At the beginning of O’Malley’s article, “We shouldn’t blindly support independence for Catalonia-here’s why”, O’Malley states that the scenes from Catalonia during the independence vote were “undeniably horrifying” and “Seeing…the Spanish state seize ballot boxes was an ugly sight” (O’Malley, James). These emotionally-loaded words suggest that the writer is trying to appeal to the reader’s emotions in an attempt to make them feel a certain way, in turn weakening his argument. Soon after that statement, he claims that “Following the awful scenes, everyone, it appeared, supported independence” (O’Malley, James). Here, O’Malley makes a bold generalization that everyone in Catalonia supported independence directly after the event, which is another …show more content…
flaw in his argument. O’Malley’s main argument in his article discusses an idea known as the “border taboo”, which is described as the borders of a region being remade to include, or exclude, territories (O’Malley, James). He claims that if Spain decides to exclude Catalonia, it could be consequential. In his first example, he states “Since the end of World War II, there has been a taboo on redrawing Europe’s borders for obvious reasons: nobody wants to go back to a continent plagued by disputes about where the lines should be drawn” (O’Malley, James). O’Malley uses this example to attempt to support his claim that Catalonia’s situation could be severe since other areas of the world are experiencing similar circumstances, which is a slippery slope argument. This is far from being the only instance where he has done this. The majority of his article details him recalling events from other areas of the world, such as Northern Ireland not having a universally supported secessionist movement, and stating bold claims including one region declaring independence will lead to other movements (O’Malley, James), attempting to persuade the reader into believing that solely because it occurs in one region, then it must happen in another, which is false. His appeal to emotions, generalizations and slippery-slope fallacies create a very weak argument in the end. Another view among those debating this issue is that Catalonia’s secession will primarily yield more negative consequences than advantages.
One advocate of this view is Daniel Lacalle. He is a frequent contributor to such media as CNBC, Hedgeye, Wall Street Journal, El Español, A3 Media and 13TV. He has an international certificate of investment analyst CIIA and has a master's degree in Economic Research and IESE. In the article by Daniel Lacalle, “Catalonia Independence is Bad Business”, he has a firm stance towards the secession being negative and discusses the economical issues that may arise. Near the start of the article, he refers to the argument made by Catalan separatists and I took notice of him claiming “The economic figures show that Catalonia is suffering…from a bloated administration and unnecessary spending” (Lacalle, Daniel). Despite him stating that evidence supports the idea that Catalonia is suffering from a financial crisis, he does not list the actual proof by his claim or state where this evidence has come from, causing one to question the validity of the assertions that he makes. Another weakness of his argument appears when he interprets the words spoken by the Catalan government in a negative and one-sided way. As stated by them, “there would be no disruption for the financial community in the eventual scenario that Catalonia would become Independent as the Spanish Treasury would be the main creditor” (Lacalle, Daniel). Lacalle describes this statement as being read “…negatively any way one wants to look at it” (Lacalle, Daniel). By saying this, Lacalle disregards other viewpoints or interpretations of the statement, evoking a sense of close mindedness, weakening his argument. On the other hand, Lacalle’s article also has multiple strengths. For one, he has contributed towards multiple media outlets, suggesting that he has high credibility, and has graduated with a master’s degree in Economic Research, indicating that he is qualified to
discuss the economic situation of Catalonia. Additionally, Lacalle utilizes statistics throughout most of his article. For example, when arguing that Catalonia should not risk being independent, he sheds light on the fact that 640,000 people there are unemployed and it has 20% of GDP (Lacalle, Daniel), further strengthening his argument that the risk will not be worth it. Overall, while he does lack the use of evidence in some areas where it could be very beneficial and somewhat disregards other viewpoints, his high credibility and experience along with his facts used to back up his claims in most instances create a convincing argument for his side. Prior to conducting research on this particular topic, I had very little background knowledge on what was occurring in Catalonia and why it is such a controversial issue. Multiple times throughout the years, I would hear about Catalonia through the news, radio and other media outlets but never examined what the situation was. After undergoing extensive research, I have not only discovered what the Catalonia secession is and why it’s so important, but I have also analyzed and critically examined the arguments of highly credible people throughout the world who each have their own stance on the issue. Each argument made by the authors had their fair share of pros and cons, such as James O’Mally utilizing pathos to attempt to persuade the reader to his side and Rafa Perez Bel having more background knowledge of Catalonia due to being born there. However, the argument that swayed me the most was the one proposed by Daniel Lacalle who had the perspective that Catalonia seceding from Spain would yield more advantages over disadvantages. I feel this way because not only has he graduated with a degree from multiple institutes proving that he has a great amount of knowledge on the topic being discussed, but he utilized statistics and numerical data to support his claims, in turn leading me to believe his statements more often and conclude that is argument is the most well-structured and supported out of the three that I have analyzed. It is not completely set in stone on whether or not Catalonia departing from Spain will attract more positive or negative outcomes overall. Further research into this topic can prove beneficial as experts and analysts can effectively determine the outcomes and ensure that Catalonia prospers in the challenges ahead.
Martinez’s logic is established throughout the article. She appeals to the reader’s sense of self and indignation. Most of us do not like to be talked down to. She persuades the reader to think about what it would feel like to
In conclusion, without struggle and without sacrifice this country would not have gained the independence and prove that united we stand and divide we fall. Thomas Paine quite elegantly put it “however strange it may appear to some, or however unwilling they may be to think so, matters not, but many strong and striking reasons may be given to shew, that nothing can settle our affairs so expeditiously as an open and determined declaration of independence” (Paine 111).
