respectfully yours’ people. F*** ’em!
Nicely done gentlemen.
My dear respected Paul,
That was great. One thing: you partner says “written or verbal”–if it’s written with words (in Latin–verba) it’s verbal. He meant written or oral–both are verbal. But the idea of the valediction is great. The same is true of the salutation–dear, most respected, esteemed–now it’s all dear, even if it’s to say your services are no longer needed. (There was a dean who used both dear and the informality of the first name to inform that a contract period had come to a close; essentially to say the person might be fired.) The ars dictaminis (the art of letter writing–medieval, not just 18th and 19th century) is pr’t’ near dead. So–long before I saw this video I cut out salutations and valedictions, both.
Yours with the utmost sincerity and with intention to instruct, as is my wont,
victor.
Playful look at valedictions! I kinda wish we could bring back the original form of the valediction. I’d love to see how students would close their emails to me then. Perhaps something like “Your most appreciative student” or “Your student from last semester who didn’t appreciate getting a C”?
This is a topic I really have not thought about before. In fact, I was writing a formal letter earlier today and now realize that I just “follow the rules” and use the same standard salutations and valedictions drilled into us since middle school. I used “Sincerely” and “To Whom It May Concern” today. Next time I have to write a letter I will consider a far cooler valediction! Thanks for an interesting video that made me think about something I had never focused on before!
Love the sub-plot of your video diddy–I was wondering where the plastic martini ware was hiding.
I wish I could do what Victor does and not use salutations or valedictions, but I can’t break free. Maybe you need more gravitas than I have to pull it off. I do think the social work of these phatic expressions are what makes them obligatory. If rhetoric is an art, then so are good valedictions. And I am not very good at them. When I can’t figure out how to end an email, I often just borrow my interlocutor’s last valediction–unless it is the smarmy “warmest regards” — or the psychopathic “cheers.” (I confess I have used both).
Jerry
Gentlemen:
I happened across the first installment of your vlog and it made me realize how ridiculous it was that I use “Best” as a valediction.
Screw the both of you,
Jim