Graff

In Graff's opening statement I could already agree with both his opinion, which stated that people should be educated in controversies since argumentation is an important part to our government and to being a successful citizen. Although, I also agree with the opposition, which stated that there is already too much arguing and fighting. Today debates are about winning and not about creating a positive change. If people also learned how to argue correctly and intellectually then there would not be all this fighting and anger. Too many people feel like they need to win an argument, but they spend all their time in this narrow mindset instead of being open minded and listening to their opponent and learning from them. A statement that Graff makes that I disagree with was when he said that most students do not witness debates between teachers and rarely between students. I have seen a few situations where students debate in class about topics that they are passionate about. And most students do not witness their teachers debating, which is normal, but that still does not mean that it does not happen. There is no way to end conflicts between people, especially in schools and relationships. I agree that debates these days can be completely absurd but they should not be eliminated because they are beneficial to our community. I really like how Mike Rose phrases the importance of argumentative habits which Graff says are key to all disciplines. If people recognized the importance of listening to their opponent and keeping an open mind, I think arguments would be much more productive.