Lab #4

Part Two

Logical argument: “Before 1994, diabetes in children was generally caused by a genetic disorder — only about 5 percent of childhood cases were obesity-related, or Type 2, diabetes. Today, according to the National Institutes of Health, Type 2 diabetes accounts for at least 30 percent of all new childhood cases of diabetes in this country.”

Part Three

Ethical argument: “I tend to sympathize with these portly fast-food patrons, though. Maybe that’s because I used to be one of them.

I grew up as a typical mid-1980’s latchkey kid. My parents were split up, my dad off trying to rebuild his life, my mom working long hours to make the monthly bills. Lunch and dinner, for me, was a daily choice between McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Pizza Hut. Then as now, these were the only available options for an American kid to get an affordable meal. By age 15, I had packed 212 pounds of torpid teenage tallow on my once lanky 5-foot-10 frame.”

Part Four

Pathetic argument: “But most of the teenagers who live, as I once did, on a fast-food diet won’t turn their lives around: They’ve crossed under the golden arches to a likely fate of lifetime obesity.”

Part Five

Analogy: “As with the tobacco industry, it may be only a matter of time before state governments begin to see a direct line between the $1 billion that McDonald’s and Burger King spend each year on advertising and their own swelling health care costs.”

Part Eight: Pathetic Argument

You might ask, does it matter that we ignore homeless people? Well, imagine you’re sitting on the metro floor with tattered clothing, holding an empty Tim Horton’s cup and a dirty blanket for comfort. You say “have a nice day” or “spare change?” to a passerby and they don’t respond or react. They don’t look at you or smile or seem worried. It seems like they don’t even see you at all. You’re not a person. You feel like a meaningless obstacle in their day. Does this matter?

Part Six: Logical Argument/Analogy

We often feel powerless in trying to solve big social problems like homelessness, but is it really impossible to solve? When college students are overwhelmed with a big project, they usually don’t just give up on the project as a whole. Typically, a student would separate the project into smaller parts and tackle them individually to avoid being overwhelmed. An American project called Housing First uses a similar approach.  Homelessness is a complex issue, and Housing First believes that factors that makes a person homeless can be addressed more efficiently once they have a home. By tackling one aspect of homelessness, the problem is easier to solve.