Arguing Without the Formality

Arguing Without the Formality by Christopher Smith We all argue. Even if you don’t say anything aloud, you’ll still disagree with someone in your head, coming up with some witty comeback or counterpoint. Like so many other things, it’s simply a part of our nature. We creatures that think and feel and form our opinions. And seeing as we all come from so many different locations and upbringings, it’s only natural that we’ll run into disagreements with one another. However, it’s how we handle these disagreements that not only show us who we—and others are—but it also dictates the style of the argument. More often than not, we tend to be a part of the less formal arguments, perfecting this tone in our childhood days, arguments with friends and siblings that never move beyond: “Yeah huh,” and “Nuh uh,” repeated ad nauseum1. It’s true that the majority of your argumentative writing and speeches in academia will have a more formal slant, this chapter will focus on the pieces of argument, discussing style, yes, but realizing that it’s better to learn the ropes on your own terms before trying to write in a voice that is not your own. Really, when it comes to arguments, the biggest thing to keep in mind is that you don’t necessarily have to argue an issue that someone can either be for or against. Of course, the big arguments and controversies are things like abortion and gun control and the death penalty. I’m sure you’ve been privy to such arguments in the past—if not have participated in them. While arguments that are pro vs. con are sometimes the most clear cut in terms of stating your stance and beliefs and sticking to them, it’s those arguments with multiple facets and possibilities that can become more interesting. For example, arguing for what is the best or the worst of some certain category. Crafting an argument for why traditional hip hop is so much better and more complex than gangster rap provides more room for an expanded viewpoint. However, that’s not to say that a for/against argument can’t be equally complex when you’re willing to concede a point to the other side. Perhaps you agree that the system for buying a gun is broken, but you still believe that a person should have the right to own one. What side of the argument are you on, then? The side that’s most important to you: Your side. This is all about discovering your ideas and opinions and forming them into a logical structure. I Hate Confrontations. Why Should I Argue at All? It’s true that arguments have a stigma of “being bad.” Arguments rile people up, piss them off, and break up families and friends. Arguments only happen when one person is wrong. Arguments are a sign of the end. Admittedly, there is some merit to the previous statements, and—unfortunately—many arguments do take a turn for the Dark Side; however, as mentioned above, it’s all about how we handle an argument. Arguments handled in a professional and 1 You’ll learn more about this soon enough in the Logical Fallacy Section. respectful way are actually quite healthy and beneficial. Fine, then, Mr. Words-on-the-Page, what makes them so beneficial? Again, it’s wise to reiterate that these are healthy arguments. No names are being called. No bringing up broken promises or past slights. No verbal attacks. It’s an exchange of varying views. Nothing more. And in that exchange, we can find these positive notes: ● Expanded Views: When we approach arguments with an open mind, it allows us to see beyond our own ideas and prejudices. We can take in what another is saying, assess their claims and evidence, and decide what merit might be within. Practicing such behavior will open yourself to new and unexplored ideas, things you might never have considered. And what are we here for, if not to expand our horizons and worldviews? ● Deepening of One’s Personal Convictions: Often, the more we argue for or against something, the more conviction we feel. By having to promote or defend the things we believe and love in a logical manner, we’ll rediscover our passion for the subject and see why—exactly—we think as we do. Even more, we can often see the faults in our opposition’s views, which also can strengthen our personal beliefs. ● Helping One Another See/Understand the Other’s Side: Again, in a healthy argument, it becomes more of a discussion of “Let me help you see why I think like I do. In turn, I’ll take the time to listen to your side and see why you’ve come to the conclusions that you have.” It gives a mutual respect to all parties involved, and in the end, everyone can walk away with an understanding of the other. ● Shows Why It Matters to You and—Hopefully—Others: In all our writing, we should let our readers know why they should care. This is done by showing why it matters. This might simply be why it matters to you. It might be why it matters to them. Why it matters to the world, the universe, to unicorns or astronauts or tea makers. Whoever, whatever, wherever, the importance needs to be shown. By giving your