post # 13

When using persuasive rhetorical strategies such as ethos and pathos, the arguer must ensure that not only is the point reasonable and accurately stated, but also that the evidence used is completely rounded, illustrating all known benefits and downfalls of the point being made.  It is easy to lie in an argument with a made up statistic, and it is easy to deceive people with "true" ones that don't convey the full meaning (like saying 25% of girls die of cancer per year in a school containing four girls); however, this truly is not the point of arguing. The true point of arguing is to approach the truth, which if understood, will please the general will of the population. Those who wish to intentionally convince others of falsities can only be described as acting out of selfish greed. The unfortunate thing is, it is very difficult to determine if someone has created a decent idea out of developed, rounded, and meaningful arguments, or if they are intentionally leaving evidence out, using emotions to override logic, or even lying. This is why it is important for organizations such as the media to be truthful in its evidence.  People, who love and wish the best for their country watch the news and expect the news to tell the full story. When the news tells them lies, or subtly  deceives them with bias, the ignorant population will likely accept the news as fact, for if they are watching the news, they likely do not know when they are being misled. It is therefore important for arguments to stay informatively impartial when attempting to educate a population. While sides can and should be established on certain issues in the inevitable pursuit of the truth, ideally, the population should be making that choice, not the media.