"Commonplaces are powerful weapons. Do not aim them at your foot." (P. 103)

After twelve chapters of Thank You for Arguing, things are beginning to get complicated. It's not because Heinrichs doesn't explain well - He's a great teacher of such a complex subject! It's due to the fact that there are so many ways to win an argument that it begins to get confusing.It's funny how before, I had about three ways to win an argument... and now, there are so many, it's hard to keep track of them. As a result, I decided the best way to keep them all organized im my head is to define them and exemplify them. So what better place to do it than my blog:


The Advantageous (Approach):
"You make the audience believe your own choice to be the advantageous one." (P. 107)

This video is a Samsung Galaxy Ad. However, it starts off seeming like an iPhone ad instead. Due to this, it is a perfect example of the Advantageous approach. It begins by having people in the ad speak highly of the new iPhone release, calling it an event they'll remember for the rest of their lives. However, the Samsung Galaxy is then portrayed as a much better option, saying it is "magnificent"and "amazing." By the end, it is obvious that those in line for the iPhone would much rather have the Galaxy, but they pretend they don't by mocking those who have it or making up lame excuses as to why it's not meant for them ("I could never get a Samsung... I'm creative"), thus adding witty humor to the ad.

This is also an example of Definition Judo ("Make your opponent's most positive words look like negatives" (P. 113)). It uses irony to make the iPhone buyers' positive comments seem negative, thus never directly trashing it. They do this by having the customers say (enthusiastically, though) that they've waited for nine hours and have nine more to go, and that the iPhone has a kind of "retro, old - school style." Although the ad's character say these like they're good things, the ironic tone of the ad-makers is evident, and they succeed in making these iPhone-praising comments seem negative.

The Commonplace: 

"The assumptions and outlook on the world that define an individual." (P.101)

In this video, Obama starts with logos, stating, for example, that when he took office the US was "losing nearly 800,000 jobs a month." By starting with logos, as Heinrichs puts it, Obama makes the audience "think that [his] opinion is a very small step from the commonplace." (P. 107)

After using logos he establishes the commonplace: "get folks back to work," "make the middle class secure again,""create one million manufacturing jobs," "double exports,""tax breaks to invest in America,""produce more American energy," "preparing 100,000 additional math and science teachers," "train 2 million Amercians with the job skills they need,""expand student aid,""reduce deficit by $4 trillion,""wealthy pay a little more," and "end Afghanistan war and rebuild America."

By establishing so many commonplace ideas, he is reaching out to the greatest amount of people, establishing it in the broadest context ("one that appeals to the values of the widest audience" (P. 120)). By saying he'll have the wealthy pay a little more, he is getting the consent of the anti-capitalists, yet maintaining that of the rich since it is only a "little more."

The Commonplace Label ( Anyone who opposes [the commonplace] will risk seeming like an outsider" (P. 107)) will certainly apply here as well. Anyone who disagrees with Obama in this video will risk coming across as an unpatriotic American who doesn't care about improving the United States' economy, life conditions, and education.