Intro

When a discussion gets heated, the arguments can become less objective and even turn into personal attacks. The problem with that is that when the debate is no longer about issues but about attacking each other, we will get nowhere.

At the same time, it is not always easy to distinguish between statements that address the issue in question and those that target the individual. This is true for the “sender”, the person speaking, but also the recipient. Sometimes people object to others disagreeing with them because they feel offended. Yet offence is about attacking the person, not their opinion or argument. It is therefore important to remember to keep the two apart.

Main part

The students are given the worksheet and asked to work on the exercises.

Download the worksheet here.

Argument, bigotry or personal attack?

 

Conclusion

As a final exercise, the students can find examples of bigoted speech or personal attacks and suggest how they can be worded differently to convey a viewpoint.