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Polarizing Language

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John C. Maxwell once said, “People may hear your words, but they feel your attitude.” In other words, a specific language choice can convey a greater meaning than the words themselves. The power of language becomes even greater when the background or pre-existing views of a person are introduced. Two different people might respond to a specific language choice differently based on their beliefs. One way to demonstrate this principle would be to explore the effects of language choice in the NPR article “Sexism, Only This Time It’s About Men” by the ombudsman for NPR, Edward Schumacher-Matos on two different social groups: radical feminists and Men’s Rights Activists. The polarizing language in the NPR article affects the persuasiveness of the …show more content…
The article itself was a response to a claim by a San Diego-based advocacy group called the National Coalition for Men. The author, NCFM member Ray Licht stated, “I found the bias favoring women and against men staggering. It seems unlikely that all this negative focus on men and positive focus on women is by accident. It appears to be intentional.” The language in the article is polarizing because it can be considered offensive or emotive. One example of this is the use of the word “pithily” when describing a claim by Licht, showing that Schumacher-Matos is expressing a negative opinion of the statement and uses emotion to disprove it rather than logic. This emotive and potentially offensive language has a negative effect on persuasion. According to a study titled The Argumentative Uses Of Emotive Language, “when [Emotive Language] is used fallaciously, it is because it interferes with critical questioning or conceal the need for it” (Douglas). Similarly, a study titled The Effects of Three Types of Profane Language in Persuasive Messages states that using offensive or profane language in a communication generally has a detrimental effect on the perceived credibility of the communicator (Bostrom, Baseheart, Rossiter). Essentially, emotive language can turn a person off to an argument if they do not see the need for it while making the communicator seem less

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