Writing Homework Help
West Coast University Vague Ambiguity and Generality Discussion
You need to reply to two peer responses and I have listed them below doesn’t have to be more than 3 sentences for each reply.
Consider the terms as they relate to our textbook reading for this week.
- How are vagueness, ambiguity and generality used in politics or in law in order to achieve a desired outcome?
- What are some examples of how this might be applied in your future career?
- Include an example or two from current events that demonstrates the use of vagueness, ambiguity and generality.
- Feel free to share an article, a screenshot of a social media post, a video, etc.
In addition to your initial post, respond to at least two of your peers’ posts. These responses should be substantive and build upon their thoughts, provide additional examples, ask questions, and extend dialogue ( i already did my initial post all you have to do is respond to these two posts with 3 sentences)
First post:
Vagueness, ambiguity and generality are found throughout politics and law in order but lets first define the difference between them. Vagueness is when a statement is made but there is a lack of certainty for what qualifies. For example in our textbook on page 75, reckless driving was given as an example of vagueness in law in order because the result of reckless driving varies from a ticket to time in jail. Ambiguity is when a sentence can have more than one meaning leading to confusion. An example of ambiguity in the work place could be if your coworker states “I just finished with charting” they could mean they finished charting for one of their patients or they could be finished chart for all of their assigned patients. The claim made by the coworker did not state what charting they completed. Finally generality is when there are a lack of specific details. In a report about the Caldor fire, KCRA news asked South Tahoe Fire Chief Clive Savacool for an updated about the fire to which he responded, “winds Monday afternoon weren’t as bad as expected”. This statement doesn’t provide the reader with a lot of information because there is no baseline given as to what winds were expected. The Chiefs statement did not specify how the winds truly were on that Monday afternoon.
Second post:
Vagueness, ambiguity, and generality are used in politics or law because it allows the person making whatever vague, ambiguous, or general statement the ability to manipulate their listeners. People will hear what they want to hear so by stretching the usage of words, the speaker can affectively change its definition; an example of this could be affordable healthcare. When national healthcare coverage was implemented, many people keyed in on the term “affordable” and thought that whatever they were paying would be less. The consequence of that was sticker shock for many insured’s, including my dental hygienist, whose health insurance more than doubled from about $300 dollars a month for her and husband, to $750 a month. Another example could be if a person says that they’re proud to be …. fill in the blank; proud to be a woman? Proud to be American? Proud to be Black? Proud to be a Marine? What is the association with pride? Is the usage to mean the specific definition of the word “pride” to imply that X is better than Y; or to identify with and show appreciation for that specific community with which the pride is associated? The first can be detrimental and the latter elevating. Here’s a classic I couldn’t resist; “I did not have sex with that woman.” Evidently more specificity was needed for the meaning of sex, which I can totally see how ambiguous or general that word can be. As a nurse, the doctor’s order for a script of medication might be illegible and need a phone call for clarification. A prescription for ibuprofen might be ordered which should list a specific dose. For example, 200 mg twice a day for two weeks so the patient doesn’t end up taking 800mg four times a day for two weeks because that’s what they decided they needed.