Disarming with Humor

As Heinrichs says, "Humor ranks above all other emotions in persuasiveness." It is the method I use the most when I try to persuade others to see my side of an argument. I consider myself a smart young woman, and I usually can present an air of credibility, but above all else I use my rapier wit to either settle arguments or win them. For instance, my roommates and I were trying to decide what movie to watch last Friday night. We were trying to have a good time with just us girls, and my roommate Jessica suggested we watch Platoon. I replied that that was a great idea, and afterwords I suggested we could watch The Deer Hunter and The Killing Fields and we can have a gay old time. She got the point, and we decided on the movie I wanted to watch...Kill Bill. I am not ashamed to say I enjoy winning an argument, but more than that I enjoy being able to sharpen my sharp, sardonic humor. Okay enough with the metaphors and self-appraisal, but you get the point. I can and do use logos and pathos to try and win certain arguments, but considering the fact that I am 19, attend the University of Texas at Austin, and am a film major, humor tends to be my weapon of choice.

Being that I am an Irish-Italian New Yorker, I am fluent in sarcasm. But where I get into trouble sometimes is my use of sarcasm. When used subtly and minimally, sarcasm can be quite an effective tool. However, if used too much, it can actually cause the person or audience you're arguing with to get mad. My father and I were having a discussion on what I want to do with my life, being that I don't really know, I tried to change subjects by sarcastically comparing our differing ideals on work ethics. I kept evading the subject with the quick and aloof statements that my father started to get mad at me and basically drilled me on the subject the rest of the night, which is exactly what I didn't want to happen. Moral of the story: use humor in an understated fashion, and use sarcasm wisely. It can make or break an argument.