The source that I will be critiquing is the Iowa State Daily. First off, just knowing that this comes from a college adds credibility. We assume that works published by universities have to be credible and intelligent because colleges are accredited and result in making a better life for yourself. Also, it helps the credibility because the information is relatively new and was written very recently. This way, you know that the information isn't outdated or irrelevant today. What takes away credibility, however, is that the article entitled "Letter: Iowa State is too politically correct" (Braun). First off, I know that this is just a freelance article, but this individual is representing Iowa State. What stuck out to me right away was that none of the world following "State" are capitalized, as is the custom with titles (Braun). For me, I found this unprofessional. I knew about this rule as early as fourth grade, so this individual must have known about it before and is not credible because he does not know basic grammar.
Another red flag that caught my attention was that this piece focuses on the author's opinion instead of the entire campus and administration of Iowa State. Surely, not everyone there agrees with this individual so succinctly. By focusing on himself, the author takes away from the messages and makes him look biased about his topic. Readers that know an author wrote something with a limited perspective would generally dislike this. It makes the author look narrow-minded and irrational, as if he cannot be swayed by logic and he is ruled by his emotions and opinions. Secondly, when the author starts the article with "I must warn you," it automatically makes the reader question the motive and credibility of the author. If readers think they are about to fall into a trap of harsh criticisms and uncalled for words, they will hesitate to continue or stop entirely.
Also, his tone is almost mocking to the audience. Several times, the author reprimands the silent audience for believing what they believe. His tone makes it seem like the author is superior and makes the audience feel defensive and inferior. This is such an important rule in writing, no matter what style. I cannot stress how often my teachers in high school emphasized that to belittle and mock your audience is to ruin your entire argument, no matter how correct it may be. For example when the authors says, "Welcome to thought control, ISU style," he is placing the blame on the entire institution which he works for. In addition, he is targeted all ISU students without tweaking his argument to certain demographics. He's being too general with his audience.
Although I don't agree with him from the beginning, I tried to keep an open mind about what I was reading. Naturally, I am all in favor of political correctness and celebrating diversity. Right away, his snobby and superior style turned me off to his message before I could even get to it. He basically got the axe because he couldn't be professional.
Braun, Charles. "Letter: Iowa State is too politically correct." Iowa State. Iowa State Daily, 5 Apr. 2016. Web. 8 Apr. 2016.
Good job analyzing the tone and credibility. You make your arguments clearly and where they came from. I think you really paid attention to the source.
ReplyDeleteI like the comment about him stating his own opinion. Fits perfectly with my analysis when speaking about using political correctness and generalizing.
ReplyDelete