- Class Notes – Section BR
(3/15)
-
- Some pro/con issues for Debate Essay
on the social causes of teen violence:
- 1. Media influence (music/tv/film)
- 2. Glorification of violence [James]
- 3. Computer games [Leo]
- 4. Issues of dominance in society(white
males rule the minorities) [Steinem; James]
- 5. Issues of fitting into a society (peer
society at school)
- 6. Easy access to weapons [James]
- 7. Parental roles [Males, Shelton]
- 8. Role models (teachers, celebrities,
sports stars, politicians, siblings, historically great people,
etc.)
- 9. Decline of moral strictures in society
as a whole
-
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- In-Class Collaborative Work on Readings by Males, Steinem,
and Shelton
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- MIKE MALES
- 1. Identify the author and title of the
essay your group is responding to. Then, indicate what the author
identifies as the social cause of teen violence.
-
- The essay is titled Stop Blaming Kids and
TV written by Mike Males. Males debates the issue that parents
and other adults are as to blame for kid’s actions because
of the examples they set.
-
- 2. Identify the sub-claims (reasons) the
author offers in support of his or her main claim, and create
a working thesis statement for the author’s argument. (“Author
argues that X is [X and Y are] the main cause[s] of teen violence
because of A, B, and C.”)
-
- Males argues that parents are a larger
and more consistent source of influence on children then TV and
other outside sources.
-
- 3. What are the warrants (underlying assumptions,
beliefs, values) of the author’s argument? Identify at least
two.
-
- Males is assuming that every child has
an adult influence in their lives. Males is also assuming that
children look to parents as a role model.
-
- 4. Evaluate the quality and quantity of
the author’s evidence for his or her claims. Select one
example that works and one that doesn’t work well, and explain
why.
-
- Males presents strong evidence.For example
when he states that TV violence affects people differently so,
he concludes that there must be some other influence.
-
- 5. List below how you could refute the
author’s…
-
- ...warrants (underlying assumptions, beliefs,
values):
-
- We argue that kids use other peers as role
models rather than their parents.
-
- …grounds (evidence):
-
-
- Males could also
present better evidence regarding what time shows are on, what
channels the show is on, and what programs are surrounding these
shows.
-
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- GLORIA STEINEM
- 1. Identify the author and title of the
essay your group is responding to. Then, indicate what the author
identifies as the social cause of teen violence.
-
- Author- Gloria Steinem
- Title – supremacy crimes
- Argument – supremacy is a cause of
teen violence
-
-
- 2. Identify the sub-claims (reasons) the
author offers in support of his or her main claim, and create
a working thesis statement for the author’s argument.
(“Author argues that X is [X and Y are] the main cause[s]
of teen violence because of A, B, and C.”)
- - demographics = white heterosexual males
of the middle class
- - dominance is presented as a natural right
for white, heterosexual, middle class males
- - media’s failure to deal with racism
and sexism propagates supremicy.
-
- 3. What are the warrants (underlying assumptions,
beliefs, values) of the author’s argument? Identify at least
two.
- - a cultural hierarchy exists in our society,
dealing with race and sex etc
- - dominance is presented as a natural right
for white, heterosexual, middle class males
-
- 4. Evaluate the quality and quantity of
the author’s evidence for his or her claims. Select
one example that works and one that doesn’t work well, and
explain why.
-
- Works - quotes dealing with why people
committed the crimes that they did in paragraphs 4 and 5.
It bridges the gap between a claim and a cause
- Doesn’t – Quote about minorities
also able to commit similar atrocities. It begins to refute
her supremacy argument.
-
- 5. List below how you could refute the
author’s…
-
- ...warrants (underlying assumptions, beliefs,
values):
- - There are other possible causes for the
violence. Supremacy is not necessarily the reason the white males
killed.
- - prove that minorities kill as well, for
similar reasons.
-
- …grounds (evidence):
- - the quotes could have been taken out
of context
-
- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
- CHUCK SHELTON
-
- 1. Identify the author and title of the
essay your group is responding to. Then, indicate what
the author identifies as the social cause of teen violence.
-
- Chuck Shelton
- “When White Boys Kill White Dads Fail”
- few white male role models for white heterosexual
males under the age of 18
-
- 2. Identify the sub-claims (reasons)
the author offers in support of his or her main claim, and create
a working thesis statement for the author’s argument.
(“Author argues that X is [X and Y are] the main cause[s]
of teen violence because of A, B, and C.”)
-
- the majority of these sorts of crimes are
committed by middle class white boys, with Gatz.
-
- 3. What are the warrants (underlying
assumptions, beliefs, values) of the author’s argument?
Identify at least two.
-
- Males require a greater amount of paternal influence then
is realized
- Males are targeted by society to become this sort of criminal
-
- Also:
- White men are the only ones who can help
white boys.
-
- 4. Evaluate the quality and quantity
of the author’s evidence for his or her claims. Select
one example that works and one that doesn’t work well, and
explain why.
-
- The quality of the stats are far from spectacular,
the author uses a 1988 stat for societal values.
- What works: 100%/35% stat
-
- 5. List below how you could refute the
author’s…
-
- ...warrants (underlying assumptions, beliefs,
values):
-
- they’re perfectly decent human beings
(male) raised by their mother or any other person for that matter
-
- Also:
- Maybe men of other races or ethnicities
have more influence over white boys than white men (hip-hop,
rap, street culture).
-
- [Maybe men who aren’t fathers –
other kinds of mentors – have more influence over white
boys.]
-
- …grounds (evidence):
-
- Doesn’t present any substantial evidence.
-