Formisano is persuasive in his arguments that the Boston anti-busing movement was a led by “grass-root insurgents” from the dominate Irish-Catholic working-class neighborhoods in South Boston. These protesters felt that their tight knit existence was being threatened by the rich, suburban liberals whose children were not effected by the enforcement of the busing.
The Colonists are tired of the mistreatment and they are effectively severing all “Allegiance to the British Crown, and. . . political connection” (para. 23). The audience of The Declaration of Independence, the world, is specifically addressed twice. His opening paragraph introduces the context for the Declaration.
... that other republics felt to the need to be the same so that they did not become disadvantaged. Exaggeration was an integral part of the huge amounts of propaganda being beamed at the common people, all in an attempt to imbue them with the nationalist ideologies (Rogel 45). The Serb death count at Jasenovac was a wildly varying number, grossly overinflated by the Serbs and downplayed by the Croats. The Serbs even asserted that the Bosnia was just an administrative creation of Tito, designed to thwart the rights of the Serbs (Rogel 43). The Croats countered that the whole Yugoslav system under the communists had been run for the benefit of the Serbs, and Croatia had borne the economic brunt of it. All of this propaganda was disseminated in order to make the common get people feeling anxious enough that they felt it was necessary to take up arms to defend themselves.
This case came to be yet another symbol of the agitation between the two halves of the nation. The mere impact of the case of one man’s legal fight to obtain his freedom was felt everywhere. Dred Sco...
There exists an ever-looming threat of Quebec secession, as the province pushes for greater autonomy, recognition as a distinct nation within Canada, and greater representation on the federal level. The federal government’s relationship with Quebec is one that exhibits the “paradox of federalism” as described by Lawrence Anderson in ‘Both Too Much and Too Little: Sources of Federal Instability in Canada’, the simple truth that in federations “federal institutions can prevent secession by satisfying some of the institutional demands of those who might desire more significant decentralization but they also provide institutions to those that might be in conflict with the center that can be used to mobilize for alteration…” He argues that the government of Quebec, due to it’s focus on autonomy and protection of identity, would be the province best equipped to secede with “minimal disruption”. In this, a shortcoming of strong regional autonomies in federations is made apparent: in attempts to accommodate diversity the nationalist regions are granted the institutional framework for secession. A push in the reverse, towards less regional autonomy may have similar results, however. As the federal government moves towards centralization to avoid this paradox, they are perceived as invalidating the terms of the federation, and nationalistic pushes for autonomy still
George Orwell, noted writer and journalist, arrived in Barcelona, Spain in late 1936 to cover the fight against fascism. Being an avid fan of socialism, he was amazed to see the small glimpse of socialism in action. He was intrigued to say the least, of the classless society he observed there. Barcelona, Spain at this time was held under Anarchist control, and as such most of the old class society rituals were abandoned: tipping, titles, and the old divisions between rich and poor were practically gone. Everyone was equal in this new society, and most of the rich aristocrats had either fled or went into hiding. This being the truest form of socialism and brotherhood Orwell had ever before witnessed he put down his pen and took up arms. Homage to Catalonia, which Orwell later wrote after fleeing to France in 1937, gives his account as a militiaman in the P.O.U.M (Partido Obrero de Unificacion Marxista) Militia, which roughly translates to the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification. At the time this was one of the many anti-fascist factions in Spain, later he remarks joining P.O.U.M with ignorant bliss of what the difference was between any of them.
Glusing, Jens. "Venezuela President Maduro Faces Economic Distress and Protests." SPIEGEL ONLINE. Der Spiegel, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
... “insane and ludicrous farce.” Very few members of the press supported the cause, but the resolution happened anyway.
Latin American Independence was the drive for independence from Spain and France by the Latin American people. There were many contributing factors that ultimately led to the uprising of Latin American colonies. Europe's strong hold on the economic and political life of Latin America, was creating friction between the Latin Colonies and the European nations. Eventually, this would become enough for the Latin American people and the drive for independence from France and Spain would begin.
Vincent, Mary. Constitutionalism and Civil War 1812-1974. Cultural Atlas of Spain and Portugal. Oxfordshire: Andromela Oxford Limited, 1994. 152-61. Print.
Free trade nationalism is propelled by globalization as a mean towards economic and political sovereignty. However, this type of nationalism may work against the secessionists as it may give further power to the Canadian federation (Hamilton, 2004). Finally, left –wing nationalism is a composite of democracy and liberalism. Quebec Solidaire is a prime example that embraces diversity, independence, and openness. Built –in electoral obstacles may impede the party’s success; hence, retain status quo (Fidler, 2012).
The essay “States” is a great piece of literature that tries to convey a message important to society. Although, at first, it seemed as if analyzing this piece would be an easy job it was not easy at all. One has to read within and against the grain to understand Said. That is why I would like to thank Prof. Griffin, and my classmates Mariia and Fan for giving me their different insights on Said.
On Monday, October 30th, 1995, citizens of Canada’s largest province gathered to settle an issue which had been plaguing Canada for many years. The province of Quebec, the only French majority province in Canada, held a referendum, which is a public vote on any matter, concerning the issue of sovereignty. This issue has been a recurring theme over the years, since Réné Lévesque initiated the Parti Quebecois (PQ) in 1968. The Parti Quebecois is the backbone of the Quebec separatist movement, it is the most prominent political party in Quebec which reveals the imminent possibility of a Canada without Quebec. In spite of the power of numbers which is supposedly working in Quebec’s favour regarding separation, Quebec’s desire to separate from Canada is simply a show of bravado without substance. Quebec cannot feasibly separate from Canada because the basis of the proposed separation through the referendum, is very ambiguous, furthermore, Quebec is not economically self-sufficient and ultimately, the presence of the large amount of ‘Non’ voters further prevents this fantastical notion of separation from becoming a reality.