It is hard not to have a bias opinion on gun control when one side
is fighting for those who have died in tragedies such as the Newtown,
Connecticut shooting; or the other side fighting for our civil rights to be
protected (aka the right to bear arms). However, after the most recent tragedy
at least everyone can agree that something must be done so that mentally
unstable individuals can not have access to weapons that can cause such harm.
It was not hard for me to form an opinion quickly and the media definitely had
an impact on it.
The first article that will be discussed is the persuasive article
that discusses twelve different facts about gun control. In the beginning of
this article the author Ezra Klein makes it clear that he thinks there needs to
be more restrictions on guns he does this by saying:
“If roads were collapsing all across the United States, killing dozens
of drivers, we would surely see that as a moment to talk about what we could do
to keep roads from collapsing. If terrorists were detonating bombs in port
after port, you can be sure Congress would be working to upgrade the nation’s
security measures…Only with gun violence do we respond to repeated tragedies by
saying that mourning is acceptable but discussing how to prevent more tragedies
is not. “Too soon,” howl supporters of loose gun laws. But as others have
observed, talking about how to stop mass shootings in the aftermath of a string
of mass shootings isn’t “too soon.” It’s much too late.”(Klein, 2012, para. 4-5).
He
continues with stating twelve different facts that support this view. This
leaves viewers with the feeling that gun laws must have more restrictions to
stop the tragedies from continuing.
Moving on to the
objective article there are some very big differences in the way that the writer
discusses key points relating to gun control. Whereas as discussed above the
writer is clear about the way that he feels about the topic, the writer of the
objective article tries not to make clear what his opinion is on the topic of
gun control. He does this by discussing both points of view and the conflict
between those who oppose tighter restrictions and those who what more gun
restrictions.
“Note
that this “on the one hand” and “on the other hand” does not arise from looking
at different aspects of the same case but from focusing on two different kinds
of cases. The pro-gun side focuses on cases of legitimate self-defense (and
hunting and target-shooting). The anti-gun side focuses on wrongful uses of
guns: the Newton killer or an enraged husband who shoots his wife (and on deaths
from accidents with guns). Both sides are looking at cases that are real. The
question is: how can we take all of them into account? What is the proper way
to think about this issue?”(Binswanger,
2013, para. 3-4).
Because
Binswanger starts the article off by comparing the two sides and does so
throughout the piece it shows that he is making an attempt to be objective.
However, when one looks a little deeper into how he ends the piece it is clear
that he objects more restrictions on gun control when he says, “Laws
prohibiting or regulating guns across the board represent the evil of
preventive law and should be abolished.” (Binswanger, 2013, para. 19).
Many people the commented on this article said it was an objective view on the
topic of gun control. I saw it as slightly objective but it was the closest
article I could find to being objective on gun control.
The
third article is the subtle article that is still persuasive but is not as
straight forward about the point. Throughout this article it is clear that the
writer seems to mock the NRA (National Rifle Association) for their opinion on
gun control laws. The main difference in this article verse the objective
article is that the writer does not look at both sides. He discusses his
concerns about the reason for tighter laws being forgotten. However, unlike in
the persuasive article he discusses more of the facts as to what is going on
currently with the topic and law makers. (ROSENTHAL, 2013, para. 8)
Before
reading these articles and many others like them I already had my own opinion
on gun control and the laws that should come about in the future. These
articles helped me look at different points of view and make my ideas even more
clear then what they were prior. I do not feel like I am subject to political persuasion
in all topics. It depends on if I have an opinion on the topic prior or not.
When I am nieve about a subject is when I am more vulnerable to political persuasion
which I’m sure how many people are.
I
think that one technique that is used in political articles to persuade people
is using the audience naivety against them. Often times I think that
politicians assume that many people are not going to do their own research on
the topic and will take the politicians word for it. However, when one digs
deeper they learn that often times the articles may not be telling the whole
truth. This happens quite frequently with people that do not have the time to
research any more then reader the random news article or watch a certain new
program.
I
think that the persuasive article regarding gun control is persuasive and
accomplishes its goal. It is effective because of the statistics and other
resources that it uses while discussing the topic. It uses charts so that the
reader can visually see what they are trying to prove and the differences. The
vast amount of information from other countries is also persuasive and shows
the reader that the writer did a great deal of research while writing the
article. Thus the reader trusts the writer more.
As a society we can reduce our vulnerability to political
persuasion by being informed and not being afraid to look at the opposing view.
The more one is educated in the subject the better equip they are to knowing
what they believe about the topic and also what others believe. Also in
learning more about the subject they will be able to defend their ideals when
and if politicians try to persuade them otherwise.
Overall, whether we are discussing gun control or another topic
journalists and politicians have an impact on what we believe whether we want
to admit it or not. To be informed is one of the best ways to make sure that
you know what they are discussing and to not be vulnerable. This is because
whether a journalist tries to or not often times their opinion will come out in
their work without them knowing it. So stay up to date on topics so that their
opinions will not affect your belief system.
References
ROSENTHAL, A. (2013, January 7). The Gun-Control Agenda Takes Shape. . Retrieved from http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/07/the
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