How Not to Make an Effective Argument

 Last night’s debate gave us numerous examples of how not to make an effective argument. This debate was riddled with many examples of hyperbole, emotionally changed words, unsubstantiated numbers and statistics, ad hominem, and much more as both candidates tried to sway the audience. For example, when Trump was talking about the new Supreme Court justice nominee, he says, “we have a professor at Notre Dame, highly respected by all, said she’s the single greatest student he’s ever had.” This is clearly an unsubstantiated fact because he’s passing judgment on a person based on someone else’s opinion (one person’s opinion as well). In addition to this, Biden also makes an unsupported claim about Barrett when he claims that if she’s appointed that she will get rid of the Affordable Care Act which in turn, Biden also believes will cause a fundamental change in women rights.  As of right now, no one can say for certain that this will happen, and by making this claim Biden is guilty of making an error in judgment.  It’s also no surprise that both candidates also are known for their mud-slinging tactics and there was no shortage of this either.  Examples of this were riddled throughout the debate- with Biden saying, “Everybody knows he a liar,” to Trump retorting, “47 years, you’ve done nothing..” and “...You graduated either the lowest or almost the lowest in your class.”  

One also has to wonder if both candidates genuinely show “proper decorum.”  What I mean by that is, our textbook, Thank You For Arguing tells us that, ‘to show proper decorum, act the way your audience expects you to act- not necessarily like your audience.”   Did these candidates act the way we expected them to?  After all, it’s safe to say that most of us probably didn’t expect to see a calm, civil discussion between these two individuals.  We have come to expect certain behaviors from both individuals- behaviors that were definitely shown last night.  In fact, it’s safe to say that if Trump, for example, had not debated in his typical, argumentative, brash way, then he may have been less trustworthy in the audience’s eyes- suspicious even.  Like the book also tells us, “an ethos that fails to fit your actual personality is usually indecorous. People pick up on it.”   Unfortunately, it seems that we have come to expect certain behaviors from our politicians, which also begs the question- is this reflective of our society today? 

Making the Audience Listen

 In chapter 6 of Thank you For Arguing, Jay Heinrichs explains how to get an audience to listen to you and keep their attention.  He mentions sharing virtues and wisdom.  The audience must also like you and trust you because if they do not, they will not follow you or listen to you.  Think of a boss, if the employees do not like their boss, odds are they will not show that boss respect and if they do it is most of the time because their job depends on it.  On the other hand, if the employees like their boss but do not trust them, they also will not listen because they do not trust their judgement when giving orders. 

 

Virtues and wisdom are also very important when trying to grab an audience's attention.  If the audience does not agree with what someone says, most of the time, the audience stops listening.  When I think of the importance of a listening audience, I think of comedians.  I know it sounds weird but the audience can literally make a comedian lose their job.  For example, say a comedian makes a joke about a topic that majority of the audience values.  The people in the audience might take offense to that joke and not find it funny.  The comedian should realize that and stop making the joke otherwise, the audience will not find them funny anymore.  Jay Heinrichs mentions bragging.  Bragging can be a great way to show wisdom, bragging about what you have achieved, or where you went to school.  Sometimes people brag about who they have met.  Staying on the topic of comedians, many people know John Mulaney.  He has a popular skit where he talks about the time he met Mick Jagger.  Although many do not realize it, the audience is engaged because "if Mick Jagger likes him and talks to him I like him" (which is also the persuasion tactic of popularity).  The audience listens to him because they like him, shares values, and believes he is wise.  In conclusion, in order to get people to listen to you, they must like you, trust you, share values, and believe you are wise.

American Flag in Persuasion

One of the seven types of persuasive appeal is beliefs or convictions. Beliefs or convictions is the use of God or our country to convince people something. The American flag is used all the time in advertising and elections. Examples of this would be a company using the flag as their background or connecting the American dream to a specific thing.

Did you know that using the flag in these ways go against the constitution? One example of this is that, “the flag should never be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free”(4 U.S. Code). With this in mind, the flag should never be carried out onto the field during the national anthem at football games.

Another example of using the flag in a way that goes against the constitution would be, “The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard” (4 U.S. Code). This means that technically the American flag should never be used on paper plates or napkins like you see during the Fourth of July.

