Computer and Web Articles

My suggestion today is born from my curiosity in the recent debate on the possible banning of pit bulls in Summit County. I’ve been reading letters to the editor in the Summit Daily with interest, only to feel disappointed as I discovered many people backing up their opinions with vague generalizations and assumptions.

My suggestion reaches far beyond the boundaries of the pit-bull controversy, though, and into the world of educated debate and discussion. Opinion is best shared with others when there is more than just a “hunch” behind it, more than just one TV news story watched, more than just one friend’s anecdote listened to.

Today, I used the internet as a research tool in educating myself about pit bulls. After all, how could I, in good conscience, hold an opinion on the debate without first learning the facts?

I ended up reading on the topic for over an hour, extraordinarily surprised to find the massive amount of evidence that pit bulls are often misclassified, that their innate nature toward humans is loving, that other breeds have far higher rates of (often fatal) attacks on people across the nation, and that the majority of bad press against pit bulls comes from … the press (yet is all too often factually incorrect).

My suggestion today is this: I urge you to use the internet as one of your tools while conducting at least a small bit of research on topics important to you - especially if you plan to persuade others of your beliefs.

As with all sources that provide a wealth of information, attempt to learn both sides of the story and separate credible sources from opinions based solely on simple feelings or guesses.

Now, let me be the first to acknowledge that most of us don’t have the time to sit around doing research all day on various issues of interest.

Yet for someone attempting to persuade others of his/her opinions, facts and truths - as opposed to generalizations and hunches - it is absolutely necessary.

If you have any interest in learning more about pit bulls and their place in the media these days, I encourage you to try your own internet searches.

Here are a few informative sites I found while conducting my own search: www.understand-a-bull.com; www.realpitbull.com/myths.html; and www.badrap.org.