Fighting for Our lives

Deborah Tannen’s article “Fighting for our lives”

Deborah Tannen’s article “Fighting for our lives” provides valuable insight into Western culture. Her writing articulates social discourses as they emerge in social situations and media. Conflict manifests itself not only in the way people express themselves, but also in the way they interpret what other people say.

Discussions of religious and racial conflict

This article focuses on discussions of religious and racial conflict. We will present examples from both the African American community and the Jewish community. Despite the fact that some people may disagree with their observations, there is substantial evidence to support the existence of cultural struggles in a variety of contexts. Includes events attended by involves an occurrence where groups of individuals take various sides in an argument. It is human nature to engage in debate or have conflicting opinions. During a discussion one applies the skills of listening, rationalization and cognitive understanding to express our views and at the same time understand the opposing side’s claims. In most cases where people cannot contain their feelings or get irrational by the minute, there is little that can get resolved or worked out. When the emotions come into play, people lose their ability to think clearly and eventually become more aggressive and tend to behave like those going to war and not engaging in a constructive discourse.

Stories about fighting, debates, and war

The author states that our lives revolve around stories about fighting, debates, and war stories. Certain words in headlines are always used to capture the attention of readers. In everyday conversation, people prefer full attack and war-like a style of expressing ideas (Tannins 5). Tannen says the choice of words will influence the general thinking of man.

The origin of Western Civilization

Western Civilization originated from the early expeditions of men who toured the seas and took over the New World as their own. All this occurred despite the fact that the native communities were already in existence at that time. These pioneer men used threats, force, brutality, and slavery to take over the new lands. Later on, the United States thrives on the pillar of free thinking, and the current generation still believes in the freedom of expressions. According to the writer, the beliefs in the freedom of expression or free speech leads to the cultural struggles. Many people in the United States pride themselves on the liberty to think freely, have conversations, interpret ideas and at times may be misled to use intimidation to stop others from experiencing such rights. It is such points that make Tannen’s observations valid.

Stereotyping and military metaphors

Tannen describes how society is stereotyped to assume that every issue has two opposing sides. The sides that make the most persuasive argument are labeled the victor and the conveyor of truth. According to her, these are merely futile since the truth lies in the middle and not in the extremes.

She explains how the use of military metaphors can influence people’s perceptions, opinions, or thoughts. To clarify that, she uses a study where people are shown a video of two cars colliding. The groups were later asked questions regarding “smashing into one another” or “bumping into one another.” The first team says they recall the vehicles were accelerating at higher speeds while the previous thought the pace was lower (Tannins 14). This shows the choice of words can influence perception.

The repercussions of opposition

Tannen goes ahead and mentions the repercussions of the growing trend of opposition and attributes it to the breakdown in the communities. Because authorities and connections characterize every society or unit, the cohesiveness will deteriorate from the adversarial attitude leading to alienations. This trend trickles down to the lowest groups such as families. Eventually, the social unit comprises hostility and detachment.

Alternative approaches and conclusion

Even though one may think that this writing is invalid and maybe go ahead and label the author as a social skeptic, it’s not the truth of the matter. She offers alternative approaches that can remedy the situation. Tannen believes before making rushed judgments; one should pause and observe both sides of discourse. Going ahead, people should revolutionize the concept of debate and come up with better and creative ways of engaging in a dialogue. In short, people should eliminate negativity in any discussion.

In the end, the author raises a fundamental question to the modern society. Is fighting the right approach to the current issues? The answer to this is no. Having an open mind and a clear conscience is the right way to go. Despite the common tendencies that gravitate towards fighting, we can still sort things out. Winning and making a valid point are entirely two different things. Even though I believe that the fighting approach is the cultural identity, the human race can still redeem itself. Redemption lies in taking a step back and having a new concept on issues relating to discourse.

Works Cited

Tannen, Deborah. “Fighting for our Lives.” The Argument Culture (1998): 3-26.