Introduction The nature of America’s argument culture has been a subject for debate for many years. The culture has its borrowings from a historical perspective, and it is the manner it has become entrenched that has attracted a lot of concern. In our everyday interactions, it is common to encounter people who seem not to agree with everything about other people’s opinion. Sometimes it is just for arguments sake and mostly influenced by the argumentative culture that is so ingrained in the American society. The media has often been blamed for the proliferation of this culture as it does not shy away from presenting it as combative, polarizing, and unproductive in most cases.
Question One
The nature of the American culture is certainly combative as it is confrontational and has people in the battle to always want to win in an argument. Most people would want to appear to be right in conversations and are often skeptical of other people’s opinions. Jack Selzerin in his book Argument in America puts this in perspective in one of the essays Ain’t I a Woman? Sojourner acknowledges, she used humor to break down arguments about women rights (Selzer, 2004).The American argumentative culture is also polarizing. The media is the major culprit here as it has the tendency to present two sides of almost every issue and in the process compromising the real importance of the said issues. In the end, such a culture appears unproductive as it is not all about the content, but the battle of egos and relevance.
However, on the other side of the issue, some people would want to see the argument as a culture that is complex, nuanced, and constructive. First of all, the culture has a level of complexity in it as sometimes it is difficult to understand why it is so entrenched. In some of the contexts, the argumentative culture comes out as something so inherent that it betrays the nature of the people involved. In other instances the culture is nuanced. In the whole complex nature of the culture, a level of positivity would be found in some of the contexts. It would not be a wonder to find some information coming out of a debate that would not have otherwise achieved the same if it was a normal sober conversation. The argumentative culture is also constructive in other contexts as in the essay Ain’t I a Woman?(Selzer,2004). The debates and arguments about women’s rights are constructive as they tackle an issue that is important in the society.
Question Two
The debates and discussions emerging from the argumentative American culture are essential in the wider context of viewing them as relevant in today’s context. One of the most relevant debates today is the gender debate with the specific focus on women’s rights. For the longest time, the debate about women’s rights and the emancipation from a patriarchal society has dominated conversations in various circles. The debate in the current context is quite relevant as the clamor for equal rights for men and women intensifies in most societies across the world. The context is put into perspective in the essay the essay Ain’t I a Woman. Sojourner, for example, approached the issues through logic identifying the flaws in the arguments about women’s rights (Selzer, 2004). The debate would be settled by acknowledging that the society has changed and even if it not about equality for both genders, beyond the physical aspect, hardly is there a difference in both genders. It starts with increasing their roles on the social, political, and economic scene.
Conclusion
It is clearly evident that the argumentative culture in America is real and quite entrenched in the society. Some would see it mostly combative, polarizing, and unproductive. The media does not seem to help matters as it is the main culprit in the proliferation of the culture. However, others see it as complex, combative and constructive. Additionally, the gender debate is an issue as tackled by Jack Selzer, Argument in America in one of the essays Ain’t I a Woman? that has come out positive as an issue for discussion.
- Selzer, J. (2004). Argument in America: Essential issues, essential texts. New York: Pearson/Longman.
