Chapter 6 Question 2

I have not been presented with a situation that exactly matches this question (in the sense of loosing a friend or a job), but I can try to come close. Growing up I had a couple babysit me on occasion named Dan and Vince. By the names you most likely guessed that they were a gay couple. They have become close family friends and are some of the most genuine people I have ever met. Some people do not feel this way however. I have heard people speak of homosexual families as unnatural and have even heard it called “evil”. In most cases I would not choose to be in conflict on this subject because it is close to me as I consider these men my family. However, I have had to stand my ground when people have tried to verbally hurt them by using foul language about their personal lives. My critical thinking skills to combat this hate would be to be calm, speak in a way that showed the flaws in their arguments that these people were not “bad” people, and to then give them a conclusion that was logical and not based in hate or anger. Although on this topic there is little hope for agreement, there is hope for constructive communication.

Chapter 6 Question 1

In the book, it is discussed that President Barack Obama supports civil unions yet opposes legalizing same-sex marriage on a federal level. This position is not consistent with his push for equal rights for all people, including those who are not in “traditional” couples. If President Obama was consistent with giving equal rights to all, it would not matter the gender of the people involved in a couple, they would be allowed to get married just the same as heterosexual couples. As it is disappointing that his opinions seem to contradict each other, it is not surprising as that is how the game of politics goes.

I believe that especially with recent news, President Obama would most likely agree with Nava and Dawidoff’s arguments however, that is not how being in government works. President Obama has spoken out recently to support the passing of laws that support gay marriage but, since it is campaigning time, it is not surprising that those opinions have been hushed rather quickly.

Introduction

Hello everyone, my name is Fasha Maher. I am a 4th year student here at SJSU and I am currently going for a business marketing degree. I live over on the Half Moon Bay coast where I also am a teacher at a preschool. So far in my studies at SJSU I have taken 2 communication classes. The most recent communication course I took really gave me insight on my own writing style and being a confident writer. I really hope I am able to polish my skills in writing clearly and concisely, have the ability to dissect other peoples writing, and mostly just be able to have a better understanding in how people communicate. I hope everyone has a great semester!