Students will write their letter to the editor in response to the following prompt:
Should vaccines be federally enforced or should they be a person’s free choice?
Reasons FOR having federally forced vaccines
Reasons AGAINST having federally forced vaccines
p.1 Kids will miss school and be alienated by the public
p.5 1000 people “could have been” exposed to measles…there is no proof that there really were
1000 people exposed to measles
p. 5 non-vaccinated people could wear masks to protect the public
p.7 there is no reason to get them according to a chiropractor and mom
p.2 the disease was vanquished for 15 years meaning it works
p. 1 people will harass people who are now seen as “negligent and criminal” and may lead to
bullying
p.3 Doctors are considering changing policies regarding non-vaccinated people which could
prevent needed health care
P2. Measles spreads quickly and is highly contagious
p.7 unvaccinated kids miss weeks of school and fall behind
p.8 kids missed two weeks of advanced placement classes which could cause them to fall
behind
p.10 1009 report of a link between autism and vaccines was proven fraudulent and was
retracted
p. 11 not getting the vaccine is going back words for society
p.11 kids shouldn’t have to suffer when there is a way to avoid suffering
p.6 even though kids got whooping cough and chicken pox, they’re ok even without having the
vaccines against them
p.8 eating well was enough to avoid needing to see a doctor
p.10 1998 medical journal suggested there was a link between vaccines and autism
p.10 religious beliefs go against them (amish)
P10. People have a right to live “all-natural” lives if they want to
p.12 kids can get medical help without harming the public by communicating through the web,
pics, and phones
p.18 the vaccine is only 95% effective so why take the risk in case you will be part of the 5% who
will still get it and then become autistic too
p.13 doctors vaccinate their own kids so it is safe
p.13 unvaccinated families might face discrimination from the public
P25 the M.M.R. vaccine (for mumps, rubella) may cause autism
p.26 it’s the worst shot out there that one can get
p.14 doctors are considering dropping unvaccinated patients
P31 it would take away a free right and cause innocent people to be imprisoned for sticking to the
first amendment rights of free choice
p.18 babies and the elderly are at risk for becoming ill with measles because they’re too
young or too immunologically frail to get the shot…this can turn deadly
p.32 these people would not be alone since there are several communities and thousands of
people who do not get vaccinated
p.21 measles causes uncomfortable rashes so why take the risk
p.33 pharmaceutical companies have an agenda to make money so that’s what this is really about
p.28 disease is exploding, therefore highly contagious
p.33 vaccines would hinder the desire to live an organic life style
p.34 there is no need to put so many toxins in the kids body
p.37 there is no reason to conform with the general population in a country that prides itself on
diversity
Thesis: Vaccinations need to be federally mandated and enforced for several reasons such as it’s a public
health concern and unvaccinated students will fall drastically behind in school.
Paragraph One
1. First Point: (include in first sentence)
Dear Editor,
We must federally mandate that all people living in America, especially here in Hawaii, have to get vaccinated because it is a
public safety concern.
2. Provide different perspective on issue:
While it is true that unvaccinated individuals can hibernate in their homes and wear masks when out in public…
2. Refute or Support specific statements:
…it is still an incredibly dangerous disease and should not be taken lightly.
3. Support your facts: (include documentation but not too much)
In an article called “Vaccine Critics Turn Defensive Over Measles”, journalists Jack Healy and Michael Paulson, of the New
York Times, declared that the measles are a “highly contagious disease…[that can spread] thousands of miles beyond its
center….” (Healy, Paulson). This means that no matter how many precautions one takes, this disease can turn lethal,
therefore must be halted in its tracks immediately!
4.
Address relevant facts that are ignored:
What some people may not realize is that if we do not stop this horrifying disease, we may end up with an unprecedented
amount of deaths, much like the death toll caused by the bubonic plague during the dark ages. (Hyperbole)
4.
Concluding sentence
For these reasons, shouldn’t we all stand up for one another? Shouldn’t we all look out for the well being of the vulnerable
and weak? It is our civil duty to be vaccinated because the safety of families everywhere depends on it!
