Danielle Neal
English 2010 – Researched Argument
Disagreements: You’re doing it WRONG
Despite differences among cultures throughout Earth’s history, one commonality has
remained: dance. Dance is a form of expression both on an individualistic and group level.
However, like all coteries, they dispute with one another. It may not sound like an important
influence in society, but within the dancing community there are several sub-categories; some
get along well, others really don’t. Dance is split into major categories, including solo dance and
partner dance, which are then categorized even smaller. Social dance within partner dancing is
the form with which I will be focusing on, because its major cause for dance is socializing. The
sub-communities within this category dislike each other due to lack of understanding. The
constant dispute between Country-Western Swing dance and Big Band Swing dance is a perfect
demonstration of both of these. Although Social dance may sound simple, it helps lead us to
understand larger problems within society, as well as finding their solution by simplifying
cultural contentions.
Country-Western Swing dance, commonly called Country Swing, is a style derived from
Big Band Swing dance. By most of the Swing and Western dance community, Country is
referred to as “tug and whip” because there is no set of structured footwork. Even what could be
considered ‘structured footwork’ goes against all other Social dances, including Ballroom and
Latin. The reason I put ‘structured footwork’ in single-quotation marks is because it depends on
your definition of the word. Often I’ve heard that Country Swing is not a ‘real dance’ because it
has no ‘footwork’. This is a lie, and that is not an opinion. As defined by Merriam-Webster,
footwork means “the management of feet” or “active and android maneuvering to achieve an
end”. Country Swing fulfills both of these completely—heck, walking completes both of these
completely. ‘Structured’ is specified as “something arranged in a definite pattern of
organization”, which is where Country Swing is lost. This is what upsets Swing and Western
dancers, it’s all arms and no structured footwork.
Also, what does one mean by ‘real dance’? Swing is a sub-community of Social dance
(under the umbrella of partner dance in this case), which I have already mentioned to be in
existence for the sake of socializing. Partner dancing is as simple as it sounds, a dance “whose
basic choreography involves coordinated dancing of two partners” ("Partner Dance."
Wikipedia.); where with coordinated means “able to use more than one set of muscle movements
to a single end”. If all it takes to be a partnered Social dance is coordination and socializing
between two people, Country Swing is most certainly a ‘real dance’. What people should say is,
“Country-Western Swing dance has no structured footwork”, as opposed to “Country Swing is
not a real dance because it has no footwork”.
It may not seem like a huge change, I know that was a lot of explanation to just switch up
words, but think bigger picture: Political correctness. The jokes are through-the-roof on how
ridiculous political correctness can be; they often state that if you want to say something
politically correct then you don’t say anything at all. Adina Solomon is a journalism student at
the University of Georgia. She supports this point, saying, “Watch every word that spills from
your mouth, and beware of any thoughts that fly through your head. Political correctness is on
patrol… Our culture has become too sensitive. The notion of political correctness dominates
conversation, and many of us watch every word we say to avoid offending anyone.” (Solomon,
Adina. "We’ve Become Too Politically Correct.") I respect and understand where Adina is
coming from; it is true, that in certain situations and disagreements we should be less concerned
about what others think, but that’s not a problem with political correctness. That is an issue of
fearing other’s opinions. What extremist don’t realize is the true goal of PC, which is not to
extinguish “social and institutional offense” ("Political Correctness." Wikipedia), but to diminish
it. Using PC, you can realize if you even have an argument to begin with. Such as with dancing,
if people were more prone to think about the argument being made, they would realize it doesn’t
exist. However, these people must understand the point they are trying to make before they can
use PC to its full extent.
Understanding will come when you realize what you are actually saying. Granted, I don’t
recommend walking around with a smartphone looking up everyone’s sentences to make sure a
certain person says what they really mean. Rather, think before you speak. This practice has been
outdated as people now believe you ‘win a conversation’ not with knowledge, rather with wit.
Don’t get me wrong, wit has its time and place, but one needs to understand what they are
saying, as understanding is the only thing that will diminish lack thereof. Elizabeth Scott, an
award-winning blogger with a Master’s of Science in Counseling, says one thing we need to do
to improve a disagreement is to try to understand the other person’s point of view. She says, “In
a conflict…we talk a lot about our point of view to get the other person to see things our way.
Ironically, if we all do this all the time, there’s little focus on the other person’s point of view,
and nobody feels understood.” (Scott, Elizabeth. "Communicate: Improve Your Relationships
With Effective Communication Skills.”) I think Scott gives humanity too little credit, seeing as
most people are reasonable and willing to listen. Often people say, ‘Oh, let’s be more civil and
try to understand the other person’s point of view!’ when in reality is it probably your own point
of view that you need to better understand.
Though dance is just one example of how groups of people have contentions among
them, it is always a good idea to simplify your problems. Kwame Anthony Appiah, a Professor
of Philosophy at Princeton University and a cultural theorist, said “Christmas cracker version of
[his] philosophy…is everything’s very complicated. Everything’s more complicated than you
first thought.” (Appiah, Kwame A. "Sidling Up to Differences.") Although social issues are
layered like an onion, sometimes it’s easier to tackle a social problem if you simplify it. After all,
it was the famed medieval philosopher, William of Ockham, who essentially said the simplest
explanation is usually the right one ("Occams Razor." Wikipedia). The ultimate reason that Big
Band and Country Swing dancers usually don’t get along is that the argument is little understood
or specified on each side, which can be solved by being politically correct to understand your
own ideas.
Sources Cited:
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster. Web.
"Partner Dance." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 17 Apr. 2012. Web.
Solomon, Adina. "We’ve Become Too Politically Correct." Redandblack.com. The Red and
Black Publishing Company Inc., 27 Sept. 2011. Web.
"Political Correctness." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2012. Web.
Scott, Elizabeth. "Communicate: Improve Your Relationships With Effective Communication
Skills." About.com Stress Management. The New York Times Company, 18 Sept. 2011. Web.
Appiah, Kwame A. "Sidling Up to Differences." Interview. Audio blog post. On Being. 4 Aug.
2011. Web.)
"Occams Razor." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Apr. 2012. Web.
Validity and Argument/Civility in Sources