argument culture

Argument culture is something that I never really experienced much until my senior year of high school. I had a strange theology teacher and it seemed he believed his sole purpose in life was to start arguments. Every topic we learned about turned into a battle in the classroom. This was because people felt strongly about their opinions and wanted to express them. When people find out someone disagrees with them, they feel the urge to argue and defend their side of an issue. This may or may not accomplish anything. What it potentially could accomplish is changing someone’s mind to agree with your argument. But, most people have set opinions and are not open to considering other’s thoughts. Usually, arguments simply make people think about what they believe and rethink their assumptions. In college, I have already been in several classes in which the professor provokes arguments between students. Professors light up when students engage in heated discussions about the topic at hand. They also seem open to hearing student’s opinions, even if they disagree with them. College professors use argumentation to promote learning and help students develop opinions and beliefs. This is always interesting to participate in and listen to. Usually, the arguments in classes are about important matters that are worth defending. In real life, arguments seem to mostly consist of matters that are not life or death, such as where to eat dinner or what movie to watch. People in my life seem to argue with their roommates, parents, or significant other. It is much more common to argue with someone you love, rather than a stranger. There is constantly conflict between people that care about each other. Conflict can't be avoided in our public lives because there is something to argue about every day. Thankfully, we live in a society where we can express our opinions freely.