Letter #2
To the Editor:
Re “Vaccine Critics Turn Defensive Over Measles” (front page, Jan. 31):
I am pro-vaccine. As of now, my 11-month-old daughter is completely immunized. Vaccines save countless lives
and prevent serious diseases. However, after careful consideration, many discussions with physicians and lots of
research, my husband and I have chosen to delay our daughter’s M.M.R. vaccine (measles, mumps and rubella)
until after she turns 3. I think that there are not enough adequate studies available to prove that the M.M.R. is
safe. It is the most highly reactive vaccine on the schedule, and its list of side effects is long.
I am disappointed that this article portrays parents who choose not to administer the M.M.R. to their children as
hippies who use essential oils and must meditate on their decision. This may be the case for this particular
subculture interviewed, but there are others who question it as well: professional, well-educated, pro-vaccine
parents who are simply looking for clear safety evidence for this one particular shot.
The M.M.R. vaccine clearly warrants further investigation, especially now, with a senior scientist at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, William Thompson, claiming that findings of high rates of autism in
African-American boys who received the vaccine were withheld.
KIM KROONENBURG
Brooklyn
Unit 3.13
Fallacies
Fallacy- a mistaken
belief, especially one
based on unsound
argument
Logical Fallacies: Errors in reasoning
Hasty generalization: leaping to a
conclusion or assumption based on only a
few occasions
Logical Fallacies: Errors in reasoning
Post hoc: a casual
fallacy in which a person
assumes one thing caused
another simply because it
happened prior to the
other.
Emotive Fallacies: Replacing Logic With Emotional Manipulation
“Argument” from outrage: When the
emotions of anger, hatred, or rage are
substituted for evidence in an argument.
Scapegoating or blaming a certain group of
people or a single person for something.
Emotive Fallacies: Replacing Logic With Emotional Manipulation
Ad baculum, or scare tactics: using fear in place of logic in an attempt to scare people
into rejecting the person or thing, despite there being no evidence to support the claim
Rhetorical Fallacies: Sidestepping Logic with Language
Ad hominem/genetic fallacy: attacks against a person
rather than the ideas the person presents.
Rhetorical Fallacies: Sidestepping Logic with Language
Slippery slope: half appeal to fear and
half a casual fallacy. Its when a person
suggests that one action will lead to
an inevitable and undesirable
outcome.
Group Work
In groups of four you will work to complete the following questions. Take out one
piece of paper for the whole group. Answer the questions thoroughly and completely.
Be prepared to share your answers. Each group will share their answers to one
question. This is due at the end of class.
1. Why are fallacies so common in our political discourse? Which ones are most
common and why?
2. Why are fallacies so powerful—and so dangerous?
3. Why might you choose to use a fallacy—or rhetorical slanters—in a letter or
speech? What would be the pros and cons of doing so?
4. How does the use of fallacies affect the ethos of a writer or speaker?
5. What is the relationship between considering your audience and deciding whether
to use fallacious appeals or slanters?
Pros of using fallacies or
Cons of using fallacies or
Slanters in a letter or speech Slanters in a letter or speech
Pros of using fallacies or
Cons of using fallacies or
Slanters in a letter or speech Slanters in a letter or speech
Easier to persuade an audience to side with
what you are arguing
You are misleading the audience and
providing false facts and information
Used to make the opposing views
unimportant, dangerous and simply
ridiculous
You may deceive someone to make a lifethreatening decision
It’s a way to gain control and power
It is dishonest and will taint your reputable
image
PRO SCHOOL UNIFORMS
If your audience is for school uniforms
then you will know how to use
Slanters/fallacies to help win the
people who are against them over to
your side…
EX: If you don’t accept school uniforms
then kids will only care about what is
on the outside and not what is on the
inside.
ANTI-SCHOOL UNIFORMS
If your audience is against school
uniforms then you will know to use
Slanters/fallacies to help win the people
who are for them over to your side…
EX: If you make us wear school uniforms
then we will loose our sense of identity
and we will all be like ants following the
leader.
Which fallacy is this an example of?
I had been doing pretty poorly this
season. Then my girlfriend gave me
yellow shoe laces for my running
shoes and I won my next three races.
Those laces must be good luck...if I
keep on wearing them I can't help but
win!
Exit Pass
Choose one of the types of fallacies we’ve studied today and
write an original example in response to the following
debatable topic:
“Hawaii’s oceans are over-fished. It is vital that we set up
regulations allowing for “commercial fishermen” ONLY, to
be able to fish, in order to supply tourists with meals and
keep our economy booming.”