Harsh Realities Rub some dirt on it. Learning how to deal with bullies has always been a part of growing up. Today, however, administrators are stricter when punishing bullies. Everything from mean looks to playing dodge ball is considered a form of bullying. Benjamin Soskis believes bullying is defined too broadly, and disagrees with the claim that bullying is a serious problem facing today’s youth. In the article, The Extent of Bullying is Exaggerated; Soskis supports his claim with a lot of factual evidence, and argues that calling too much attention to the issue only makes it worse.
In past decades, bullies have always been just a part of life. Their name calling and roughhousing was seen as a joke. These activities are interpreted …show more content…
The most obvious fallacy is, “Every school is seen as a potential Columbine, every disgruntled student a potential Andy Williams”(2). This statement is an example of a false analogy. Analogies compare two things that are alike, but a false analogy occurs when two things are compared that are not exactly the same. The previous statement is an example of false analogy because not every school with bullies will be home to a tragic shooting, and not every student who is bullied will become a lunatic gunman. The only other notable fallacy is a slippery slope fallacy. Soskis talks about how anti-bullying movements could be worse for the bullying victim saying, “zero tolerance anti-bullying programs could leave them unprepared to assimilate the often unpleasant realities of social interaction without conceiving all hostility or peer rejection as traumatic”(3). Slippery slope fallacies presume that one thing will lead to a series of events that result in a catastrophe. So, by saying their reactions will be traumatic is jumping to an unrealistic conclusion that is the worst possible result. His argument about the anti bullying movements is effective, but this fallacy can make it less …show more content…
He is convinced that singling bullies out will not solve the bullying problem. He includes a fact that says, “In a 1999 study of Finnish students, depression was just as common among the bullies as among the bullied”(4). This statement is one example of a logos appeal because it uses facts from a study and can be proven. Soskis believes that the best way to put an end to bullying is to address a group of students as a whole, opposed to only addressing the bully. This is a reasonable belief because if bullies are just as likely to be depressed, alienating them will only make them more emotionally unstable. To be successful in solving the problem, it would not be wise to upset the bullies by singling them out. It would be a better idea to educate the whole group on what to do if they see bullying happening and think it is a dangerous
In past decades, bullies have always been just a part of life. Their name calling and roughhousing was seen as a joke. These activities are interpreted …show more content…
The most obvious fallacy is, “Every school is seen as a potential Columbine, every disgruntled student a potential Andy Williams”(2). This statement is an example of a false analogy. Analogies compare two things that are alike, but a false analogy occurs when two things are compared that are not exactly the same. The previous statement is an example of false analogy because not every school with bullies will be home to a tragic shooting, and not every student who is bullied will become a lunatic gunman. The only other notable fallacy is a slippery slope fallacy. Soskis talks about how anti-bullying movements could be worse for the bullying victim saying, “zero tolerance anti-bullying programs could leave them unprepared to assimilate the often unpleasant realities of social interaction without conceiving all hostility or peer rejection as traumatic”(3). Slippery slope fallacies presume that one thing will lead to a series of events that result in a catastrophe. So, by saying their reactions will be traumatic is jumping to an unrealistic conclusion that is the worst possible result. His argument about the anti bullying movements is effective, but this fallacy can make it less …show more content…
He is convinced that singling bullies out will not solve the bullying problem. He includes a fact that says, “In a 1999 study of Finnish students, depression was just as common among the bullies as among the bullied”(4). This statement is one example of a logos appeal because it uses facts from a study and can be proven. Soskis believes that the best way to put an end to bullying is to address a group of students as a whole, opposed to only addressing the bully. This is a reasonable belief because if bullies are just as likely to be depressed, alienating them will only make them more emotionally unstable. To be successful in solving the problem, it would not be wise to upset the bullies by singling them out. It would be a better idea to educate the whole group on what to do if they see bullying happening and think it is a dangerous