Argumentative Essay
In this course, I (along with my peers) have developed fundamental skills in argumentation—both the synthesis and analysis of argument, and its application in a modern context. In this essay, I have been asked to take a side on one of the most controversial issues in today's America, and to use the skills this course has emphasized in order to advance my supposedly informed perspective. But I believe this is a poor approach, and I suggest an alternative, hopefully without ceding the 20% of my final grade which this paper comprises.
In 2009, former president Barack Obama famously invited Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates and police sergeant James Crowley to the White House, after a disagreement which sparked broader controversy over policing and racial profiling. Obama's approach was to "discuss the situation over beers," and that is exactly the approach I propose for the issue this paper discusses, despite its different scope.
I suggest that both sides should come to my apartment, where we can discuss in a more informal manner this issue which has brought about so much impassioned debate, while sipping some cool, refreshing beers. Writing a single paper arguing for a single stance would not bring about understanding; I strongly believe in our need for a dialogue, and particularly one which is facilitated by a nice couple of beers.
I could go for a beer right now, honestly. Writing any essay goes a lot smoother with a beer or two in your system, that's what my dad always said. God rest his soul. It doesn't even have to be beer. Cheap grocery store red wine brings about a different sort of scholarly conversation. Something a little more refined, a dialectic if you will. I can never just drink a single glass of wine. They should honestly make the glasses bigger.
Invite both sides to my apartment, my door's always open. We can take a few shots and cry over the state of America, and ultimately I don't think this one little political divide is going to change much of our trajectory. Hey you, dear reader, my professor: you should also show up, since you seem so invested in this whole damn charade. Just you, me, representatives of both sides of this national dispute, and a folding table actively warping under the weight of all the bottles. Have you ever snorted something before?