Just Don T Do It Analysis

Engaging in a passionate argument in which your opinions and evidence are heard and are responded to with equal vigor is a situation most people have experienced at least once. Being able to express one's thoughts openly and receive others’ opinions in return induces discussion that is in-depth and meaningful. Unfortunately, this passionate and argumentative type of conversation seems to be dying out. Both Molly Worthen and Deborah Cameron address the causes of this important issue in their articles "Stop Saying 'I Feel Like'" and "Just Don't Do It.” Worthen finds that the expression “I feel like” waters down the true meaning what a person is trying to say, while Cameron discusses that the expectation of how women talk is often falsely attributed …show more content…
But, the use of the statement “I feel like” blurs that fine line. Worthen describes this best in her article when she says “it turns emotion into a cudgel that smashes the distinction — and even in our relativistic age, there remains a distinction — between evidence out in the world and internal sentiments known only to each of us.” The blurred divide between evidence and emotion when using “I feel like” creates an atmosphere in a discussion that seems almost hostile toward actual fact as feelings as emotional statements with no sound backing become the central subject. Additionally, “I feel like” falsely labels an opinion as an emotion, giving those in a conversation a way to defend themselves against personal attack, as it makes it very difficult to argue against a factual statement mis-labeled as an emotional one. Elisabeth Lasch-Quinn is quoted in Worthen’s article as stating, “it’s a way of deflecting, avoiding full engagement with another person or group, because it puts a shield up immediately. You cannot disagree.” In using the phrase “I feel like,” those engaged in conversation dodge the need to provide any sort of evidence to support their claim. If someone tries to refute their statement or ask for evidence, the user of the phrase can simply answer that the opinion is what they feel and not a declaration of fact. This can bring even the most in-depth debates …show more content…
Reflecting on the earlier example, if the statement of “I feel like Little Caesars Pizza makes better pizza than Pizza Hut” becomes “I just feel like Little Caesars Pizza, like, sells better pizza than, like, Pizza Hut” the original responses remain the same, but instead of trying to get the discussion back on track after the first speaker’s defensive comment, the second speaker lashes out at the obvious use of “like” and “just.” They may respond with “Well I think that you use ‘like’ too much.” This condescending statement ends all hope for the discussion ever reaching its full potential, and instead turns the conversation to pointless