Week 5 Discussion #1

Argument that needs repairing:
McDonalds has a dollar menu. The McChicken is a dollar.

This argument needs repairing because there is no connection between the dollar menu and a McChicken. The audience is not aware of the fact that a McChicken is part of the McDonalds’ one-dollar menu. A person that is not familiar with McDonalds’ menu may think that it is strange for the second sentence to be stated. Moreover, the argument abruptly introduces the McChicken without stating its purpose in the sentence. In order to repair this broken argument, one must state why it is a dollar before stating its worth.

Repaired argument:
McDonalds has a dollar menu. The McChicken is on the dollar menu. The McChicken is a dollar.

This argument is valid because it states what the menu is, what is in the menu, and the outcome of having that item in the menu. It is important to be explicit in explanations and arguments because it leaves little or no room for misunderstandings and confusion.

Week 5 Discussion #2

In this advertisement from Nike, a young, fit man is wearing Nike’s latest shoe: Lunarguide +3. To the side of him, Nike’s typical marketing strategy is to have their text in large, bold print to catch the customer’s attention. In this case, the text says “HIT THE ROAD NOT THE WALL” and underneath in smaller, but visible print, “NIKE LUNARGUIDE +3.” Although not many words, the text and athlete are of equal balance in the advertisement, which emphasizes the importance of the slogan. Moreover, by having a fit man instead of an overly muscular man, Nike is able to have customers feel like the man is somewhat relatable.

Nike being a reputable source for athletic wear, it is fair to say that this advertisement is strong due to my personal experience with Nike. I have always relied to going to the Nike store to buy running shoes and other equipment because I know its supplies are of great quality. Since Nike is a big business, it is unlikely that Nike would advertise poor quality running shoes because it does not want to lose its loyal customers. So far, I have not been disappointed by my purchases from Nike.

Overall, I do believe that this advertisement is effective. The layout of the ad is professional, which shows that Nike is experienced and has the money to have good advertising. Having money for advertising is important because obviously that money came from the profit of the sales the company has had in the past.

Week 4 Discussion #1

Exercise on the structure of arguments #2:
1) I’m on my way to school. 2) I left five minutes late. 3) Traffic is heavy. 4) Therefore, I’ll be late for class. 5) So I might as well stop and get breakfast.

Argument: Yes.
Conclusion: I’ll be late for class, so I’ll stop and get breakfast.
Additional premises needed: I left for school five minutes late and traffic would make me even later. I’m going to miss most of my first class, so I might as well get breakfast to help energize me for the rest of my classes.
Identify any subargument: 1-3 support 4. 4 supports 5.
Good argument: This is not a good argument because the premises are vague. If the statement included how bad traffic was, how late the person would be to class, and how breakfast can benefit the rest of the day, then this argument can be stronger. Furthermore, this argument would be bad if the person would be late only five minutes because the person would most likely be able to catch up during class since five minutes is not that long of a time.

This exercise was particularly useful to me because I always make this argument. The way I look at it is: if I’m going to be late, then I’d rather be really late instead of sort of late. Obviously, this is not a good argument because being late is not the only factor in this argument, but rather other components such as the content of the class that I will miss. This exercise has shown me the importance of being specific and adding strong premises to strengthen my conclusion and argument overall.

Week 4 Discussion #2

A fallacy is an argument with a doubtful premise, which also does not support the conclusion (201). As a result, using a fallacy can cause a weak and an invalid argument. One fallacy that I found most interesting was the appeal to emotion. An appeal to emotion provokes the audience to feel emotions such as pity, happiness, and fear. Using persuasive language in the statement provokes these emotions. This tactic is very important because many people often rely on their feelings toward a subject. If they feel that the argument makes them feel upset, they will often not support the argument.

An example of an appeal to emotion that I have heard frequently is: abortion is murder. Although only three words, this statement can make a person feel various emotions such as sadness and fear. The key term that evokes this feeling is “murder.” Most people associate murder with a negative connotation, which is why pro-life activists continue to use this slogan. As a result, people may feel that they are murderers if they support abortion. Abortion, of course, is not that easy of a topic to consider if it is right or wrong. It is crucial for speakers to avoid using the appeal to emotion because it is more important to consider the reason and logic behind abortion such as considering the “future like ours” argument for the baby AND the mother.

Week 4 Discussion #3

The topic that I found most interesting and useful in The Essential Guide to Group Communication was “Master Communication Technology” which include pagers, telephones, teleconferencing, e-mail, and the Internet. This is most relatable today because practically all our communication is through or involves technology. For instance, many business meetings occur with a board of directors in a room and a person on a screen via web cam. This allows important participants to be included in the discussion without the person being physically there. Another example of the importance of technology is the easy access to the Internet. Since everyone is able to use the Internet at any time of the day, people are often on the Internet. Having said so, businesses have learned to advertise their product and service via Internet to broaden their audience. A third example of the effectiveness of the Internet would be online classes such as COMM41. Since this course is taken online, I am able to do it at my pace, my time, and at my desired place. I do not have to travel an hour to SJSU to take this one class. Overall, technology has made it easier to communicate with one another because of the accessibility and advancement it has achieved. No longer do individuals have to spend time traveling to a meeting or rummaging through the newspaper for current events. These individuals are able to do and find pretty much anything online in a matter of seconds. Clearly, technology is important in communication.

Week 3 Discussion #3

One topic I found useful in The Essential Guide to Group Communication was the process of decision making in groups and teams. The process is as follows:

-Identify the problem (what is it?).
-Conduct research (what is the background and details of this problem?).
-Establish guidelines and criteria (what should the possible solutions contain?).
-Generate alternatives (brainstorm possible solutions).
-Evaluate alternatives (are these solutions reasonable?).
-Select the best alternative (which will be most effective and practical?).
-Implement the solution (take action).
-Evaluate the result (how did the solution affect the problem?).

