Argumentation

Dania says I have to post on this regularly. I could interpret that to mean "on a fixed schedule" instead of "often", but that would be a deliberate misinterpretation. I may decide to do it like most webcomics and update three times a week (MWF). I may decide once a week is enough to satisfy Dania's need for the sarcastic genius of David Sorensen. I may decide to stop posting on this at all, especially if the topics of my posts are as uncontroversial as Steph Tidwell. You see, Steph Tidwell is a very likable person. There are very few, if any, people on the planet who would argue that Steph is not a good person. For that reason, discussing her is unproductive for me. I like to say things that spark debate. I like to look at things from a different perspective and try to open the minds of others a little bit to see a bigger picture. In some ways, I play devil's advocate (which is fitting because I was his TA). Too often when we all agree on something, we experience the effect psychologists have termed group polarization: when everyone has the same opinion and they discuss the topic, the opinions become even more polarized. I try to keep group polarization down. So sorry, Steph, but you may not get that blog post about you (unless you count this one).

Yes, argument is what I like to foster. Not petty bickering, but actual, informative, constructive argument. Argument makes people decide what their own views of a situation are. Argument helps people to see outside the box of their own thinking and into a much larger world. For being such a helpful tool, argument really is looked down upon by the world. We are too often pacifists. We are afraid to offend others, so we don't readily voice our opinions. This has always seemed silly to me. We don't change our opinion because we don't want to be offensive; we just don't clearly state it. If we aren't afraid to have the opinion, we shouldn't be afraid to speak out in defense of it. Contention may be of the devil, but healthy argument does not involve contention. It involves rhetorical tools to try to show opponents that you are right, and them doing the same to you, but it doesn't mean there is a contentious spirit about it. So speak your mind. Stand up for what you think. Show the world that your viewpoint matters too. And it does because you are a person just as much as anyone, so what you think counts just as much as anyone. We all see the world different, and if we were a little more willing to share that instead of submit to a group mindset, we would all benefit.