Concession and Refutation Bielec/Fink

to acknowledge as true; admit Concede/Concession to acknowledge as true; admit

One thing video games are frequently charged with is causing violent crime, exposing children to violence and encouraging them to participate in it. It is true that approximately 70% of T-rated games (rated for those aged 13 and up) reward killing other characters (Parks 47).

Student opinion generally gravitates toward the idea that they do not get enough sleep because of homework and waking up early for school (Carlson). However, some of the reasons students are not getting enough sleep are personally avoidable. Cell phone use, television watching, and general procrastination can eat up time students could have otherwise spent on homework.

Yes, but…

It has often been suggested that frequent video gaming leads to a sedentary, unhealthy lifestyle. This claim certainly has merit, with the National Institute on Media and the Family reporting that children who often game have a greater chance of being overweight or obese (Parks 64), but these children do not become unhealthy because of the video games themselves; rather, it is because of the choices the children make regarding how long they play. If a child exercises and eats well in addition to gaming, they will be perfectly healthy.

While the high costs to dismiss a teacher may attract more educators to the profession, this is still an insane amount of money to perform, what can be, a very necessary task. While it is true that teachers worrying about their futures can be a distraction from their job and students (Miller), there are much more practical ways to go about creating job security, ones that don’t involve hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Some people even say that homework has a direct relationship with level of achievement, and that is true, but only when students are not getting three or more hours per night (Kohn). Kids need time to rest and there are solutions, just ones that are not being pursued.

In argument, why is concession important?

to prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge Refute/Refutation to prove to be false or erroneous, as an opinion or charge

There are also those who say that, while games may not cause violent crime, they do desensitize gamers to violence, decreasing their feelings of empathy and sympathy. Again, though, such people are mistaken. Those who play video games are fully aware of the fact that what they do in games is fake. One adult gamer, describing his experience with a violent game, said that "It was fun, but... I don't have a desire to do any of these things (in real life)." (Parks 39).

Similarly, people also compete with each other, and use their peers as people to look up to. As sixteen-year-old Sara Jones* puts it, “I feel like it’s more of my peers doing well [in school.] I want to do just as well.” Her friend, Amber Cole*, adds, “You see other people, and they’re doing all these things really well, and you’re like, ‘I should do that too.’ It’s like a competition type of situation.” Of course, some will probably disagree with this assertion, claiming that competition isn’t a factor in perfectionism, however, a whopping 92.2% of teenagers say that they are motivated by competition (“Statistics about Teenagers and High”).

The fine arts, performing arts, and even graphic design majors are among the majors with the highest unemployment (O'Shaughnessy). Despite the validity of the statement, this argument is irrelevant because the point is not to base a child’s entire education in the arts, but to incorporate the arts into the existing education system. The integration of art into children’s education is essential for their success.

In argument, why is refutation important?