Rebuttals

In Kristof’s “Do We Have the Courage to Stop This?” he challenges the United States’ ability to regulate guns. He clearly states that he wishes to regulate the buying and selling of guns in America and presents a great argument through his use of claims and evidence, along with great rebuttals. One of these rebuttals is “don’t say that it won’t make a difference because crazies will always be able to get a gun” and “don’t bother with the argument that if more people carried guns, they would deter shooters or interrupt them.” He quickly shuts down these popular counter arguments to the controversial discussion of gun control in America. The way he presents these rebuttals seems he has the purpose to prove he is knowledgeable and has researched this topic a lot, so he is aware of the obvious counter arguments. Kristof immediately points towards these claims people make in opposition to gun control and makes the reader understand why these claims then seem so faulty. 

In Rifkin’s argumentative piece about animals’ ability to feel just like humans, many preconceived facts are debunked. He argues that many studies have shown that animals do in fact have feelings, and actually suffer when they do not spend time with one another. He says, “some philosophers and animal behaviorists have long argued that other animals are not capable of self-awareness because they lack a sense of individualism,” and, “it’s commonly believed that other animals have no sense of their mortality and are unable to comprehend the concept of their own death.” He debunks these preconceived ideas with real studies that surprisingly are being run by fast food chains. Rifkin writes these rebuttals as if he is very confident in his research and no other research will change his mind. This confidence makes the reader believe in what he is telling them.