Author: Nick Kempinski

… agonistically toned!

“No, you’re agonistically toned!”

In, Ong’s, Orality & Literacy, I have to admit for me, “Agonistically toned” was one of the lesser argued characteristics. Perhaps it’s because his use of laser specific language; it’s name has more punch? It sure wasn’t the generic references to old plays and stories such as Iliad, Beowulf, and The Mwindo Epic.

What is agonistic?

Not agnostic.
Not antagonist.
To the dictionary!

2. Argumentative

3. Striving for effect

4. Relating to, or being aggressive or defensive social interaction between individuals usually of the same species ¹

While “Argumentative” maybe a doomsday definition you may lean toward, it’s also “striving for effect.” What Ong continued to point out, is it is also about being boastful; peacocking and bloating chests.

Bragging about one’s own prowess and/or verbal tongue-lashings of an opponent figure regularly in encounters…

Based off the old plays, this may seem oddly over the top and, perhaps to literate society, could come across as “insincere, flatulent, and comically pretentious.”

Recently Agonistic

Rap battles are a great example of agonistic tone. Two rappers slinging saturated, insults at each other while making themselves larger than life. But what else in modern culture could be considered agonistically toned?

Here’s a quick list of other recent examples

• Every “character” in a reality TV show
• The more questionable Minecraft YouTube show hosts my son sneaks
• Every Xitter post from it’s owner
• The 45th, now, 47th US President-Elect

Good or Bad?

What I find interesting about this characteristic is, Ong, is careful not to say an oral culture is simply agonistic, but agonistically toned. Meaning that while they sounded agonistic, they may not physically be.

Reading Orality & Literacy, there is attention to stay unbiased, to have no opinion on better or worse between literate and oral culture. While others might exclude “tone” from the characteristic and go towards tribalism and the darker natures of our past coming back; while perhaps Ong had a personal opinion, he gently stays out of that fight.

Does a highly agonistically tonned society lead to agonistic behaviour ²? Could there be a future where Agonism is everywhere?

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1. Note: I’m not sure what “usually of the same species” has to do with anything. But sure, we’ll go with it. ↩︎
2. Ah… that explains the specific species language. Many of the studies are not on humans. ↩︎