Jay Smooth does Project 4

my great love of jay smooth is fairly well-known amongst my friends. i think his video blog is amazing, and i find that even if i disagree with his position once in awhile, his arguments are often funny, well-articulated, etc. he has several videos i find particularly useful for thinking about rhetoric: like this, this (ESPECIALLY, because i think the distinction between what we do and what we are is often crucial in controversial discussions), and this.

this video isn't exactly recent, but if you listen you'll have little problem picking out the pieces of a proposal argument. also, notice how he is able to cite evidence for some of what he's arguing, and how he moves from one part of the argument to another.

Problem: Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel were fueding in 2009. Well, Beanie was (cites examples of Sigel talking trash about Jay-Z, and Jay-Z's lack of response). Then 50 Cent got involved, taking Beanie's side.

Neg consequences: It's sad. It's embarrassing. It's a distraction. He insinuates it could negatively impact Beanie's otherwise good career.

Solution: Jay-Z needs to just respond, just as an act of charity. (To some extent, Jay-Z becomes his audience here.)

Positive Consequences: Maybe if Jay-Z responded, fans could watch Jay-Z and 50 Cent beef, which would be amazing. It would provide some closure for the participants (mostly Beanie). We can all (musicians and fans) move past this.

how to lose badly

one of my friends, who is an ardent, zealous obama supporter, had a link to this on his facebook page yesterday. it's not something i support, honestly. people should win, or lose, gracefully, and i don't think it's fun to watch a bunch of people who genuinely believed in a candidate come to terms with their loss.

but it's convenient. had the race gone the other way, one of my other friends might just as easily have linked me to a similar site with liberal tears. and i wouldn't have approved of that either. it's petty. although i'd have probably read it either way. i never met words i wouldn't read.

so it's petty, but it is also...informative. interesting. other i-words. there's something about twitter that seems to bring out the worst in people. it's like they forget this is a gigantic stage and many people can see what they say. and because so much of twitter is built around getting attention, getting followers, getting re-tweeted or responded to, it encourages people to engage in behavior they might not otherwise engage in.

some of the tweets i saw were actually really great:

• Chins up, conservatives! We still have boundless blessings to count & secure. Can't afford to give up fight. Ever.
•  We lost this battle. Tomorrow, we continue the war to take America back. #sayfie #ssnalerts
•  Last night demonstrated that the Dems have an incredibly strong coalition. Republicans must grow theirs.
•  Hey conservatives, get real — it wasn't that Americans was stupid, it was GOP failing to defend and define its vision.

these all seem like legitimate responses. count our blessings. mourn and move on. acknowledge the strength(s) of our opponent and the weakness(es) of  ourselves and prepare for next time.

but i also saw a lot of, well, sour grapes. things that insinuated that the country is full of whiners, union lackeys, godless liberals, alarmist green-freaks, and so it wasn't worth winning anyway. people attacked voters, attacked michigan and ohio, attacked the president, etc. some of the more memorable tweets were these:

• So it turns out that screaming "racism" for four years IS an argument. #whoknew
•  First time Obama won I was able to watch his acceptance. Not this time. Such a vicious, divisive, cynical, small man.
•  As Rome burned & society crumbled the sarcastic self indulgent threw epithets at those struggling to hold civilization together #tcot #tlot
•  Everyone who voted for Gary Johnson in FL: you betrayed the limited gov't principles you claim to support. #hypocrites #deadtome
•  I’m torn. Do I watch Obama’s speech in case he leads off with the Muslim call to prayer? Or do I just ignore it? #levity
•  Sad truth, conservs: We thought America would be smart enough not to fall for the small-beans issues and attacks. We were wrong.
• This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy! (this last from the Trump)
  
  alright, so what? why am i sharing this? and again, had the democrats lost, we'd be seeing equally offensive comments, from some people. this is by no means a slur against the entire party, only some members.
  
  the reason for bringing this up is that in project 4, a lot of my students will need to deal with opposition. they'll need to explain why their solution is better than the solution of some other person. they'll need to explain why all the people who say (or might say) that their solution isn't right are mistaken. and they'll need to do that without offending anyone.
  
  so here's what you don't do - above, in that list. you don't say things that make it sound like the people who don't agree with you are idiots, or immoral. you don't say insulting things about their gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, etc in the hope of discrediting them. you don't say anyone who doesn't support you is a traitor (as suggested by those angry at gary johnson's supporters. it shouldn't be a crime to vote your conscience.) you don't attack people instead of attacking their arguments.
  
  often, in a proposal, your audience is people who are uncertain, or who disagree with you. after all, how much sense does it make to aim a proposal at people who agree with you on everything? so many students will be talking to the enemy, or at least the potential enemy. how you treat the people who disagree with you, and how you talk to those you've not yet won over will reflect on you. politicians and public figures who handled this defeat well and generously, my hat is off to you. you give me hope for a bi-partisan future. the rest of you...well...thanks for providing me with a subject for this blog, i guess.