It also goes against the constitution for there to be any sort of wording or designs placed over the flag, “The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature” (4 U.S. Code).

 

People use the American flag all the time to persuade to beliefs or convictions. People use this persuasive appeal for several reasons including trying to convince someone to buy a specific product, a person trying to convince people to vote for them in an election, or even when someone tried to change someone’s mind on an issue. I personally find it interesting that even though the constitution specifically prohibits the use of the American flag in these ways, one of the seven persuasive appeals is beliefs or convictions.

“4 U.S. Code § 8 - Respect for Flag.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/4/8. 

The Agreeable Side of Ethos

     In chapter five, Heinrichs states, "an agreeable ethos matches the audience's expectations for a leader's tone, appearance, and manners." To describe this kind of character based agreeability, ancient Romans used the word decorum. 

    Rhetorical decorum is the art of fitting in everywhere from the office to the neighborhood bar. Decorum can be found everywhere. A college campus may represent decorum. For example, a teenager changing their hair color in order to fit in with a group of people. Decorum follows the audience's rules. 

    How does ethos and decorum fit into rhetorical writing? Ethos is the character or emotions of a speaker or writer that are expressed in attempt to persuade an audience. Ethos is also known as the tools that turn you into a credible leader.  Ethos may be seen when something is being advertised after a professional has recommended it. A small child may portray decorum by using good table manners while eating a meal. 

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

 Ethos, pathos, and logos is a way of persuasive writing. The author uses ethos, pathos, and logos to inform the audience as well as persuade them while using these different forms.

Ethos is when authors give information while using credibility. Authors use ethos in order to get the readers and audience to believe in what he is saying. Without having factual references how would readers know if they can trust the information they are being told.

Pathos is another form of persuasion that authors use to inform and persuade readers. Pathos is all about emotion. In articles, essays, etc. authors use pathos to show emotion in order to get the audience to believe in what they are saying. When the author uses pathos they are giving the readers a look into how they feel about the topic being discussed. For example if we were talking about animal testing and the author were to be like "Many people believe that animal testing is inhuman and cruel." By saying that the author is showing emotion of other people, that will ultimately get the readers to believe in what they are saying and make them want to learn more about the topic.

Logos is when the author uses logic to get their point across and to persuade the readers and the audience. When the author uses reason behind what they are saying. For example, if the other were to say "do not drive over the speed limit or you will get pulled over" that is logic. Everyone knows that if you speed you will most likely get pulled over. It is simply just logic.

With all of this being said, ethos, pathos, and logos is a way authors persuade their audience.

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Decorum and Fashion

I was reading Chapter 5 of Thank You for Arguing earlier and this chapter spoke to me. The main takeaway was to learn how to persuade people to get them to like you. Now after first glance of the chapter title I was expecting something more like "just be yourself!" or "you need to be confident". But rather, Heinrichs talked about something I, honestly, hadn't heard of before. The number of times he mentioned the word "decorum" hopefully was a hint that it is the way to get people to like you. 

Decorum is defined as "behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety" or simply "Etiquette" (Oxford Langauges). So what Heinrichs was trying to say is that we need proper etiquitte. He stated, something along the lines, that "persuasion and decorum go hand in hand". So in order to persuade someone to like you, you need to have good taste and decency. 

He mentioned fashion a lot; I don't know about you guys, but if someone has a good fashion taste, then I'm already interested in what they have to say. Not necessarily in a "oh you look nice, I'm going to pay attention to you more" but more so... I'm more likely to pay attention? It is just such an eye-catcher! It is the first thing I notice on someone. (And I can get behind many different fashion styles.) Another thing that Heinrichs mentioned was that you also have to act and look like a stranger would think you would act and look like. He gave the example of a doctor showing up in sandals and swim trunks - not what you would expect nor trust from a doctor. Fashion can influence the way you see someone.

(I've been trying to insert a meme of the dog wearing human clothes and it is captioned as "It's called fashion, look it up." But it keeps popping up with an error message. Imagine that picture here, thanks.)

