Advertising on the Internet

Now here's an advertisement that everybody knows ----->  http://www.proactiv.com

           First of all, this ad really annoys me because nothing is believable. They always use celebrities for their commercials which makes the advertisement phony. Celebrities have beautiful skin because they have enough money to go to the best dermatologist. When they used regular people for their " real stories" they probably chose only the people which Proactive worked or maybe they photoshoped their faces. What about the rest of the people who tried it? Did it not work for them? Also in the ad, they say that it is " for all type of  skin". Normally every skin is different and requires different kinds of products depending on the type of skin you have (oily, dry or mixed). So this premise is dubious and false. I hear that apparently if you stop using Proactive your face will break out again and then you have to keep buying the product. I have used it in the past and it did not work for me because it dried and irritated my skin. Because of my personal experience with Proactive and other peoples' claim about the product, I believe that his ad has weak claims which makes it dubious.

Repairing Arguments

Here is an example of an argument that needs to be fixed:

- Kids who listen to their parents music ( from the 60's, 70's and 80's) will most likely have the same taste as them. Kids who do not listen to their parents' music will most likely listen to other kind of music .

Analysis: Well I would say this argument is valid but not completely true. Kids and teens who like to listen to their parents music from the 60's, 70's, and 80's will most likely listen to the same kind of music. Their parents where an influence on them. On the other hand, kids or teens who do not listen to their parents' old music are more likely to listen to other type of music such as mainstream, Pop, Rap, Electro, and others. They are more likely to listen to what is popular at school or among their peers. Their parent's music weren't an influence on them. But then again it is not the same case for everyone, so...

To fix this argument I will need to add the conclusion which is:

-Most kids who listen only to modern music must have parents who did not influence them in their music preferences.

Organizational culture

Organizational culture

According to O'Hair and Wiemann, "an organizational culture provides guidance about appropriate norms and behaviors"(55).

When I read this passage, for some reason I had two pictures in my mind: First I had a visual of japanese business men working in cubicles and then I had a vision of the TV show "The Office" ( love that show by the way ^^ ).
Well for example, I imagined the japanese business men being very polite to each other, working very late in silent or listening to their boss without interrupting. They seem very serious about their job and want things done perfectly. I would imagine it is the "appropriate behavior"if you would be working in a office in Japan.
On the other hand, when I think of the TV show " The Office", I see the complete opposite of the japanese business men. All the characters in the show seemed to be distracted by their co-workers and often time will do anything but work. Michael who is their boss does not seem to take things seriously and does not have enough authority. Dwight, the goof ball in the office is the one who likes to cause trouble and be the center of attention. It's disorganized.This imagine is an example of "inappropriate norms and behaviors".

Content Fallacies

False dilemma

• A false dilemma is an argument that offers only two choices when normally, there are alternate choices that are not mentioned.The words "or"or "and" are commonly used in a false dilemma.
• Either A or B is true or false. If A is false, then B must be true. There are no other options. but sometimes A and B can be true.
• Also known as "black or white" fallacy.

Here is an example that I heard on TV:

In the United States, you are either a democrat or a republican.

Ok well the two options are true, but then again, there are other parties in the U.S besides democrat and republicans like the Independent party, Constitution party, Green party or Libertarian party. And what about those people who do not have a stand? This is a false fallacy because 2 options where offered and the alternative choices were left out.

Exercise on the Structure of Arguments

Exercise # 1

My neighbor should be forced to get rid of all the cars in his yard. 1
People do not like living next door to such a mess. a
He never drives any of them. 2
They look all old and beat up and leak oil all over the place. b
It is bad for the neighborhood, and it will decrease property values. 3

Argument? Yes

Conclusion: It is bad for the neighborhood, and it will decrease property values.

Additional premises needed? "if a and b, then 1." In other words, it is possible to say, " If people do not like living next door to such mess and the cars look all old and beat up and leak oil all over the place, then my neighbor should be forced to get rid of all the cars in his yard."

Identify any subargument: a and b are independent and support the conclusion, 3.

Good argument? Yes because the premises are plausible and support the conclusion, so the argument is valid.

