I have the afternoon off work, and a little time before my workout, so…

I’ve been thinking about the things that WEAKEN arguments.  I actually think I’m going to start my AP class with this activity this year!   I’m going to have them sit down and think about arguments they’ve been in.  I want them to think about what tactics they’ve used… what’s had an effect on them.  How they’ve been able to affect others.   I think it’s going to be good!  I’m going to use that to dive into some pathos, ethos, logos action.

But… I was thinking about the things the I think weaken arguments. (These are in no particular order).

1.  Lack of Specific Reasoning

People can tell me how they think/feel all day long.  But how something makes another person FEEL is not an argument.  This is one of the hardest things for my weak writers.  I ask “Which is more important, good luck or hard work?” and I get an essay back that says “Hard work is important… because when you work hard you can get more things from working hard.  People who work hard have a better chance of doing good than someone who is just trying to buy lottery tickets or something.  Hard workers are the ones who get farthest in life.”  Yes, yes, I understand your THESIS now… but give me PROOF!   (The same is true on the Internet.  I know how you FEEL… now, show me why you’re RIGHT!)

2.  Invalid Sources

This one is simple.  If you’re trying to convince a liberal to believe what you say, don’t use “Conservatism today” as your source.  Alex Jones, stop sending me to “infowars” and “prison planet” to verify the things you’re spewing.  Christians, stop giving my the Bible as proof that what the Bible says is true.  Consider your audience and what may convince them. Don’t send me to your blog as evidence… or most anyone’s blog for that matter.  Give me something reliable or something to which I can relate.  I want to understand what you’re saying, but you need to have FACTS.

3.  Profanity

It’s abrasive and rude.  It gets your readers’/listeners’ defenses up… and makes them more prepared to fight than to listen.

4. Bad Grammar/Spelling

Okay, so maybe this is more for me than others, but I see the grammar nazis attacking CONSTANTLY on the Interwebs. I try to refrain, but I was having a debate with someone this morning about whether or not America was built on Christianity.  She told me that our “four fathers” fought for our God given rights.  Which “four fathers” would those be? Jefferson, Washington, Adams, and Moe?  As soon as she said that, she lost ethos for me.  Yes, I am an English teacher, but people WILL judge you on your ability to communicate…  and poor grammar and spelling can lead to my next weak argument problem…

5.Ad Hominem attack/losing your temper

This goes back to number 3.  When people’s defenses are up, they tend to stop arguing about an idea and start attacking people instead.  Outside of marriage, this never truly works.  (Kidding, there, that was a tongue in cheek statement.  Richard and I are AWESOME arguers… we practice daily… and it’s never personal!)  When you lose the facts and turn to attack, the argument is lost.

6. Superfluous repetition

Maybe you have a reason that you think is really good… Not just really good but great.  So you say it once… and then you come back to it again in a different way… and you use the same reason but with different words.  And then you do the same reason,. but now it’s an analogy… and you give the same reason but in a different situation.  GIVE IT UP!   If it was a good reason, it will stick…  Use it… explain it… move on.

7.  Lack of acknowledgement that the other side has a point

If you don’t ever mention the other side, even if it’s just to debunk it, your argument is less convincing. If you are speaking to a HOSTILE audience, you want to be sure that they know you understand what they are saying before you try to debunk their thoughts. (One of those “four” fathers… Patrick Henry… did an AMAZING job of this in his “Speech to the Virginia Convention.” I LOVE that speech.  I tell my students that it is the rhetorical equivalent of Rob Zombie’s “Dragula.”  It makes me want to run through walls and then chew the cinder blocks, but I digress.)

8. Being unaware of your audience

This is all about Aristotle and the rhetorical triangle.  Be sure you know who you’re talking to before you begin.  I am not going to have the same discussion about rhetoric with my AP English class that I would with my six year old nephew.  I also would approach the issue of gay marriage differently with the Westboro Baptist Church than I would with a courtroom clerk in San Francisco.  If you don’t care who you’re talking to and what THEY believe; then, all hope of your argument being received is lost.