There is a suggestion that people should be persuasive to deliver their thoughts in the right direction. The author of the book argues if the person wants to be convincing, he or she should put a critic into his text. He claims that using criticism can benefit the author. However, criticism usually presents an opposing opinion, and it can cause the readers’ misunderstanding, as they will be confused by two different opinions. Author’s statements will be seen through the perspective of the article about the war on drugs in the U.S.
Some people would say that the U.S. should stop the war on drugs because this war caused enormous imprisonment of small-time drug dealers. Moreover, the war on drugs made the black market of drugs flourishing and resulted in the corruption of political figures worldwide. The war on drugs also caused mass incarceration of young men, which led to ethnic hatred. Released from prison, these people could not pay off the governmental fees, find a job, move to another country, and establish trustful relationships within the society. On the one hand, it would be feasible to implement legalization, as advocates note that it would “reduce the social costs of combatting the illegal drug trade and the violence that comes with it” (Abalo para 1). However, what are other opinions on the topic of legalization?
Nowadays, more than a quarter of the U.S. inhabitants live in areas where drug usage is allowed by law. Some studies argue that from the point of public health, legalization gives an opportunity for small companies to sell drugs and to increase consumption and consequently health risks (Abalo). People have different opinions on marijuana legalization, and for example, one actor says that people are in the green pyrexia. At the same time, other states that it is great that more civilians (especially elderly ones) use marijuana more and more (Abalo). Besides, it is feasible to look at the excerpt where a journalist asks a representative of the company that supports the legitimization of marijuana usage. As the author reflected in his book, the best way to deal with the objection is to agree employing implementing “yes, but” in the phrase:
“But isn’t there a risk that marijuana will create new problems?’
‘Yes sometimes. Marijuana can in the worst case provide increased problems for those with high levels of anxiety. Our task is to educate patients to use the right substance and the right amount” (Abalo 94).
As seen, some people question the advantages of legalization and try to problematize the agenda. Others can find an appropriate answer to soften the degree of a heated debate. To argue with the author’s point of view, it may be feasible to completely deny the objective to make the speaker’s argument even more credible. Moreover, there are cases when a small portion of marijuana is vitally unnecessary for some patients with severe stages of diseases. Sometimes it can be underage children who suffer from unbearable pain, and marijuana can release it for a while. A young boy Billy who suffered from about 100 attacks per day until he was prescribed marijuana oil, was unable to receive it due to the governmental prohibition. This led to an ambiguous situation when the newspapers were full of headliners, and people thought of the irrationality of the drug (Hurley). On the other hand, a little boy could not do without it. In this case, a significant part of people is more likely to take a side of compassion.
To sum up, the author’s points about criticism and answering objectives can be controversial. It happens because readers should see a clear point to choose which side to join. Extra personas in the texts which argue against your statements mislead the reader, as seen from the examples with discussions on legalization. It would be more persuasive to disagree with some objections rather than accept them partially. In addition, it could be more convincing to stick to one point of view.
References
Abalo, Ernesto. “Struck by the Potentials of Cannabusiness: Exploring the Relationship Between Neoliberal Ideology and Journalism in the Reporting on Legal Cannabis”. TripleC, 2019, 17(1). pp. 86-100
Hurley, Richard. “Cannabis, Cannabis Everywhere: UK to Review Medical Cannabis Policy as Canada Plans Imminent Legalisation for All Uses.” BMJ, 2018. Crossref. Web.