The question of whether or not people can be persuaded is a very interesting. I am still hung on two different answers. One, that people can no longer be persuaded because of the political strength in society today. And two, people can be persuaded but just choose not to listen, because they are too stubborn and afraid that they might agree with the opposing person.
I do not think it’s the sense of being wrong is what bothers people but more the idea of what they would be if they were persuaded in any issue. What I mean by this is, politics play a huge role in life today. There is simply no way to get around the topic of politics in most conversations and every where you seem to go politics are popping up somewhere. To get to the point, people in today’s society, from my experience, only want to stick to the issues that are important to their political party. You can’t agree with some issues from one political party and some from another, you have to be either democrat or republican. This is why I believe that people almost refuse to be persuaded. It is not even the action of being persuaded or the issue that is being brought to questions. It is whether your political identity will change if you are persuaded even on one single issue.
I once had a guy asked me if recycling was a ‘liberal thing’. I laughed at the question but then answered no, recycling is something anyone can do, but it is a tad bit liberal I guess. He quickly responded “no then I don’t recycle because I am a republican.” This example did not involve persuasion but it proves that people will sway one way or another depending on their political standings.
This is what leads me to think that persuasion is not entirely dead but just covered by people’s inability to be open to a new side of an issue. I may not be correct, but with my experience I think that this is true. And if it’s not for political reasons, then it is merely because people are too stubborn to hear what the other side has to say, regardless of the issue. This happens to me almost on a daily basis. I am a vegetarian and when people ask me why I respond by saying animal rights and health. People are quick to judge but they never want to hear my side. Is it because they think they know everything there is to know about vegetarianism? Or is it because they are afraid that they may be interested at the idea of being vegetarian? Vegetarianism is something different and listening to a vegetarians view on it could change their outlook on many things.
If people became more open to the idea of change and openness, maybe persuasion would come alive. But in this day in age it seems very unlikely. Heated debates on abortion, stem- cell research, foreign policy always come up somewhere in conversation, whether it is in class or just at the table with a bunch of friends. People have very strong opinions on topics like these, and don’t like to listen to other peoples opinions. If you have ever been in one of these debates then you know that instead of listening to the other person’s argument, you are most likely thinking about what you are going to say next to defend your opinion.
I guess in the long run, persuasion is not dead, just covered up by peoples inability to believe that their might be more out there than what just they believe is true. If people would relax and hear what there is to hear about any argument, I think that persuasion would come alive again. So, persuasion is not entirely dead, merely just in a coma.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Kristine’s blog post hits on many of the main points that I would have also touched upon if I were directly responding to the initial question. She first mentions the political power in today’s society. This is indeed a huge factor in how people view arguing, debating, and persuasion in general. For example, take the most recent Presidential debates before the Nov. 4th election. In the second debate, the format was suppose to be that of an “open forum” in which nominees take questions for the attending crowd and attempt to directly answer the questions posed. Not only did neither of the nominees do a good job with the format, but it was very seldom seen that either Barack Obama or John McCain even attempted to address what they had been asked. This is a prime example of what modern day politics has morphed into, and unfortunately persuasion also. In nearly every case where the art of persuasion could be implemented, things often involve opposing sides of a debate simply pushing forth their side’s talking points and refusing to listen to valid points posed in opposition to their arguments. This is what persuasion has eroded to in modern society.
ReplyDeleteAs far as whether or not persuasion can break out of this vicious cycle that it’s caught in, one can not say. It all depends on the examples that are set forth by the leaders of our society. As they go, so will the populous go. If the newly elected President Barack Obama and his administration make a significant effort to change the way that the population views argument, debate, and bipartisanship, there is a chance for improvement. And by bipartisanship, I mean actually being actively involved with the opposing side as far as working towards an improved country, not only making a show of working with the other side and then simply ramming changes down their throat. Parties MUST be put aside and a desire to improve relationships among differing ideologies must be made. It’s up to the current leaders of our country and the world to decide whether or not they want to resurrect the art of real persuasion, or simply let it die a slow and painful death.
Kristine does a great job of going point by point to discuss the current faults with our society’s current view on debating and persuasion, and finishes up by citing the same idea that persuasion is no dead, but on life support.
Persuasion is far from dead; it is merely in constant opposition with itself. There are two sides to ever coin but in this day more and more people are firmly convinced by one side more than the other. It is not so much that people refuse to see all angles of an issue as much as they have let themselves become blindly persuaded by one side. We don't think for ourselves enough; I agree with Christine that too often we are afraid of hearing the other side of an issue. This is sad because we claim to be the beacon of freedom in the world yet large parts of our population will not even take advantage of the knowledge that our rights allow us to have.
ReplyDeleteThe most important right when it comes to persuasion is freedom of speech, or maybe this freedom has devalued our appreciation for knowledge and persuasion. I will not concede to arguing against freedom of speech but we do need to be aware that anyone can say anything and just because you are on TV or are well-known politicians doesn't mean you know what you are talking about. People tune in everyday to Bill O'Reilly while he spews out illogical, sometimes hateful and most often ridiculous information and opinions. Again people tune into this EVERDAY and will base their opinions on whatever he says. This is where you need to ask questions and do your own research before selling your soul to Fox.
So the real question is what has failed us more, our own minds or the minions who bombard us with bogus information? Persuasion is far from dead; it is constant and often used for the wrong reasons.