OK, so when I first saw the words "play The Devil's Advocate" I couldn't help but think of the movie with Al Pacino. Call me a victim of multimedia, but it's just the first thing that popped into my mind, especially his monologue at the end of the film. This wasn't exactly a bad thing though. His character mentions "setting the rules in opposition". Opposition is the keyword here.
I tried to think what I could write about with this in mind and take the other side. In regards to the FDNY, I still can't narrow something down. Sure, I could talk about the so called rivalry between the FDNY and NYPD and all that, but honestly, that's a subject I don't want to touch upon. Not only do I not have all the facts, but I also have too much respect for both departments to be unbiased in my response. So I'm taking a break from that for today. However, there's another rivalry that I feel I'm more qualified to talk about at the moment: Skiers vs. Snowboarders. So, let the 500 words of opposition begin...
I've been a skier ever since I was five years old (twenty-three now). I've been to slopes located both domestically and internationally. And it never fails that with each mountain I go to, there's always trouble with at least one group of boarders. Last March was the turning point for me. So here's my new outlook on this winter sport: give each group their own section of the mountain with a choice to ride the slopes together if they want. Does that sound harsh? Maybe a little, but here's the reasoning behind it.
The code of the mountain, as well as common sense, dictates that you are to keep a constant eye on your surroundings and the people around you. You never cut people off, you give a wide birth, and you follow the rules as set forth by the powers that be. Plain and simple, right?
Well, there's always a few idiots out there who refuse to do the right thing. My brother Jim and I were skiing in the Canadian Rockies, attempting a trail that is considered ski at your own risk. Being located in avalanche territory, it isn't something you want to joke around with.
The attempt started off badly. In front of us on the lift was a group of four snowboarders. Now, I understand they still need to clip in one of their boots after getting off the lift, but give me a break; there's no reason to stop in the middle of the drop off zone and force people to weave in and out of you. Move out of the way, and don't curse us out for trying to get by.
That was the lift aspect. The best to come was on the trail. Because it was so steep and the cloud cover was thick, Jim and I were taking our time. In the end, it took us about 45 minutes to get down. Of course, the boarders we passed at the lift had an attitude with us decided to follow our every move, following way too close, taunting us, and finally cutting us off.
That last aspect is what really pissed us off. On our right was a huge rock face with a powder base. On our left, a pretty far drop that would warrant at least a broken leg. These four boarders decided to screw with us rather than be safe. Jim and I were forced to bail out next to the rock wall, getting a few scrapes along the way, while the boarders gave us the finger and kept going.
That's the worst experience we've had. There have been minor ones in the past, but this one trumps all. Am I still bitter about it? Yes. Do I think every single boarder is like this? No, but I've been witness to enough idiots on boards to think that they should just have their own separate area on the mountain, unless they really know how to be safe.
End rant. Final word count? 497. I hope I didn't ruffle any feathers with this post. The experiences are real, but the final true thoughts on it aren't as harsh. Remember, just playing the Devil's Advocate here :)
I still enjoy your casual conversational tone very much. You write from your heart in a way that is not pretentious and puts on no airs. Your work gives the impression that you are not hiding behind rhetoric or fancy words. As a reader this makes me feel connected to you.
ReplyDeleteFor your Devil's Advocate piece I question weather you are really playing the Devil's advocate here. It seems like the opinion "snowboarder and skiers need their own sections of the mountain" is one that you subscribe to with passion. In order to play the devil's advocate wouldn't you need to tackle this topic from the other side in opposition to your own feelings? "Snowboarders and skiers all need to be on the same trails and learn to get along"
That's actually really thought provoking yankeechicken. It never occured to me to take that viewpoint. Maybe I'll do a second devils advocate just for fun and see where that takes me.
ReplyDeletePerhaps I'm a victim of my brother's own opinions rubbing off on me - curse of being the younger sibling lol. I wonder if one could argue the presence of sub conscious bias. On the surface I agree that skiers and snowboarders should be on the same trail, yet obviously in writing this maybe my unintentional true colors showed a bit. Be that as it may, it's an interesting outcome to this assignment. Thanks for the feedback!
After reading your post I tried to brain-storm a Devil’s advocate type subject about FDNY. Would a stance against civil service unions be something to write about? It’s a lot easier to make a suggestion than to execute 500 words on the subject… so back to your topic!
ReplyDeleteThe good: This post is conversational and fun and it’s like hearing you tell the story first-hand.
The suggestion: Try going back through your piece to look for extra words and turns of phrase that sounds especially conversational. I get the sense that our professor is pushing us to write using as few words as possible to get the point across (which seems contradictory when we’re also supposed to “write 500 words” to complete an assignment).
Here’s an example:
“That was the lift aspect. The best to come was on the trail. Because it was so steep and the cloud cover was thick, Jim and I were taking our time. In the end, it took us about 45 minutes to get down. Of course, the boarders we passed at the lift had an attitude with us decided to follow our every move, following way too close, taunting us, and finally cutting us off.”
I can picture you telling the story, in-person, exactly as you write the words here. But in reading these words the narration feels disjointed. “That was the lift aspect. The best to come was one the trail. Because it was so steep and the cloud cover was thick, Jim and I were taking our time.” I don’t make a connection in the story with these three sentences. Because of this I don’t feel as pulled along by the narrative.
What I do enjoy though is the energy behind your story. It feels honest. With all of the artifice we have to read day-to-day, honesty is refreshing.
So is this a Devil’s Advocate? I agree with Yankee Chicken. Your assignment is fine, but it sounds like you are proposing what you think may be a radical idea for others. What if you argued for the snowboarder’s point of view? Now that is a radical idea, and a counterargument.
ReplyDeleteWith the Devil’s Advocate assignment, I want to show you the drafting part of writing. I stress editing a lot in this class, but I also want you to explore with writing. Before you start editing, you should do the opposite. You should write freely until you start thinking on paper, possibly saying the wrong thing or something you disagree with or contradicting yourself, in order to figure out what you want to say.
Sometimes we don’t know what we have to say until we start writing it down.
By taking on the snowboarders point-of-view, you might strengthen your own point-of-view or you might start to question it. You might start to ask if there is a solution for both parties. I want you to move past your preconceived notions and start imagining new ones with your writing.
Many of your classmates, writing against their beliefs, give their imagination a jumpstart and start looking for answers they don’t have.
You have a provocative thesis –that mountains should start segregating their ski runs. You state it up front and then argue it with anecdotal evidence. That is the right way to complete a final draft. This is a pretty good essay from that standpoint, though I could use more evidence than your single anecdote.
Sometimes you will not be so sure of your thesis and then you will have to write until you find one. You might not say what you’ve been struggling to say until you write the very last sentence. That is okay. That is part of writing too. You should recognize when you are still formulating your ideas. When you stop formulating, you can grab that perfect sentence as a new and provocative thesis. Then you’ve got yourself an idea.
Good work.