Evidence

I think evidence is one of the most important aspects of making a convincing argument. Words and just words if they are not backed up by some investigation whether it is observation, interviews, surveys, experiments, or through personal experience. If a person has evidence of what they are trying to convince the audience on then they will have a much better chance of succeeding. I think personal experience is something that is commonly overlooked as evidence but extremely important. When I read arguments and the author can tell me that they have been through what they are arguing it helps reach me on a much deeper level. It may not be a fact from an experiment but the evidence that it provides is just a powerful. I thought about what evidence could be used for restaurants and the main thing I thought of was surveys. Many restaurants commonly have comment or survey cards for the patrons to fill out regarding their experience. This will help restaurants have hard evidence on what is good and what also might need some imporvements. In my opinion evidence can make or break an argument. If strong evidence is in one article and not the other than I am inclined to believe the one that have better evidence.

Restaurant

Recently in class we have been discussing restaurants and the different arguments they make. I never really thought about restaurants making an argument other than if they had good food or not. But, service, atmosphere, and food all go into making a dining experience an enjoyable one. I never picked up on what the waiters wore before. I just assumed that if we were at a nicer restaurant they would be wearing nicer clothes most typically the color of black, and if we were eating at a restaurant that wasn’t very nice their wait staff would just have on blue jeans/khakis and maybe a colored shirt that matched everyone else. I also believe that when I eat in a nicer restaurant I feel like I have to use better manners or act more mature. I think it has something to do with what the waiters are wearing and the atmosphere they create around me. I feel like I am in a nice place and I don’t want to be too loud or do anything wrong. I never realized how restaurants can shape how you act and also present these many different arguments to us.

Obesity

Obesity is an ever-growing problem in our society. Adults and children are becoming increasingly over weight. But what exactly are the effects of obesity on not just our society but people themselves. Many things are associated with being obese such as heart disease, diabetes, and other health related problems. However, in recent articles we have read lately, it has been shown that obesity is not linked to the rise in any of these problems. So, the question is: why are we associating negative connotations with obesity?

People, TV, articles, and ect. are making the argument that obesity has some very detrimental effects. I believe this is mainly because it is frowned upon to be overweight. Therefore, researchers are linking obesity to the rise in other health problems to help scare people away from being overweight. They are using information gathered from over 50 years ago to do their research to make it seem like obesity is increasing these other concerns. The rise in diabetes and heart disease have actually been shown to not be a direct link to anything to do with obesity in the recent articles we have read in class. The reason researchers are making the argument that in fact they do when in actuality they don’t is because they want to provide a sense of fear in being obese. This helps gives people a reason to want to lose weight and eat healthier, even though it might not be completely factual.

I agree with the reason the researchers are making the argument that obesity has increased other health concerns even when in reality they don’t. I think that unless negative things are associated with being overweight then people will not be concerned with it. If a person thinks they might have an increase for heart disease if they continue eating the way they have then they might change the way they eat. Obesity is a problem that will only continue to grow unless we are scared to become over weight. The only way that we can try to turn this growing problem around is by scaring people away from it, and that might be the result of a few lies that could help people develop a healthier lifestyle. 

Definitions

Have you ever gotten into a fight or had a misunderstaning with someone because you said a word and meant it one way but they took it another? I know I have, and usually most fights or arguments will start because of people having “different” definitions. Formal definitions are hard to dispute, they come straight from the dictionary and are very straightforward. However, even these definitions can spark an argument. This goes to show, it is hard to really define something; which is probably why people are constantly arguing.

Formal definitions are a bit harder to define. This is because everyone has different experiences and because of this, a different way of viewing or defining something. An example of this is in highs school my parents would reward me for “good” grades. “Good” grades were considered A’s and unless I made the A then I was not rewarded. I was always furious when my best friend would be rewarded not only for A’s but also for B’s. This shows how our definition of “good” grades differed, for her it was an A or a B but for me it was soley an A. I have many foreign players on my team and things are constantly being misunderstood. They grew up and lived in a whole different country than most of the team which has instilled in them different values and different ways to define things. Keeping cultural backgrounds in mind can help avoid an argument.

Definitions by example are very similar to operational defintions,  but this definition focuses more on who or what might be on a list. When the guys from King Corn were defining corn, they listed all the places the corn was grown, how it could be grown, and why it was being grown. This provided examples for us to see exactly where and why all this corn was being grown. It is important to keep in mind that things are not easily defined. You can go look in a dictionary for a definition but that will only get you so far.

Using evidence

In class, everything we have been reading or watching has somehow made an argument toward us. In order for us to believe the arguments being made, facts or evidence are needed to support the claims. The common general theme of claims being made, is that the over-production of corn is hurting Americans. Michael Pollen and the movie King Corn both make this argument and the reason they are so successful at getting their point across is their use of evidence and facts to back their claims up. They use actual numbers to show how corn-fed animals are worse for us than naturally grazing cattle, how we can get more calories from chips and cookies than carrots for the same amount of money, and how much corn is actually produced every year and how much corn we actually need. By providing this evidence they are making a their argument a factual one. If they tried to make this argument without using numbers and facts, I would be less likely to believe it so easily. Before the readings from this class, I never knew how big of a detriment corn was to our society. Not only is it harming humans diet, it is also hurting the environment. I am forced to believe this when I watch King Corn and read Michael Pollen’s words as they go into such detail about the corn process and about the farm bill. I always thought corn was just a vegetable that I ate at dinner on occasion, I never knew what all corn was going into.

