Cut Off Culture

This week I decided to look at an argument thread on Reddit on the topic of “cut off” culture. To “cut off’ means to completely end a relationship you have with someone, usually friends, family, or romantic partners. I think setting the definition of the topic of your argument straight makes your argument harder to rebuttal as it clears up any assumptions that could lead to miscommunications about your argument. 

I chose this as my topic this week because I feel as though I’m around that age where people start to make big decisions about their relationships and who they choose to surround themselves with. Cutting certain people off is something I’ve contemplated doing multiple times in the past couple of years. The type of people I would consider cutting off are people who have left a negative impression on me in the past or people who simply do not deserve my time or energy for the reason that they don’t give back the same energy. But cutting people off isn’t something you can just do whenever you feel like it. It takes time and thought and justification in yourself to make such a big decision like that. 

The Reddit argument I looked at made it clear what their definition of cutting people off was, and went on to list off the reasons why they thought cut off culture was toxic. One concern I have with this argument in specific, is the lack of relatability in their post. The author is speaking from the perspective of themselves and their feelings instead of considering a third perspective. This could be considered egocentrism, considering they aren’t able to think from the perspective of others. Another concern I would like to point out is the lack of credibility in their argument. Similar to my first point, it seems as though there was no prior research done before the argument was posted. They also like to insert personal attacks like “you WILL have to deal with it.” or saying we are “taking the easy way out” when they don’t know the reason why some people decide to go to the extent of cutting people off. 

Good arguments pay attention to their audience and purpose and put a big emphasis on using logic and reasoning to back up your points (Campbell 2014). Using this logic, here are five rules that I think would help create a strong argument online. 

5 rules on how to argue online constructively:

1. Understand the Opposing Argument - By understanding the opposing argument and making it clear to your audience, you gain a sort of trust from them and a reliability

2. Use Evidence/Research to Support Your Argument - Validate your argument using supporting points from previous research

3. Consider Your Audience - Making relatable points to support your argument and connecting with your audience makes your argument extra relatable

4. Make Your Points Clear - Don’t be iffy or unsure about your argument, you should come off as confident and reliable

5. Use Personal Experience as Evidence NOT as an Argument - Arguing only from a personal perspective creates a divide between the poster and the audience, instead use experience to back up your arguments

References

Campbell, K. K., Huxman, S. S., & Burkholder, T. A. (2014). The rhetorical act: Thinking, speaking, and writing critically (5th ed.). Cengage Learning.