Effective leadership

Effective Leadership

I think the passage of "Effective leadership" on page 36 ( The essential guide to group communication) was interesting and useful. Usually when I am working in a group, I am usually the person that barely speaks or make important decisions. Even in a group of friends, I'm always a follower or a shadow. I would like to stand out and show to my classmates or co-worker that I am responsible, influential but also that I take action.  O'Hair and Wiemanm say that to be an effective leadership, one must:

• Bring desirable outcomes: the outcomes must be positive and influential to the members.
• Enhance credibility with the group: to be a leader, one must be knowledgeable and experienced
• Inspire and motivate group members to participate: it is important that the leader supports his members and encourage them to participate in decision making and reward them.

Now I have learned how I can be a leader in my group by following those tips :)

Strong vs. Valid argument

 Whether an argument is valid or strong does not depend on:

• Whether the premises are true.
• Whether we know the premises are true.
• Whether the person making the argument thinks the argument is valid or strong

For example, this is a valid argument:
-Suzy is allergic to peanuts. So she will not eat a peanut butter jelly sandwich. 


This argument is valid but not strong. The premises might be true, but the conclusion may be false. Possibly Suzy will eat the sandwich without the peanut butter or she can have almond butter instead. Or maybe she is taking medication to help her fight her allergies and therefore she can eat peanuts.


Now here is the same argument, but told in a different way:
-Suzy cannot eat peanuts because of her allergies. So she cannot eat a peanut butter jelly sandwich.


This argument is strong because the premise is believable and so is the conclusion. Because of her allergies, Suzy cannot eat the sandwich.

Test for an argument to be good

Test for an argument to be good

• The premises are plausible.
• The premises are more plausible than the conclusion.
• The argument is valid or strong

A valid argument is an argument that cannot have true premises and a false conclusion.
A strong/weak argument is an argument that somehow has true premises but a false conclusion.
The conclusion is the judgment of the premises.

Here is an example of an argument that is good:

-Lizards are reptiles. reptiles are vertebrates. So lizards are vertebrates.

Analysis As we can see, both of the premises are true, because everyone knows lizards are reptiles and that reptiles fall in the category of vertebrates, which makes the conclusion true. In order words, because people know that the premises are true, it leads them to believe that the conclusion is right. The argument is valid because both premises  and the conclusion are true.

vague/ambiguous sentences

Vague sentences are phrases that do not make any sense or lack of clarity. An ambiguous sentence is a phrase that can have both meanings depending on the words. Often times, foreigners have difficulties understanding people speaking english because a clear sentence can sound vague to them. My first language is french and sometimes I have difficulties understanding my mom when she gives me instructions. My mom is terrible at giving instructions.
I remember one time she left a note saying that I had to prepare dinner.I had to make a casserole dish. I followed the instructions until it said " mix ingredients together". Which ingredients? All of them? Half of them? I didn't know which one to mix first because there was an order. I tried to call my mom at her work for further explanation, but she didn't pick up because she was at a conference. Unsure of myself, I decided to mix all the ingredients together at once. Result? The casserole ended up half burned and tasting bad :( My mother forgot to precise which ingredients and in what order I needed to mix the bather. That is why it is important to be precise when giving instructions and use clear sentences.

Subjective and Objective Claims

A subjective claim is an opinion that a person has and that statement can not be proved to be true or false.
As an example, I believe that the french country side is a beautiful and peaceful place. French country side has a lot of hiking places, creeks, and restaurants called "venta". Obviously I'm attache to it because it is my native country. My boyfriend disagrees with me and says that the bay area is prettier than the french country side. He as well is attache to his country, which is why he has a different belief. Our beliefs varies because we see things differently. His definition of "beautiful" is different than what I think is "beautiful".

An objective claim is a statement that is based on facts and can be proved to be true or false. Scientific hypothesis are good examples of objective claims because they are conclusions done based on observations. Yet, they do not need to be true. For instants, the cheetah is the fastest animal in the world. This statement is true because many scientist have calculated the speed of the animal. On the other hand, saying that the earth is the center of the universe is a false statement. Early scientists discovered that the planet was instead located on an orbit and the sun was in the center. These facts above are examples of objective claims.