Thanks to the evidence provided in all the readings we have done, I am forced to acknowledge all that growing corn entails. If I heard the claims being made before, there is no way that I would believe them. Now, knowing all the background information on corn and what it is going into; there is no doubt that the claims being made are true. The farm bill is something that needs to be changed. These arguments need to continue to be brought to peoples attention with factual evidence and then people will be forced to take a stand. Michael Pollen and the men from King Corn have made me more aware and it is only time until all of America is aware of the problem over-producing corn presents.

chapter 6

Claim: Corn is going into everything, which is causing an obesity epidemic in America. Because calories are becoming cheaper, we are consuming more.

Grounds: 3 of every 5 Americans is overweight, 1 out of every 5 is obese, since 1977, Americans daily intake of calories has jumped by more than 10%, UN reported that in 2000 people suffering from over nutrition outnumbered the people suffering from under nutrition.

Warrant: If the government can allow farmers to nearly go broke over-producing corn to eventually produce unhealthy foods that is causing “a threat to public health”, then they should also be able to produce less food with higher quality and better nutritional value to make America a healthier nation as a whole.

Backing: The fact that peoples calorie intake has risen to an extra 500 calories per person is startling. The overproduction of corn has led to the “Supersize” option on the menu and in return an obese epidemic has been sweeping through the nation. It is now believed that kids life expectancy is shorter than that of their parents due to all the processed food.

Qualifer: For people not as high on the economic scale it is easier for them to buy junk food because they can get more for their money. One dollar can buy 1,200 calories of chips and cookies compared to only 250 calories of carrots. Unless the price of healthier food drops considerably, people will continue to buy junk food because it is cheaper and fits in their economic budget.

Rebuttal: In the end, it is the choice of people what they are willing to buy and put into their body. It is up to Americans to stop going the junk food route and start adding nutritional quality to their meals.

Whole Foods

When I think of Whole Foods, one thing comes to mind “healthy.” I have been to the store a few times before, never to actually shop there but to visit the restaurant side of the store. I knew that Whole Foods was a place that many of the environment friendly and also health conscience people shop. The reason I have never shopped for groceries there is because I had heard that the prices were quite a bit higher which I found out was true while walking around. The argument that I found while shopping at Whole Foods was that it was important to eat only organic and all-natural products; however, it would come at a higher price.

After reading the article by Michael Pollen, it made me think about eating healthier, organic, and all-natural foods. Reading the article actually made me think about going to Whole Foods and trying to shop there because I want to put good things in my body. However, I think like most people to shop for all of my groceries there would be a bit ridiculous. The prices are about twice as much as a normal supermarket. Is it really worth twice or three times as much for a jar of peanut butter? Most people, including me would say no. I know that with the health craze going on that places like Whole Foods are becoming more and more popular and I would love to be able to shop there. The main thing is that for most people, it is simply too expensive. It is nearly impossible to find one item at Whole Foods that is cheaper than at the Supermarket. For some people it is just not possible to afford this “healthy” lifestyle.

There were a few items that I would go to Whole Foods for such as milk, meat, and a few others. I believe that others that also can not afford to exclusively shop at places like Whole Foods, go there to buy the few organic or natural things that they like and that is it. When you look at the people walking around the store, most of them have their own bags and are completely into this environmentally healthy approach. Some people will swear by organic and all-natural food items, but those people usually have quite a bit more money than others. I wish I could shop at Whole Foods because it really is better for you. However, for me it is not worth doubling my grocery bill.

What to Eat

Being a tennis player, I am told what I should and should not eat. I am told to eat this because it will give me more energy before a match, or to drink this because it will help re-hydrate my body faster. I am told this to help me perform at my highest level. Before reading Everything’s an Argument, I never thought about how an argument on what to eat was being made towards me. I realized that arguments are made toward me on a daily basis not just by my trainers and coaches but also by television commercials and nutrition books. All of these arguments are presented to me in different methods, all of which have an impact on what I decide to eat.

Pathos, ethos, logos are the common ways that an argument is presented to me on what to eat. When my coach tells me a story about how she did not drink enough water and Gatorade before a match and ended up losing the match because she started to cramp, she is using pathos to make an argument toward me. Hearing her say that strikes something in me when she goes on about how she let her team down. I know right then, that I am going to drink and drink to make sure that it does not happen to me. When Dwayne Wade is shown on a commercial drinking Gatorade, he is making an argument toward me using ethos. He uses his position, one of the best basketball players in the world, to make me want to drink Gatorade. I believe that since it is good enough for him that it has to be good enough for me and who knows maybe it will make me better. Commercials of athletes and other stars are shown over and over again to make an argument to people. However, these stars and athletes are not experts in nutrition. They are just endorsing a product so people(like me) will want to buy it. The experts in nutrition are nutritionists and trainers. When the nutritionist comes to talk to us during the year, she uses both ethos and logos to make her argument. The nutritionist that talks to us has a fancy degree and studies what athletes should eat for a living. This makes her argument an ethos one. However, she also gives us a chart with facts and numbers of what the body needs and what is lost when you work out. This makes her argument not only ethos but also logos. She has credibility and the facts that make me believe every word she says. All of these arguments make an impact on the food I choose to eat daily, it is only now that I realize the nature of the arguments being made.