Word: argumentativeness
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...brings to mind the “values voters” of the last two or three presidential elections, in which “values” seemed a stand-in for an unexamined and potentially bigoted moral rubric—an ethical compass calibrated not by reason or argument but by a seat-of-the-pants, bottom-of-the-gut, irrational “feeling” about what is right. Or, in the completely opposite direction, the word “value” could also connote the equally unappealing hyper-rationality of modern economics, with its theories...
Since one thing I’ve learned at Harvard is that etymology will improve almost any argument (or at least extend its length), let me begin with a brief history of the word. “Value” started from the Latin valere, passing through Old French before landing with a messy splash in English. An odd cluster of meanings branched from its two short syllables: it meant to be healthy, to be able, or to be worthy; when used to describe words, it also meant to be meaningful or to be significant. Somewhere along...
...know this window can close at 82 m.p.h.? It's the fastest-closing window in the world." And the neighbor will say, "That's kind of cool." Well, it has nothing to do with the functionality of the car, but that's a rational argument he will make. The car company is phrasing it in his mind so he can justify the purchase. (See 10 things to buy during the recession...
...during a recession. And when you look at the curve of guilt, the biggest spike is maybe seconds after you bought that bag, because the only thing you are thinking about is how to justify the purchase. So what brands are doing now is basically filling a prepackaged justification argument. With women, brands now are basically saying there's one side which is the emotional side, that is, "I love it, I can't live without it, I'll look sexy and popular and whatever." On the other side, they are providing rational arguments to hand over to the husband...
...finally go out in the supermarket, you as a parent are much more likely to give in, and basically say "You can buy" because you feel guilty. Kids are very aware of this. I'm in Thailand here, just doing some sessions here today with kids, and the argument Thai kids are using is exactly the same as American kids', as Japanese kids'. They are really playing on the guilt to make sure they can make the parents buy more. They know what buttons to press...