As I'm writing this the more it seems like Heinrichs wanted to tell us is that you need to wear clothes that suit you in order to "fit in" with everyone else... making you more likeable. I think that could have something to do with it, but I'd just edit what he had to say and say one thing. If you feel comfortable and happy in what you wear, rock it, that's amazing. Wearing clothes that makes you comfortable can give you a little more confidence which can lead to being more likeable. (And being more persuasive... I guess.)

Contemporary Rhetoric?

Sabotaging Style

Style is one of the most basic part of writing. It is also one of the most important parts of writing. Literacy style has been beat into our heads since elementary school. Elementary school we learned about narratives, persuasive, expository, and descriptive writing styles. Even though we may not have understood them yet, we used them whenever the teacher had us writing about our summer or to describe our favorite animal. Over the year’s literacy style has grown from something we did without understanding it, to writing complex essays to convince someone to do something.

We are still learning about literacy styles and the importance of them. Currently we get to learn about styles and how they relate to rhetoric. Rhetoric, that thing that we've been learning about all semester, is the art of persuading someone to win an argument. But how does rhetoric effect style?

 

Rhetoric is what brings meaning to style. It makes it obvious that rhetoric is what gives your words meaning and makes the ideas that we have become real. There is no way to approach literacy styles without involving rhetoric. It is impossible to separate the meaning of our words from the actual words. How we communicate and the things that we mean, are impossible to separate from the actual words. If you yell at someone that you hate them, they are going to assume you hate them. If you quietly whisper that you hate someone, they are still going to assume you hate them. If you text them and tell them that you hate them, once again, they are going to believe that you hate them. All three ways of delivering the message all have the same impact.

 

Literacy style is an important and yet tricky portion of writing. Rhetorical approach to writing means you have to know what you want to say, what you want to mean, and how you want to say it. 

 

There are many aspects to consider when deciding how to go about writing something. The writer must develop some sort of “style repertoire”. The writer needs to understand things about their writing before they can decide how they go about writing it. The writer must understand the audience and what they expect. They must also understand that there are limits because of the medium being used. A person cannot use sarcasm as easily in writing as they could in broadcasts. The writer must also understand the variations for style that fit their specific situation. This means that a writer might not consider using logos in an emotional situation as it would be less efficient to get their points across.

The style used in our writing is a part of who we are and what we are trying to say. Style is an important part of literature as it helps determine what type of writing we are doing. Rhetorical approach takes style one level deeper and makes it a part of our words and ideas.

Dark and Twisty: The Power of Literature

 

This meme is exactly how I felt after writing my Argumentative Analysis over Thank You for Smoking. After realizing how serious the movie was on persuading people, especially children, to smoke, fumes were coming out of my ears. While writing about how negative the movie was, I realized each example kept getting darker and darker, and eventually, I had to tell myself it's just a movie! This is how the world operates, especially throughout literature. We read or watch something that portrays something to harmful and our world gets turned upside down! It's hard to control our emotions when something hits us hard, which is why it has such a great effect on us.

However, hopefully after seeing other opinions and arguments over the movie, a weight will be lifted off of my chest and I will have a greater perspective and different views of the movie. It is crazy how a simple photo with a few words on it relates so strongly to a huge piece of literature!

Power of Persuasion

Persuasion is a powerful art of being able to persuade someone to change their mind about something. Being able to persuade someone successfully lets you be able to convince people to agree with you. Persuasion is the power of being able to understand and use arguments to your advantage.

 

The word “argument” is generally associated with negative emotions and memories. When people think of arguments people may think of a time they fought with a loved one that resulted in yelling and slammed doors. I know I personally always used the words "argument" and "fight" interchangeably. This is actually not the case. The scenario above is actually describing a fight. Arguments are in almost all parts of our lives. Arguments are disagreements between two people. This is inevitable as everyone is different and therefore has their own thoughts and opinions on everything. If everyone was the same arguments would not happen as there was nothing to disagree about.

 

The power of persuasion starts with keeping the discussion an argument and not a fight. If the argument results in a fight the person is less likely to agree with you and rather would have a stronger view that they are right.

