The Argument Culture: Stopping America's War of Words

The book itself was used for a class project. I found the cultural perspective somewhat stilted. I think that the author could have been more culturally astute in her presentation of the differences between cultures when individuals within are in conflict. And she totally avoided the issue of racism in the argument.

I've always enjoyed reading Deborah Tannen for her insight into the role of language in our society. Her basic thesis here is that North Americans in particular tend to couch discourse in terms of win/lose dichotomies. The first half of the book deal is very apropos of the current political season where individuals aspiring to public office are unfairly put under a microscope - every utterance under all circumstances heavily weighed with the objective of testing to destruction. Who among us, she asks, would be willing to withstand such scrutiny?

The 2nd half of the book deals more with the language of interpersonal relationships and was for me more satisfying. Again she explores win/lose zero sum styles. The style is anecdotal and enjoyably written rather than clinical and is written for the layperson. Try the first half only if your interest is politics.

Debra Tannen does an excellent job in The Argument Culture of bringing to the surface the problems with the way we communicate and how we can open a better dialogue with each other. Examples of chapters are: Fighting for our lives (Chapter 1), From Lapdog to Attack Dog: The Aggression Culture and the Press (Chapter 3) and Boys will be Boys: Gender and Opposition (Chapter 6).

Tannen provides excellent insight to communicating better. For example in Chapter 5 (Litigation and War) Tannen discusses the importance of taking responsibility to set things right after a problem. In one telling example Tannen says:

"People seem to have a profound desire for wrongdoers to acknowledge their guilt. Following the civil trial of O. J. Simpson, in which the jury awarded a large sum of money to the family of Ron Goldman, Goldman's father announced that he would renounce the entire amount if Simpson would admit that he had committed the murders."

She goes on to say: "In ordinary human relations, acknowledging guilt or taking responsibility is the first step in setting things right."

Tannen writing and concepts are well researched and though out...and they are easy to understand. Application can take some time, but is well worth the effort. Overall, an excellent book on how to become a better communicator!

The Re-Discovery of Common Sense: A Guide to: The Lost Art of Critical Thinking

Required reading for my English 101 class. Very interesting in the sense of studying different argument styles. Looks at different cultures and how they express themselves. Different mediums and how they use the platforms to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

In this book, Dr. Tannen asserts not that people argue too much but that US culture promotes debates of opposing extreme views - towards winning vs. discovering truth. She focuses on the press, politics, the legal system, gender, science, education, & (as a foil) other cultures. She provides some ideas towards alleviating this rampant problem but not definitive solutions--there probably aren't any. Though she does refer to the Pendulum Principle & shows the present public backlash against dichotomous extremism: p. 89: "The Pew Research Center found that in the majority of those surveyed believed that news reports are inaccurate & unfair, & that the media are too intrusive & actually got in the way of society solving its problems." She provides exhaustive research to support her contentions though no endnote numbers (endnotes do include page number references). There are catchy phrases ("making an argument vs. having an argument") & a "Readers' Companion" with Q&A & Review Questions. She argues that the Argument Culture threatens democracy & promotes dehumanization through divisive conflict. I completely agree with her demonizing of the binary assumption--looking at things as a pair of opposites--which is quite unscientific--virtually nothing is truly binary (computers are artificially binary). The vast majority of things are Normally Distributed (hence the name "Normal"), & the wise of the past referred to the Golden Mean, Middle Path, Middle Way, etc.

However, she also has a few strange statements concerning science & churches (Archimedes was a scientist in my book, as were Francis Bacon, Galileo...); I disagree on some small points. Further, she might consider the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a factor in her analysis. For example, most women are Feelers & most men are Thinkers (almost 2/3 for each); US culture is considered ESTJ (Extroverted, Sensate=detail-oriented, Thinking, Judgmental)--matching the Argument Culture. Regarding her areas of enquiry, people appear to be selling their integrity for fame & fortune. Would today's media pass a Walter Cronkite litmus test? Many of her examples would have been considered highly unprofessional only a few decades ago. Has our culture become too self-centered & self-serving? Fortunately, the public is now denigrating such behaviors, possibly leading to a turnaround. This book both reflects & inspires such efforts. In a larger vein, it also helps to communicate (her specialty, after all) how to think. Perhaps the biggest failing of education is a lack of imparting such knowledge & wisdom. This book should help.