A Closer Look: Violent Rhetoric and Arizona Politics

In “Violent Rhetoric and Arizona Politics” by Nathan Thornburgh, the author tries to get the message across that rumors can lead to more violence, than what actually happens. In a time where there are rumors flying, and people getting killed and a congresswoman shot because of them, Thornburgh is out there to prove his point that perhaps rumors are leading to all of this violence in Arizona. However his argument would have been more effective had he shown less bias, been a bit less dismissive and had provided more evidence and statistics to back up his paper. While not all bias is bad, too much can lead to an argument being less effective.

Thornburgh’s bias can be seen in many …show more content…

For instance, one of the best places to insert statistics would have been when he was talking about the fact that because the community had been “Living in such calm for so long” they were more riled up about these things happening and rumors began to start (Gooch 325). Such a statistic would be like something from Americanprogress.org, in which they state that “Violent crimes in Arizona are down by 15 percent since 2006” (Garcia). This would back up his statement on the fact that crimes had been low for quite a while and that they continue to drop. This would lend much help to the effectiveness of his argument.

The effectiveness of Thornburgh’s argument was not as strong as it could have been. If he had been less overt about his bias, and had been a bit more professional, that alone would have made it a more effective argument. The one point that would have made it even more effective was if he had provided statistics that were from a credible and reliable source. This article seemed to be more of a personal rant meant to persuade you to Thornburgh’s thinking than an actual well thought out article. Thornburgh’s points are there, and they do have clarity, but the tone is just too informal or biased to provide for an effective argument.

Works Cited
Garcia, Ann. "Fact Sheet: Setting the Record Straight on Border Crime." American Progress. N.P., 14 June 2010. Web.
Gooch, John, and Dorothy