 

There are three main steps in order to successfully persuade someone. The first step is to change their mood. In order to persuade someone, you want them to feel sympathy towards you and your ideas. This makes them more likely to be open to your opinions. If the person shuts down, then you’re not going to be able to persuade them, so it is important to influence their mood in favor of your opinion. Changing someone’s mood turns your opponent into a willing audience that wants to hear your side of things. The next main step is to change their minds. Once you change their moods you open them up to what you have to say. In order to persuade someone, you need to get them to agree with you on your ideas. The last step in persuasion is to make them want to act. In order to persuade someone, you have to give them the desire to act upon your ideas. Once you have successfully convinced someone to want to act upon your ideas then you have successfully persuaded someone.

Persuasion isn't reserved for large scale disagreements such as animal rights.

It is also used in everyday life. When you convince your mom to let you get ice cream, when you convince your friend to go ask for help with you, or possibly when you convince your brother to give you back the tablet. Persuasion is a power tool that can be used in many everyday situations and for any purpose.

Smoking: Then vs Now

    Smoking has always been a vice of the American people. Cigarettes were introduced to the American people in the 19th century. Even before this, men got their tobacco fix on pipes and chewing tobacco. Tobacco was advertised as a heath aide recommended by doctors nationwide. Smoking was said to ease your nerves, improve your health and improve your physical image. Smoking now, looks a little different. Cigarettes are used by celebrities, actors and musicians. Americans are influenced by what they watch on tv and in the movies. But why are Americans ok with picking up the nasty habit just to "look cool?"              

 The movie Thank You for Smoking can give some insight as to why people are willing to pick up a cigarette. Nick Naylor (played by Aaron Eckhart) is a handsome and charming cigarette lobbyist who works for pro-smoking companies. Nick comes up with a campaign using Hollywood actors smoking on screen to persuade the audience to smoke. Unfortunately this isn't only a practice in fiction. Big movies like The Great Gatsby, Forrest Gump, even 101 Damlations and Alladin all have characters that smoke cigarettes. Americans children are growing up with characters who they idolize that smoke cigarettes, then they grow up to watch more mature films where yet again, the characters are glamorizing smoking. It's no wonder almost 32.4 million Americans have an addiction to cigarettes. 

    Now, teenagers are putting down cigarettes and picking up vaping products. Vapes are electronic cigarettes, sometimes targeted at teens with fun flavors and bright colors. Teens may feel that vaping is the safer option to pick up the cool habit just like their favorite celebrities. Companies like Juul and Puff purposely target teens to get them to pick up a vape. They use bright colored vapes and fun flavors to entice the young smokers. A vape company called "Vape Craft Inc" even offered a $4000 scholarship to seniors in high school. This can easily be attributed to the teen smoking epidemic. Big vape companies should make targeted ads that are only aimed towards adults, should reduce the amount of flavors to only tobacco flavors and increase laws allowing minors to purchase these products.

     

Targeting Teens

The movie Thank You for Smoking is centered around the idea that people will do anything for money. At one point in the movie, Aaron Eckhart stands in front of his son's class and blatantly promotes smoking to children. This has me wondering; do companies still target underage consumers in 2020?

To answer that question, we have to take a look at the top brand for underage smokers: Malboro. According to the CDC, 38.3% of middle school students and 48.8% of high school students chose Malboro. Why is this? Well, it is reported that in 2014 Malboro spent around one hundred million dollars on a campaign called "Be Malboro". This campaign was directly aimed at influencing younger generations.

Another major contributor to the underage smoking market is Juul. Speaking from experience, I can confidently tell you that they have taken over our youth far more than cigarettes have. I don't think there was a day that went by where I didn't see someone 'hitting' their Juul during school. This isn't just by chance. In 2015, the brand spent one million dollars in promotions on Instagram, Youtube, and Twitter. This social media tactic was directly aimed at a younger demographic. 

Despite all of this, these companies have attempted to do some right. Juul has removed their fruity flavors which were popular among teens. Malboro spent considerable money on anti smoking advertisements aimed at teens. A prominent example of this is the program Truth Initiative. I'm sure we've all seen their advertisements on Snapchat and other social media platforms. However, have any of you actually sat down and watched them? I'm willing to bet that most of you skip through them as fast as you can. Are these advertisements actually effective? Do these companies care that their products fall into underage hands?