Mike LaBossier

    Mike LaBossiere is a philosopher professor with a truly unique style of writing. He has written numerous posts about gun control on The Philosophers’ Magazine Blog. As a pro-gun rights activist, LaBossiere concocts various points that have never crossed my mind. I have read several of his gun rights articles, but “Controlling Guns” was a particularly interesting one. Firstly, the author shows much respect for the opposing side of the argument. He accepts the fact that all of his opponents’ points are perfectly valid, all the while showing his understanding for their points, but then goes on to make his own. His depth of thought is also admirable. LaBossiere states that the main reason for gun control is to reduce deaths. However, “if guns can be severely restricted under the justification that doing so would reduce the number of deaths, then it would follow that automobiles should be subject to the same level of restrictions because they generate a significantly greater death toll” (LaBossiere, para. 8).This point is used to show how gun violence is not that significant of a problem. LaBossiere concludes by saying how it is the people that are the problem, and not the guns. LaBossiere also uses a fair amount of ethos and logos. One of his first paragraphs is of him stating his position, and how he is an experienced, long-time gun owner himself. He also introduces his profession as a philosopher. His logos takes the form of his many examples used in the post. He makes connections to automobiles and obesity, and how they cause more deaths than gun violence. Should this mean that there needs to be tighter regulations on cars and food, too?

    I hope to achieve some of LaBossiere’s critical thinking into my own posts, and answer all questions clearly, not leaving the reader thinking, “But what about this?” I can achieve this by learning to understand the opponents’ arguments, and not just what the arguments are. This way, I can also learn to become more respectful to different sides of a debate.

Link (post at bottom of page): http://blog.talkingphilosophy.com/?tag=gun-control

Task #3: Follow A Blog

A Culture of Violence

By:  W.w. Chattanooga

                This blog post, written by W.w. Chattanooga showcases multiple commendable qualities, meriting it of recognition. The blog post clearly shows that the writer is very intelligent and informed in his writing. He also establishes a sense of ethos through this style of writing and providing sources to the studies he quotes. For example, the sentence, “Joseph Heath, a philosophy professor at the University of Toronto, published a penetrating meditation last week on the ways ideology can distort sincere attempts at social-scientific explanation,” showcases Chattanooga’s ability to write complex sentences. (Chattanooga, Para. 2) He also develops ethos by showing that his evidence comes from a credible source. This blog post has inspired me to sharpen my skills in conveying a sense of ethos to my own audience. I can do so by following the same steps W.w. Chattanooga has used. For example, I could vary my sentence structure and form more complex sentences with more difficult words. Another, easier, change to implement could be to start including sources to studies. Finally, posing questions to the reader and answering these questions in meaningful ways could help me further establish my ethos. W.W. Chattanooga also implements this strategy. Thus, these long-term and short-term areas of improvement could all bolster my writing abilities.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/democracyinamerica/2015/06/mass-shootings-and-gun-control

Task #3: Follow a blog

In the blog Single Girls Rock, contributor Damia Jackson addresses the subject of women and guns. What I admire about Jackson’s work is that she is honest with her readers and she empathizes with them. For example, in her post titled “ I am a Single Woman. Will a Gun Keep Me Safe?” , she writes “Do you own a gun? I know, it’s kind of a personal question. But I’m curious. If it makes you feel any better, I don’t own one, but I’ve thought about it” (Jackson, para 1). Immediately the reader feels comfortable with Jackson, due to her honesty and ability to sympathize with them, which ultimately creates an ethos. The author also discusses her past in regards to guns which adds even more to her author credibility. I want those who read my blog to be able to trust me and creating a strong ethos, in which I relate to my readers as well as be genuine, is how I plan to gain their trust. I also appreciate how she addressed a particular audience, which were single females. As a female, I was captivated by the blog post title and surely any other female would be intrigued by it also. As the saying goes, “Strength in numbers”. Jackson’s method will surely attract plenty of females, especially single ones solely on the title of her post. When I write my blogs, I want to get a reader “hooked” just by looking at the title, which will cause them to want to read more. I also want to try focusing on a particular audience in my posts because I feel that it would be more effective since more people of the specific group will be compelled to read the article.

 

Here is the link to Damia Jackson’s blog post : http://www.singlegirlsrock.com/single-woman-will-gun-keep-safe/

A Blogger I Admire

Blogger Scott Adams on Dilbert.com discusses his ideals on modern day events, despite being politically incorrect or at the risk of standing against common standards. In his blog post “Why Gun Control Can’t Be Solved in the USA” he discusses his stance on the issue. Adams debate that due to the different mindset of each side of the gun control argument, there can be no true solution. He examines how on the Republican side, the idea of guns sparks images of recreational use and defense, while on the Democratic side it invokes images of shootings and death. Reasoning that for Democrats to ask Republicans to put their weapons down makes them feel threatened, especially with the ideology that Democrats paint for guns. I admire Adams’s ability to stand against social norms or ideals and state his own viewpoint, even if to certain individuals his ideals seem incorrect or abrasive. The argument Adams proposes has no need for sources or statistics as it is based off his own ideologies and standpoints, but the way his ideas flow from one to another, and the clarity of his thoughts make you want to agree with him. I would like to apply his method of persuasion and clear analysis with this blog. In addition to his style, sources and statistics would be used to further objectively aid our thoughts and not just debate from our own standpoint, as Adams does.
Scott Adams’s Blog: http://blog.dilbert.com/post/146307088451/why-gun-control-cant-be-solved-in-the-usa