Brief example of a rant / ineffective written argument?
September 25, 2013 1:09 PM Subscribe
Brief example of a rant / ineffective written argument? Possibly from a discussion forum, content thread, or review site?
I am teaching a writing class for adults, and tomorrow we cover argumentation. We're reading some examples of persuasive arguments, and I'm introducing them to Aristotle's gloss on what makes an argument good.
What I need to find now is a brief example of a really *bad* argument. I'd especially like it to be a 'rant'—something overly emotional, perhaps just stating a personal preference (I hate x-y-z) rather than attempting to persuade. I'd love it to be 500 words or less, something my students could critique and re-write in small groups during an hour of class time.
I thought this kind of thing would be really easy to find on the internet (obviously they're out there), but a couple hours of searching have brought me up short.
Does anybody have one near at hand?
I am teaching a writing class for adults, and tomorrow we cover argumentation. We're reading some examples of persuasive arguments, and I'm introducing them to Aristotle's gloss on what makes an argument good.
What I need to find now is a brief example of a really *bad* argument. I'd especially like it to be a 'rant'—something overly emotional, perhaps just stating a personal preference (I hate x-y-z) rather than attempting to persuade. I'd love it to be 500 words or less, something my students could critique and re-write in small groups during an hour of class time.
I thought this kind of thing would be really easy to find on the internet (obviously they're out there), but a couple hours of searching have brought me up short.
Does anybody have one near at hand?
Springs1 is legendary for boneheaded rants, often involving ranch dressing.
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:30 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Metroid Baby at 1:30 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]
I don't have time to dig for one online, but in a pinch, go to a library and look at the many critical thinking textbooks (e.g. Vaughn, "The Power of Critical Thinking"). There are often end-of-chapter exercises that present ranty arguments for the purpose of identifying fallacies.
posted by Beardman at 1:30 PM on September 25, 2013
posted by Beardman at 1:30 PM on September 25, 2013
If you want an example of a non-brief rant, there's also Gene Ray's argument for the existence of four simultaneous days within one rotation of the planet.
posted by Beardman at 1:33 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Beardman at 1:33 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]
Go to Reddit! Check out the dopier comments at r/politics, r/worstof, etc.
posted by Sticherbeast at 1:54 PM on September 25, 2013
posted by Sticherbeast at 1:54 PM on September 25, 2013
This one is my personal favorite right now
posted by magnetsphere at 1:55 PM on September 25, 2013 [7 favorites]
posted by magnetsphere at 1:55 PM on September 25, 2013 [7 favorites]
Probably too short, but the first thing to pop into my head was the infamous "But honestly, Monica" response from the Cooks Source debacle.
posted by Skybly at 2:01 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by Skybly at 2:01 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]
all sorts of logic gotchas here (Context: Mountain Equipment Coop - Canada's version of REI)
posted by seawallrunner at 6:37 PM on September 25, 2013
posted by seawallrunner at 6:37 PM on September 25, 2013
This short decision from a Federal court, issued just within the last couple of days, shows, not the rant, but the consequences.
posted by yclipse at 8:16 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by yclipse at 8:16 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by semacd at 1:18 PM on September 25, 2013