Just recently I tried to discuss politics with my friend Shelby. I didn't know she could be so hostile! I am not an Obama fan, and she is. I tried to persuade her into voting for someone else. To try and do that, I continuously asked her what contributions Obama has made to our country, and she couldn't answer. I then later proceeded to tell her how much debt he has put America in, more than all of the presidents combined. That still didn't faze her! On top of that I told her how his last four years in office, unemployment rates have been the highest in the past ten years. After I told her all of this, she only got more defensive. She has a very bias opinion and is too stubborn to change it. Even though I only gave facts, from very credible databases online, I couldn't even at the least open her mind about it. Now I have learned my lesson to never talk politics with her!
It is hard to change somebodies mind about politics. I don't like to persuade somebody to vote for candidates to the President, everybody has their own opinion. In Ukraine it's Constitutional right to keep secret about your voting choice and I think it's right because it can trigger some negative reaction from the other side. Politics is always controversial topic and we can only show some evidence why we think our opinion is correct in difference of somebodies opinions but it's impolite to try to persuade to vote for a particular candidate. But if you want to convince someone to take your point of view you have to provide a good evidence. In presenting evidence to support a claim, you are as a persuasive speaker relies on the four types of appeals: logos, ethos, pathos, and myths. Using these types of appeals you will definitely have a success.
ReplyDeleteIt’s funny how when confronted with evidence and persuasion, often people are completely stubborn and close-minded. Effective persuasion really hinges on how open-minded your audience is. If they aren’t willing to hear anything that conflicts with their own opinions and beliefs, then it’s likely a lost cause. Your specific example is something that I’ve seen and experienced a lot. It’s kind-of frustrating when people avidly support a candidate that they know absolutely nothing about. It’s even more frustrating when you confront them with compelling evidence that they refuse to acknowledge. I think that if someone is going to vote it is their responsibility to find out as much about each candidate as possible before doing so. It really bothers me when people line up to vote for someone yet they couldn’t tell you a thing about them.
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