Cupp 1 Theresa LouRene Cupp Professor Alicia Bolton English 101 17 October 2013

For Arguments Sake: Real World Versus Virtual Realm Who would have ever thought we would be so dependent on computers? We rely on computers in several areas of our lives today. Whether we are communicating with each other, playing online games, or doing research on a particular topic, it seems like we can have it all with just the click of a button. While having access to this kind of technology can make our lives a little easier, it can also create difficult situations. For instance, in the article by Alex Weiss, Should Gamers Be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing? a thirteen-year-old victim was convicted of stealing something that doesnt exist. How can one be prosecuted for stealing something that doesnt exist? This is an arguable point. Arguments play an equally important role in our lives today. Many people today think that arguing means stating your opinion on a particular topic, but the reality is a well-developed argument is so much more. We can construct a strong logical argument by using some basic building blocks such as claims, reasons, and evidence that supports those reasons. Two argumentative essays that generally meet these requirements are Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted written by Malcolm Gladwell and Should Gamers Be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing? by Weiss. Gladwells Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted argues the differences between traditional activism and its online variant. He acknowledges tradition activism as being high risk activism which he states is a strong-tie (318) phenomenon, but considers the activism associated with social media as platforms built around weak ties. Meanwhile, Weisss Should Gamers Be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing? argues how real and virtual laws conflict. Both Gladwell and Weiss provide interesting claims and adequate

Cupp 2 reasoning, but Gladwells essay is a more effective argument because of its use of both ethos and logos, and convincing reasons and evidence. First, the rhetorical appeals of ethos and logos are greatly used in Gladwells Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted. For one, he gives us several examples of traditional or high risk activism. Gladwell starts off by detailing the events in the early sixties that became a civil-rights war. This movement engulfed the South for the rest of the decade. He tells how it happened without the use of e-mail, texting, Facebook, or Twitter. He then goes on to give us some examples of these tools of social media and describes how they have reinvented social activism. Gladwell describes the platforms of social media as being built around weak ties. He demonstrates his knowledge of the material he is presenting by providing several real life scenarios of events that took place. Its very clear he did research to qualify his claim. Gladwell did this by providing a strong appeal thats hard to disprove and proves he is both trustworthy and knowledgeable. His display of examples and facts provides both ethos and logos. The use of ethos and logos in Weisss Should Gamers Be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing? are also used but they are not as effective. Weiss is more or less telling a story of himself and his gaming experiences rather than providing proof. Unlike Gladwell, Weiss starts off by taking us to the site of a virtual theft (727) which by definition means not real. He tells of a boy who was recently convicted of stealing something that doesnt exist. Weiss establishes himself as a reformed online-gaming thief. He appeals to logic by stating according to the Associated Press, the defendants attorney argued that the stolen amulet and shield were neither tangible nor material and, unlike for example electricity, had no economic value (727). How can one steal something thats not there? Weiss then tries to compare the game of RuneScape with the game EVE Online, which he played during his teenage years. However, he creates a false analogy, because though they are both online games the rules are completely different. He is comparing RuneScape which doesnt explicitly state you cannot steal, with both EVE and World of

Cupp 3 Warcraft that has a very strict policy against scamming, thievery, and harsh language. Its not fair to compare games that have totally different rules. Another strength, of Gladwells is providing convincing reasons and evidence. He provides evidence of the crucial distinctions between traditional activism and its online variants. He talks about the hierarchical organization associated with traditional activism. Gladwell shows how the civil rights movement started out with four individuals from A. & T. College and escalated into protest with over seventy thousand people. He explains how this all took place without the use of social media. Gladwell then explains how the use of social media has some expectations of grandiosity. An example is, The marvels of communication technology in the present have produced a false consciousness about the past---even a sense that communication has no history, or had anything of importance to consider before days of television and the Internet (316). In the age of social media we seem to have forgotten what activism is. Instead of getting up and fighting for our beliefs, we tend to post out feelings on social networks. Like Gladwell, Weiss also provides convincing reasons and evidence; but, unlike Gladwell, Weiss does not give enough of them. He simply states the crime is a virtual theft (727). He compares the real world with the virtual realm. He gives facts of a thirteen year old being convicted of a crime that really didnt happen. He relies on our logic to make his argument. Therefore, he is assuming our moral beliefs are equal to his. In conclusion, while both essays have interesting points and positions, Alex Weisss Should Gamers Be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing? isnt as effective as Malcolm Gladwells Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted. Gladwell provides better ethos and logos, and more convincing reasons and evidence. Weiss greatly relies on the logic of the readers assuming they agree. Gladwells essays proves a lot of research went into it and is a good example of a logical argument; Weiss on the other hand is mostly a one sided argument because hes providing his personal opinion.

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Works Cited Gladwell, Malcolm. Small Change: Why the Revolution Will Not Be Tweeted. They Say I Say with Readings. 2nd ed Ed. Gerald Graff, Cathy Birkenstein, and Russel Durst. New York: W.W.Norton and Company, 2010. 312-328. Print. Weiss, Alex. Should Gamers Be Prosecuted for Virtual Stealing? The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook. 3rd ed. Ed. Marilyn Moller, New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2013. 727720. Print.