An example of this would be:

-What should we eat for lunch?
-We can eat any genre of food. We have not eaten all day.
-We can spend up to $20 per person. We must eat a big meal in order to feel like we spent our money well.
-We can eat Philly cheesesteaks, Cheesecake Factory, Chili’s, or Hometown Buffett.
-If we eat Philly cheesesteaks, we will only get a sandwich and fries for $10. If we eat at the Cheesecake Factory, we can get large portions. We could eat at Chili’s because we haven’t eaten there in a while. If we eat at Hometown Buffett, we will get all sorts of food, dessert, and drinks for under $10.
-We will eat at Hometown Buffett.
-*Eats at Hometown Buffett (pasta, fish, meat, fries, chicken, mashed potatoes, cake, yogurt).
-We made the right choice eating at Hometown Buffett because we were able to eat various items at a low cost.

As with all group work, there is bound to be a problem that the group is unable to solve. Being able to work through the problem effectively and efficiently are key in teamwork. There must be structure or a procedure to go about solving these problems like the one listed above. Looking back at the groups I have been in, I now can see that the assignments went more smoothly when we were organized. This is primarily because all the group members were on the same page and we were not jumping from one idea to another randomly.

Week 3 Discussion #2

An argument is a statement that tries to convince yourself and others that a conclusion is true. However, it is important to note that a strong argument is different from a valid one.

A strong argument is one that can be true or false and makes others believe in the claim because of the extensive information given. An example of a strong argument can be: As an infant, I was exposed to secondhand smoke. Soon after, doctors told me I had Asthma. Secondhand smoke can cause lung problems. This is a strong argument because I used a personal experience to back up my claim. Instead of using a generic premise, I presented real evidence to show a cause and affect relationship between smoking and lung problems.

A valid argument is primarily factual to show that the premise and conclusion are true. A valid argument is less persuasive than a strong argument. An example of a valid argument can be: Smoking can cause lung cancer. Therefore, a smoker can get lung cancer. Not all smokers get lung cancer, but there is a high-risk that they will. It is valid not only because it is true, but also because it begs the question too. It does not give any background knowledge, evidence, or any kind of elaboration to convince the audience how strong the argument is.

Week 3 Discussion #1

In order for an argument to be considered good, there are three tests. These tests include checking if the premises are plausible, checking if the premises are more plausible than the conclusion, and considering the validity or strength of an argument. Although there are three tests, each test is independent from each other. If one fails to pass and the others hold true, an argument can still be considered good.

Example:

Eating 2,000-2,600 calories a day is healthy.

Katherine eats 2,100 calories on a daily basis.

Therefore, Katherine is healthy.

In this argument, the premises can be plausible. Though the average amount of calories one consumes may be true to many people, it does not mean it holds true for everyone. Each person has a different metabolism rate and a different exercise routine. For instance, Michael Phelps, a gold medal Olympian, consumes about 12,000 calories a day. This does not mean he is unhealthy because he burns off those calories while he trains for swimming. As for Katherine, she may have the same regimen as Michael Phelps and would need about 10,000 calories in order to avoid malnutrition.

The conclusion is valid IF the definition of healthy is based on the average daily intake of calories. However, there are many factors that play into being healthy such as diet and exercise, not only the amount of calories. Furthermore, if Katherine eats more or less on some days, does that mean she is healthy only on a few occasions? As a result, the premises are incorrect, making the conclusion invalid. This argument is bad.

This argument is invalid and weak because it fails to consider other aspects that contribute to a healthy lifestyle. If a person does not exercise and eats 2,000-2,600 calories a day, that person is not healthy. There should be a ratio between exercise and calorie intake. We do not know Katherine’s daily routine, so therefore we do not know if she is healthy or not.

Discussion Question #3: Lack of Self-Esteem

One concept that I found interesting in The Essential Guide to Group Communication is the lack of self-esteem members have in groups. When students lack self-esteem, students are not confident in their work, thoughts, or input. This may be due to a student’s environment, or simply because the student is naturally unsure about his quality of work. This usually happens when students worry about what his peers think and is afraid to be seen as less than expected if what he says is not of quality. Thus, a student’s ideas may be ignored or considered little by the other group members making him feel rejected or of little worth. Being a minority in a dominant Caucasian high school, I typically had doubts of my say in group projects. I always had the presumption that my peers were always right or had better comments and ideas. As a result, I rarely voiced out my opinion and often agreed with what was said previously. However, one piece of advice that changed my position in group work was when my Government teacher said, “by not participating and not saying what’s on your mind, you are only cheating everyone else in your group by depriving them of such knowledge.” Since then, I have tried to contribute more in group work because I do not want to deprive anyone of anything, especially of knowledge. Furthermore, by doing so, I realized that I do have thoughts and opinions that are valuable to others.

Discussion Question #2: Vague Sentences

A vague sentence is a phrase that is too general for one specific topic. Various people usually interpret these phrases differently because it does not give everybody a specific topic to respond to. My cousin and I always ask each other vague questions whenever we get a chance to talk. Take for example the other day, he asked me in the car, “what do you want?” This question is fairly broad to answer in a few sentences. I did not know whether he wanted an answer concerning family, wealth, success, careers, happiness, or relationships. Moreover, he might have been referring to what I wanted to eat or do on that day. I was not quite sure. Thus, my cousin’s question was too vague to answer because I did not know what he specifically wanted. Yet, knowing him from previous conversations, I assumed he was asking what I wanted out of life. I took the challenge of deciding what was most important to me in my life by weighing out my values. I responded to his question by saying, “I want a healthy, loving, and supporting husband and four kids. I don’t care what I do, as long as I can help others out in some way, shape, or form.”