Saturday, February 25, 2012

True Defiance

In today’s society, could it be possible that people are becoming less confident and less capable of standing up for their personal beliefs? David Brooks, a New York Times columnist, believes that this is an increasing problem in the world today, as he states in his article “How to Fight the Man.” In this article, Brooks suggests that in today’s society, people are not raised with the necessary skill of defending their position in the face of opposition. “How to Fight the Man” is an effective argument to convince United States citizens to defy authority and stand up for their beliefs because it uses sophisticated word choice, authoritative tone, and allusions and relevant examples to create feelings of individuality and confidence.

David Brooks uses specific, sophisticated word choice to make himself sound intelligent enough for the reader to want to listen to him. For example, at one point in his article he says that Jefferson Bethke “responded in a way that was humble, earnest and gracious, and that generally spoke well of his character.” Words such as “earnest” and “gracious” are not usually used in casual, every day conversation, making it sound much more formal. However, Brooks then finishes his thought by saying, “He also basically folded,” bringing in a new, casual feel to contrast with the prior formal voice. By doing so, Brooks sets the readers up then catches them by surprise. This makes the reading more enjoyable and makes the reader want to continue to pay attention to Brooks. Therefore, such specific word choice gives Brooks’ argument more validity and strength in the mind of the reader, making the reader feel like Brooks is intelligent enough to form an accurate opinion worthy of consideration.

“How to Fight the Man” also conveys an authoritative tone; a tone implying intelligence, insight, and understanding. Word choice shows that the writer has an exceptional level of intelligence, creating a more sophisticated and authoritative tone to entice the reader to concur and respond positively. For example, he says, “Bethke’s passionate polemic and subsequent retreat are symptomatic of a lot of the protest cries we hear these days.” Within this excerpt Brooks shows his intelligence and sophistication. This increases his validity and shows the reader that Brooks knows what he is talking about and should be trusted.

Another prime example of Brooks’ tone is when he states, “The old leftists had dialectical materialism and the Marxist view of history. Libertarians have Hayek and von Mises. Various spiritual movements have drawn from Transcendentalism, Stoicism, Gnosticism, Thomism, Augustine, Tolstoy, or the Catholic social teaching that inspired Dorothy Day.” This sets an authoritative tone because it shows increased intelligence and knowledge. The reader is willing to open his/her mind and listen to Brooks because of his sense of authority and exceedingly great intelligence. People will not be willing to listen to somebody if they do not feel he knows what he’s talking about. By showing his extensive knowledge, Brooks gives his readers a valid reason to pay attention to him and consider his opinions.

In “How to Fight the Man,” Brooks also uses multiple examples to prove his point that people need to learn to defend themselves. For example, Brooks opens his piece with the example of a man named Jefferson Bethke. Bethke had created a video called “Why I Hate Religion, ButLove Jesus” in which he explains that religion is not required to be close to God; in fact, he feels religion limits the relationship between man and God. A comment had later been made on this video disagreeing with Bethke’s opinion, and stating that Jesus himself promoted religion while on this Earth. Rather than defending his position, however, Bethke stated, “I wanted to say I really appreciate your article man, it hit me hard. I’ll even be honest and say I agree 100 percent.” Brooks uses this example to show how easily people tend to give in when they are opposed, rather than defending their own beliefs. He argues that in our society today, people are not properly educated with a variety of different views, therefore making them unprepared to create and defend their own opinions. This example perfectly demonstrates and supports his point and by using such an example, Brooks shows the reader that his opinion is valid and worth considering.

Brooks also utilizes the allusion technique in support of his argument. For example, he explains to the reader that in order to stand up and defy authority, it is necessary to gain a great knowledge of many different aspects, rather than just focusing on his/her own opinions. If not, “You’ll lack the arguments, convictions and the coherent view of reality that you’ll need when challenged by a self-confident opposition.” In support of his argument, he alludes to a philosopher from the 19th century (Wicks):
My own theory revolves around a single bad idea. For generations people have been told: Think for yourself; come up with your own independent worldview. Unless your name is Nietzsche, that’s probably a bad idea. Very few people have the genius or time to come up with a comprehensive and rigorous worldview. If you go out there armed only with your own observations and sentiments, you will surely find yourself on very weak ground.
In this quote, Brooks alludes to Friedrich Nietzsche in an almost satirical sense. Nietzsche’s views provided a basis and foundation for Nazism, which (though in a negative aspect) definitely changed the world. By referring to Nietzsche in this way, Brooks supports his point that most people’s opinions will not be able to change the world so significantly; therefore, he believes it is crucial that people familiarize themselves with many different views in order to create a more educated view for themselves. By so doing, they will be more prepared to “defy authority” and defend their opinions and world views.

“How to Fight the Man” is a very effective argument. Using various techniques, David Brooks proves to his audience that many people do not know how to properly defend their opinions in the face of opposition. Using word choice, tone, and examples/allusions, he leads the reader to recognize the need for change, and creates a desire for them to learn to “defy authority.”


Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus



Works Cited

Wicks, Robert, "Friedrich Nietzsche", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2011/entries/nietzsche/

1 comment:

  1. Your final paper is looking fresh to death. Haha, jokes, but seriously, it looks like you took Alex's advice and perfected that last paragraph on the satirical reference to Friedrich Nietzsche. I'm expecting that you'll get quite the grade on this assignment. Good luck fool.

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