argument and subject matter a concrete reason for why it matters, readers will see its import, and even if they don’t agree with an argument, they’ll at least see why they should take it seriously. Oftentimes, arguments aren’t so much about swaying a person to your viewpoints—although that is a bonus—as an argument is showing your readers in a logical manner what and why that stance (aka your thesis2) is valid. And this is where things start to overlap with a Report; however, while Batman and Night Owl3 share many similarities, there are some notable differences. It’s Not an Argument if You Don’t Have… An Arguable Point Well, duh. 2 Another thing that is discussed further in Chapter ?, “And Your Point Is…?” The “billionaire gadgeteer” archetype in Alan Moore’s Watchmen—arguably the best graphic novel ever written about superheroes. (The film is not too shabby either.) 3 This is, very much, a “Well, duh” moment. But it might surprise you how often developing writers will try to “argue” something unarguable. They’ll try to tackle topics like “Violence against women is bad.” Yes, it is bad. As is violence against anyone. And that’s the thing, no one is really going to argue for such a thing. No one in their right mind will be sitting around, sipping their caramel macchiato and saying to their friend, “You know, I think more mass genocide in the country would be a good thing4.” Basically, ensure that whatever your point/stance is, there will be some other view that can be argued against—or to oust—yours. A Thesis5 Every argument you will ever have contains a thesis. In short, this is your point. This is what you’re trying to argue, your stance, your opinion, your side of the argument stated in a clear, concise way. For example: Nickleback is one of the worst rock bands of all time. What’s being argued here? What’s the stance? Clear, yes? There’s no doubt as to what is being argued here. This, in essence, becomes the backbone of your essay, holding everything upright and together. Any and every argument you ever create will need some type of statement. Bare minimum, YOU need to know what your stance is as you write, since arguments can have different structures that may have the thesis at the beginning, sometimes the end, and sometimes it is simply implied. However, to be on the safe side when it comes to any academic essay, a thesis should be easily identifiable and clear enough for any reader to understand the point you’re trying to make. Claims Once you have your arguable point and thesis intact, you should have claims to back up that argument. You need reasons for your readers to see why that particular stance/thesis is valid. Unfortunately, we’re not arguing with a five-year-old and saying something like, “Because I said so,” is not a valid argument or reasoning. We need to give details—specific and concrete ones—that will back up our main ideas. For example, continuing with our Nickleback thesis, a person might say that “Nickleback is one of the worst rock bands of all time because their lyrics are trite, Chad Kroeger sounds like a dying giraffe, and their instrument work lacks complexity.” Again, we have a clear idea as to what the argument is going to be about, not only with the overall stance of the argument, but we also have an idea about the claims that have lead us to this particular conclusion. While a thesis might be the backbone of our essays, the claims are the rest 4 5 If you should ever find yourself in such a conversation, run. This is not a good person. Again, be sure to check out Chapter ?, “And Your Point Is…?” to learn how to craft a solid thesis. of the skeleton, showing our readers how this topic/idea is put together. These, too, are what will fill in our formulaic structure, giving us our main points and—possibly—our paragraph breakdown. Evidence But what are claims without specific and concrete evidence to back it up? Diddly squat, that’s what. Without evidence, our arguments simply become the “Because I said so.” You don’t show your readers why your claims are true; you simply claim their truth because you said they are the truth. And who are you more likely to believe, the car salesman that says, “Yeah, it’s a fantastic car!” Or would you be more inclined to trust the salesman who shows you what’s under the hood, pointing out the new parts and work done, the salesman who lets you go for a test drive and points out any flaws in the interior, the salesman who makes sure you note the mileage and overall condition of the vehicle? We all want to make our conclusions for ourselves. And when we provide ample—and concrete—evidence, we don’t have to make the argument for our readers; instead, they’ll come to our conclusions on their own, which creates a much more impactful and lasting argument. They don’t want to hear you say it’s the best brownie6 in the world; they want to take that brownie and shove it in their mouth for themselves. Don’t just tell them the brownie is good. Show them what makes it so good: the ingredients, the consistency, the