The argument culture

by Deborah Tannen

The author examines the way we communicate in public--in the media, in politics, in our courtrooms, and classrooms -- once again letting us see in a new way forces that have powerfully shaped our lives. The war on drugs, the battle of the sexes, political turf combat -- in the argument culture, war metaphors pervade our talk and influence our thinking. We approach anything we need to accomplish as a fight between two opposing sides. In this book, she shows how deeply entrenched this cultural tendency is, the forms it takes, and how it affects us every day -- sometimes in useful ways, but often causing damage.