We Need Higher Quality Outrage” by Deborah TannenURL

Choose one of the three readings from the textbook chapter titled Theme: Language and Politics. Read the text, then write a five-paragraph argumentative essay on the prompt given in Application, which appears below the reading. Be reminded that this is an argumentative essay, which means that in addition to your arguments, you also need to present the counterarguments. When presenting the counterarguments provide examples of logical fallacies commonly used; explain the type of logical fallacy. Do not forget to add the rebuttal after the counterargument. 

1.Introduction:

a. Hook

b. Background Information

c. Thesis Statement: Arguments 1 & 2

2.Body 1: Argument 1

a. topics sentences/mini-intro of Argument 1

b. Example 1/Supporting Detail 1

c. Example 2/Supporting Detail 2

d. Example 3/Supporting Detail 3

e. mini-conclusion/transition: restate the argument1

3.Body 2: Argument 2

a. topics sentences/mini-intro of Argument 2

b. Example 1/Supporting Detail 1

c. Example 2/Supporting Detail 2

d. Example 3/Supporting Detail 3

e. mini-conclusion/transition: restate the argument2

4.Body 3: Counter-Argument(s)

a. topics sentences/mini-intro of Counter-Argument(s)

b. Example 1/Supporting Detail 1

c. Example 2/Supporting Detail 2

e. Rebuttal: support Argument

5.Conclusion

a. Restate the Thesis Statement

b. Provide Recommendations

c. Make a Call for Action

Argumentative Essay Template

INTRODUCTION

Nowadays, ________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________. This is an issue because _____________________________________________________

______________________________. Some people say __________________________________________________________________

_______________________________ because _________________________________________________________________. Other people say _____________________________________________________________________________ because _________________

_________________________________________________. In my opinion, __________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________.

BODY PARAGRAPHS

One reason I think that ___________________________________________________________________________________

________________ is _________________________________________________________________________________________. For example, _________________________________________________________________________________________________. This means that __________________________________________________________________________________ and shows the _______

_________________________________________________________________________. Therefore, I think _________________________

______________________________________________________________________________.

Another reason I think that _____________________________________________________________________________

_________ is _________________________________________________________________________________. For example, _________________________________________________________________________________________________. This means that __________________________________________________________________________________ and shows the _______

_________________________________________________________________________. Therefore, I think _________________________

______________________________________________________________________________.

COUNTER-ARGUMENT and REFUTATION PARAGRAPH

Some people say that ______________________________________________________________________________________

__________________________. They say that ____________________________________________________________________________ and so they think that _____________________________________________________________. Their idea is right in some ways; however, I disagree with them because _________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________.

CONCLUSION:

In conclusion, I believe that ______________________________________________________________________________

__________________________. I think that _________________________________________________, ___________________________

__________________________________________, and _________________________________________________. It is important because _____________________________________________________________________________________________________.

ESSAY SAMPLE /FALLACY COUNTERARGUMENT FILE STYLE APA

Has This Group of Voters Achieved the Free Speech They Sought?

Rene Amechazurra

Miami Regional University

ENC1102

Dr. Uliana Gancea

November 21, 2021

Has This Group of Voters Achieved the Free Speech They Sought?

How would you feel if you were publicly censored from voicing your opinion? If someone restricted your First Amendment? Well, a group of Trump voters were censored on Facebook and Twitter, forcing them to migrate to Parler in order to express their beliefs. Is it fair to your fellow Americans to have to take such actions because organizations such as Facebook and Twitter take hold of their right to freedom of speech? Despite transferring to another application, this group of voters has not achieved the free speech they sought because they are being treated unfairly and Parler is not as popular of an application to get their beliefs out on.