care in preparation and presentation, and on. A Counterargument (Though This Can Be Optional) If one of the benefits of a good, healthy argument is seeing the opposition’s side, then including that into your own argument can be a good thing. A really good thing. Here’s why: ● Add Credibility - By including a counterargument, it shows that you, as an author, have done the research enough to find out the other sides, to see where others might have qualms with your claims and argument, and that you’re willing to discuss them in a respectful manner. Basically, it shows that you know what you’re talking about and that you are confident enough in your argument to show why the opposition fails. ● Strengthen Your Point - When we take the time to not only address, but to also disprove, our opposition, it makes your argument even more compelling. Basically, you beat your readers to the punch, in that if they see the counterpoints to yours, and you show why those are problematic/superfluous/nonsensical/etc., then your point becomes even more credible. ● Sign of Respect - When you ignore counterarguments—especially in a topic where there are well-known counterarguments, it can look like you don’t respect others’ ideas and questions. In turn, it makes readers not take you as seriously. Why should they respect your ideas when you don’t respect theirs or others’? 6 Mmmmmm… brownies... ● Length - Given the academic setting, you’ll always have some sort of guidelines as to an essay’s length: word count, page count, etc. And this is one viable, and acceptable, way for you to add that extra girth to your essay. Believe me, as long as you take it seriously, no teacher will ever be annoyed that you added/addressed a counterargument in your essay. As mentioned in the heading this is optional (unless, of course, an assignment asks for it specifically). However, it is highly-recommended, like this is what Netflix would say is a “must watch” for you, that you include one in your essays—particularly in argumentative essays. Of course, when it comes to addressing and refuting a counterargument, we want to ensure that we’re discussing the argument and not the person/author. Simply saying another is “a stupidhead and shouldn’t be believed” might have worked back in the playground days of yesteryear, but attacking the opposition in this setting—even an informal one—will reduce your credibility, kill your hard-earned respect, and weaken your argument. Qualifiers This last piece applies to every section of an argument but, in particular, the claims. When we argue, we need to ensure that we use qualifiers to make our statements and evidence feel that much more credible and keep it from sounding ridiculous. Whether or not it carries over from our childhood tendency to exaggerate, we often like to speak in broad statements when we argue. We like to say things like, “Everyone hates Nickleback.” To our personal beliefs, this may seem true. However, why are they so popular if “everyone” hates them? Where are all these fans coming from? The same can go for the flipside, “Chocolate is loved by all.” Is it? What about those that are lactose intolerant or allergic to cocoa? No matter how strongly we feel about a subject, there will always be an exception. For every 100 people that love The Walking Dead7, there are 100 people—or more—that think it’s terrible. Because of this, we need to include qualifying statements and phrases to soften our statements and allow them more credibility8. So instead of saying that “Everyone” or “no one” or other all-encompassing phrases, use terms like “Most people” or “Some…” or “Many…” or “Few…” In short, give a slightly nebulous term that will allow some wiggle room. Because while everyone should use qualifiers, few actually do. Building a Logical Structure Once again, our Basic Structure acts as an excellent starting point/outline for our an argument, though we can also have some slight variations to change things up a bit. Let’s take a look at some options. The Basic 7 The AMC show that helped solidify our culture’s current obsession with zombies. By now, you can hopefully see how important credibility is to an argument. Without it, your arguments are nothing more than a printed version of Chunk, the loveable chunky kid in Richard Donner’s masterpiece, The Goonies, who is full of stories. (Yes, I called it a masterpiece. Deal with it.) 8 ● Introduction ○ Introduce argument, with thesis, and provide preview of three claims ● Claim A (Second Strongest Argument) ○ Evidence in support of Claim A and thesis. ○ Address Counteragument to Claim A (Optional) ● Claim B ○ Evidence in support of Claim B and thesis. ○ Address Counteragument to Claim B (Optional) ● Claim C ○ Evidence in support of Claim C and thesis. ○ Address Counteragument to Claim C (Optional) ● Claim … Z (STRONGEST Argument) ○ Evidence in support of Claim Z and thesis. ○ Address Counteragument to Claim Z (Optional) ● Conclusion ○ Expand on thesis, retouch on major claims, and reiterate argument’s importance. Variant