Tannen

Tannen talks about a lot of really interesting things but the first point that really struck me was when he said that Americans, metaphorically and literally, compare a lot of things to war. This in particular relates to politics, which experiences constant battles between parties. The words that people use in conversation also can be perceived in a different way than how they were intended. Or, using Tannen's example, people can watch a debate and carry that savagery with them. People get swept up in this negativity as it creates an "atmosphere of animosity." In the Mud Splatters section, Tannen states that a fight is an interaction between two sides which affects everyone. Although, I disagree with this because a fight does not always involve two sides and fights also do not affect every person that is around.