My Way or the Highway: Acknowledging the Opposition http://www.infoplease.com/cig/writing-well/my- way-or-highway-acknowledging-opposition.html

You can deal with opposition by: Identifying the main arguments against your side Acknowledging the arguments in your writing Countering your opposition

Know Your Audience Type of Audience Neutral Friendly Hostile Unknown Type of Opposition Likely very little None A great deal Up for grabs

Method #1: Show the opposition is wrong THESIS: Very few people claim to really like television commercials. Most people say that television commercials are annoying and insulting. The best that people can say about television commercials is that they give us time to get something to eat. But this view is unfair, since TV commercials have many advantages. OPPOSITION: First of all, many people claim that television commercials are more misleading than informative. They say that television ads manipulate the truth in order to get people to buy products. REBUTTAL: While it is true that television advertisers use strategies that encourage viewers to buy things, there are strong laws and regulations that ensure truth in advertising.

Method #2:Show the opposition has some merit, but your point is just as good OPPOSITION: Some people complain that television commercials are annoying and even in bad taste. People who complain about the ads do have a valid point. REBUTTAL: But if the public demanded television commercials that were in good taste, ones that did not manipulate or insult the viewer, we would get better commercials. If enough people wrote to the companies to protest offensive ads, there would be enough pressure to make the commercials better.

Method #3: Show the opposition has merit, but your point is stronger BODY PAR: Second, television commercials inform viewers of new products such as no-fat snack foods. They also show us new uses for old products. For example, baking soda ads on TV show us how to use the product to take odors out of the refrigerator and carpets, not just for baking. There are some people who say that people can learn about products and services in other ways—through magazine and newspaper ads, for example. To some extent this is true. REBUTTAL: However, a person would have to buy and read many, many newspapers and magazines to get as much information from print as we do from television. Who has time to read all these newspapers and magazines? It is clear that television commercials are a much more efficient way to get information about products.