A (Counterargument(s) at the End) ● Introduction ● Claim A ● … ● Claim Z ● Counteragument(s) ● Conclusion Some instructors prefer that counteraguments be addressed as one, near the end of your essay. However, this can lead to a few problems. For one, it means that rather than your strongest argument, readers pretty much end on the “other side,” which can make them consider the opposing side more so than yours. Secondly, if the counterargument is not properly addressed, it can sound stronger than your claims and argument, thus nullifying everything you’ve just done. Lastly, it might make the essay feel disorganized and scattered, if you’re addressing Claim A once again so far from it’s initial introduction. Of course, this structure wouldn’t be given if it couldn’t—or didn’t—work, as it can. However, one simply needs to keep the aforementioned issues in mind when working with this structure. Variant B (Building Toward the Thesis)9 ● Introduction ○ Omits thesis statement, but still gives preview of major claims. ● Claim A that hints at/points to thesis ● … ● Claim Z that hints at/points to thesis ● Conclusion 9 Of course, the counterargument can be discussed claim by claim or at the end, as suggested in the previous structures. ○ Thesis is finally stated outright, and readers can see that everything that has come before has been building towards this one idea/conclusion. Admittedly, this form can be a bit like Gollum10, tricksy and problematic, as pulling it off takes a bit of work. Often, an instructor might simply see the lack of thesis in the intro and mark it as a problem. It can also be easy for your claims to not be quite as developed or as cohesive as they need to be, making it hard to believe the conclusion and final thesis. However, when done right, it can make for a powerful argument, as it guides readers to the inevitable conclusion, helping them to come to that conclusion on their own or—bare minimum—to understand how everything has been building to that idea all along. It’s a great structure, to be sure, but one that requires a firm trust in one’s audience. Think of Your Argument as a Conversation Given that what you’re discussing does have opposing/different viewpoints, it’s a great idea to think of your essay as a conversation. You’ve probably formed your own ideas based on your observations and, possibly, from disagreeing with another side of the argument, and your essay comes from wanting to respond to what others have said. In essence, it’s a conversation—just written. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t address others’ views—both supporting and going against your claims. This, too, will help you to keep your audience in mind. Like our Narratives and Reports, keeping our audience in mind will help address what type of information is necessary to the argument: what needs defined, how much background is needed, etc. Unlike Narratives and Reports, we need to consider our audience even more in terms of offending them. Unfortunately, in this day and age, offense is taken too easily11. So it’s our duty to minimize the alienation of our readers through “offensive” statements. Really, it boils down to common sense. When you’re discussing a fairly touchy subject, be tactful in what and how you address the topic. Use your qualifiers and keep from making statements like, “All democrats are leftist liberals that are a step away from being communists,” or “Republicans are all bible thumpers.” These will not go over well. As you write—again, depending on your topic—it’s good to keep the following in mind12: ● ● ● ● ● ● 10 Intelligence Level Cultural Differences Creed/Religion Sexual Orientation Sex Political Affiliation From J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth world, made famous through Peter Jackson’s trilogies for The Lord of the Rings and, more recently, The Hobbit. 11 We have so much access to people’s thoughts and perspectives via social media that everyone’s every thought can be dissected and criticized, calling for a need to be hyper-PC (politically correct). 12 These will be gone into further detail in Chapter ?, “False! Your Logic Sucks.” ● Age ● Income Of course, there are plenty more that could be listed, but these are some of the bigger “hot spots.” And, again, you don’t have to worry about all of these—or any for that matter—as long as you treat your subject with respect and qualifying phrases and words. In the end, our essays are only as effective as to how many people will read and take our words seriously. Given the fact that more and more people will only read what they consider “quality” work, don’t give them another excuse to push you aside by saying something you didn’t intend to. Remember, a healthy argument is a way to grow, not to “prove that you’re right.” Keep this in mind and you not only might persuade others to your views, but you also might learn a few new things. Or maybe neither will happen. Either way, if you engage in a discussion in a respectful manner, at least you won’t be an a-hole.