HW 1/24

Reading through the chapters on pathos, ethos and logos, in "everything is an argument", one theme that perpetually reoccurred was the use of humor to drive an argument.

At first I found this notion that humor can be used to drive an argument to be unlikely. Aren't arguments supposed to be serious? Wouldn't people dismiss someone as childish when trying to argue with jokes? However when I thought back on the many formal speeches I've listened to, a large percentage of them started out with a small quip or joke before getting to the main argument. The text "Everything is an Argument" argues that the use of humor in an argument makes the audience more receptive to the argument and, I would tend to agree.

Using humor creates ethos. While authority is important in portraying your credibility to the audience, being a likable debater is just as important because it opens the audience up to you and your argument. By using humor some of the tension in an argument can be relived, creating a sense that you are not just a hard nosed arguer. In fact, making fun of yourself, on occasion in an argument, can greatly open up your audience because it shows, that like them, you have your limitation yet are unafraid to admit them. People love honest and likable characters and humor, when used effectively, can portray you as such.

Humor can also be used enhance the pathos of an argument. When arguments are particularly sensitive humor is occasionally a good tool to use in opening up your audience to a "sticky" or "taboo" subject. For example in the text, there is a passage, by Dave Berry in his "Owners' Manual" book, about why men never read instructions because they are to proud. If Berry had written this passage without humor it would have turned off and offended much of his male audience but, because he used humor we are less offended and more entertained by his conclusion. However, what the book doesn't show is when it is appropriate to use humor and when it is not. In order to use humor effectively to make a point, without offending your audience, you must own the subject of the humor. For example, Barry was able to make fun of the male refusal to ask for help because he is a man. If he were to make fun of the stereotype that women are bad drivers, the women in his audience would most likely be turned of to his argument because it is in bad taste. It is important to remember that while humor can be very effective in driving an argument, it can also be a risky rhetorical device that should only be used when the debater knows how his audience will react.