Friday, September 3

Discussion Question #1: Subjective and Objective Claims

1). Use an example from outside of the classroom. Discuss Subjective and Objective Claims. Give an example of a Subjective Claim you have heard or used recently AND give an example of an Objective Claim you have heard or used recently. Describe the situation. Describe the claims IN DETAIL

About a month ago I was in a beauty salon getting my hair cut. As usual there were several conversations between the hairdressers and their clients within earshot. One client was being counseled by her hairdresser regarding ‘hair maintenance’. The hairdresser indicated, that in her opinion, “people should wash their hair every other day”. I could see from the look on her client’s face that she did not share the same view and I had to second the client’s opinion.

This hairdresser’s claim was subjective. The hairdresser did not appear to be persuading the client of her personal view, but merely voicing her opinion. Her statement could neither be proven wrong or right, because it was based on her personal preference, experience, and expression of beliefs.

Another statement I heard in the same salon, but on a previous visit was that, “after receiving a perm, you should not shampoo your hair for at least 24 hours to maximize the strength and duration of the curl”. This objective statement was not based on personal view, but on the standards set by the industry. The statement provides specific data to increase a successful result and the results of the statement can also be measured to substantiate the claim.

Both subjective and objective claims are used to convey the position of speaker; however the objective claim can be supported by widely recognized criteria, concrete methods, or viable evidence. An subjective claim on the other hand, is a statement made based on the feelings of the speaker and cannot be established as true or false.

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