Week 5_2/12/16 It's Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings

                  I'm no stranger to arguing, which I consider the countering of points between two or more people. Due to the fact that both of my parents are lawyers, I was encouraged from a young age to speak up, no matter what my opinion may be. When I was younger, it would be common to hear my parents bantering playfully over a multitude of different topics. Today, my parents hold my brother and I to their standards of argumentation when we are discussing something. Most definitely my parents had the most influence on how I argue today. As a child, I was often not allowed to do something unless I could produce several arguments (with evidence) as to why I should be allowed to do that. Some of these arguments would be written down and revised depending on the initial discussion with my parents. Public speaking is also incredibly important to both of my parents. Fortunately, my grade school and especially my high school strengthened my public speaking skills over the years.

                  Another aspect of argumentation that I received from my parents was to be open-minded. My mom in particular always played "devil's advocate" to whatever I would argue with her about, even if she was still on my side. I don't think she did this to be cruel but instead wanted me to get an idea of what I should expect in a debate or serious discussion. Today, I play "devil's advocate", meaning that I argue the exact opposite of whatever the other person is trying to persuade me to, as much as possible. By challenging almost every statement I gave, my parents were able to reinforce in me the belief that there will always be those who oppose whatever I may say and to make sure I have something to back up my claims.

                  As I've grown up, I've learned, mostly from home and school, that certain topics are so sensitive to being challenged that emotional reactions will erupt. In high school, this was stressed a lot to us, and we even practiced with some of the most controversial topics that were available. Of course, our arguments were tweaked and fixed by the teacher, but otherwise, the students were free to drive the speech ourselves. Through these debates with my fellow peers, I learned how not to become too emotional during my argument. I agree that passion is important in an argument, but so is keeping a cool head. Those who get so upset over being challenged often lose their credibility and do not look experienced enough to be arguing in the first place. Of all the things I've learned, I would probably rank this skill as my most cherished because credibility of self is incredibly necessary to sway your audience. Otherwise, you look like a fool.

                  In college, arguing (whether professionally or informally) is necessary no matter what your major is. I've found that, although I've only been in college for about two years, I've managed to recognize the importance of speaking your mind and making sure your opinion is heard. As you might know, I have no quarrels with speaking my mind, despite the fact that I am wrong sometimes. There is no excuse for a college student to not know the in's and out's of arguing in a classroom or elsewhere. In addition, I've found that instructors expect their students to be outspoken and unafraid to give their opinions, thus in some way, participating in their own learning.