First of all, these Trump voters have not attained the free speech they were in search of because they are still being treated unfairly. The free speech they seek will never truly be acquired as long as they remain censored on Facebook and Twitter. This censorship is unfair to these Trump voters because they are being restricted from expressing themselves on these platforms, meanwhile Biden voters may do so. Another reason why they have not truly achieved the free speech they sought is because their freedom of speech is being restricted. According to Purdy (2021), as long as the censorship remains in place, the group of voters’ freedom of thought and expression is limited. Furthermore, their beliefs are being disregarded by these two platforms. For example, the ability to censor these Trump voters portrays the company’s lack of sympathy for their beliefs. Though they have migrated to another application to express themselves, a part of their free speech remains hostage.

In addition, the Parler application does not compare to Facebook nor Twitter in terms of popularity. This group of voters are being forced onto a less known application, which is ultimately a restricting factor. Hart (2021) states that the application’s popularity has strongly decreased. The movement to this less popular application restricts these Trump voters to voicing their opinion to the smaller audience of people that are Parler members. Further according to Hart (2021), the application barely made a return to the Apple App Store, indicating how unproductive it is. Lastly, the censoring on Facebook and Twitter, and the migration to Parler limits this group of people to almost only this application, especially since applications such as Facebook and Instagram are interrelated and owned by the same person. Sardarizadeh (2021) states that the unreliability of Parler can leave this group of people with no place to exercise their freedom of speech since the Google Play Store has previously suspended it. Ultimately, Parler’s unpopularity and unreliability places this group of voters at a disadvantage.

On the other hand, some may argue that these people deserve to be censored for their irrationality, supporting someone as “unprofessional” as Trump, and at least Parler gives them a place to express themselves. Merkel (2021) believes that like everything, freedom of expression too has its limits when hatred is an active factor. In this case, it is evident that the hatred being exerted is towards former President Donald Trump. Those who oppose him believe his supporters deserve this censorship. These arguments are invalid due to the Ad Hominem logical fallacy, where Trump along with his supporters are being attacked for their “irrationality”, rather than their actual opinions. These arguments are built on opinion and therefore invalid, ultimately proving those opposing to act on emotion.

All in all, this group of voters has not attained the true freedom of speech they were in search of because of the ongoing censorship and unreliability of Parler. All fellow Americans should learn to respect one another’s opinions and allow everyone the opportunity to express their opinions freely. They should all come together to find a solution to these differences, rather than grow apart and create more issues.

References

Hart, R. (2021, June 2). Parler's popularity plummets as data reveals little appetite for returning 'free speech' app favored by Conservatives. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthart/2021/06/02/parlers-popularity-plummets-as-data-reveals-little-appetite-for-returning-free-speech-app-favored-by-conservatives/?sh=665ca5f45e13.

Mchangama, J. (2020). Even noxious ideas need airing-censorship only makes them stronger. The Economist. https://www.economist.com/open-future/2020/01/31/even-noxious-ideas-need-airing-censorship-only-makes-them-stronger.

Purdy, E. R. (2021). Censorship. https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/896/censorship.

Sardarizadeh, S. (2021, January 9). Google suspends 'free speech' app Parler. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-55598887.

“We Need Higher Quality Outrage” by Deborah Tannen

Things to Do with the Reading:

Define “agonism.” What is it, and what are the two types of agonism that Tannen discusses in her article? What is the binary opposition at the heart of this article? As her central claim in this article, what does Tannen have to say about these opposing approaches to public and private discourse?

Click on the link below to read this literary selection.

"We Need Higher Quality Outrage"  

Application:

Tannen’s article was written in 2004, and she references key events of that time (the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Iraq War, President George W. Bush’s address to the United Nations, and so on). However, much of what Tannen has to say about agonism and opposition could also be applied to today’s current political discussions and reporting of current events. Select a specific current political event and do research to see how it is reported in a few different sources, including at least one source that is not based in the United States (such as a newspaper published in the United Kingdom). Discuss similarities and differences in the various reports that you have selected, including the language used, the claims made, the points of view presented, and the people who are quoted or mentioned as sources or experts.

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