One situation where I have used rhetoric to accomplish something

I’m not a very argumentative guy, but last Thanksgiving I was put on edge by some of the ignorance displayed by some of my cousins. I’m sure there are larger or more important instances in my life when I have used rhetoric to accomplish something, but this one stands out in my memory. It was Thanksgiving dinner at my Aunt Kathy’s house in little Greensburg, Indiana, and we were all munching on our food talking about the upcoming Pacers vs. Bulls game. Then, out of the blue, I’m not sure how it came up, the discussion of which team has a better center came up. All of my cousins, Pacers fans obviously, thought Roy Hibbert was the superior center rather than Joakim Noah. But, like a normal person I thought Joakim Noah was better. Although I am a Bulls fan, I’m also an avid NBA fan who will watch just about any game on TV, whereas my cousins mostly just watch the Pacers, taking away a lot of credibility I give them. Watching nobody else other than the Pacers, any ethos appeal they have is at a minimum. They are much too biased. But, that’s not where the use of rhetoric ends. You still have to hear them out. They said that they thought Roy Hibbert is the best defensive center in the NBA. This could be true, although to most it’s definitely not. Joakim Noah did win defensive player of the year this year, but it’s whatever I guess. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Defensively, both centers are phenomenal, and offensively both are decent. But, when you look at the logos (ie. Player Efficiency Ratings, deemed as the most accurate way to tell how good a player is on the court) the statistics just aren’t even close. The average NBA player is supposed to score a 15 PER. According to ESPN, Joakim Noah registered a 19.91, and Hibbert registered a 13.31 during the regular season. This doesn’t even include when Hibbert choked in the playoffs and Joakim Noah shined. During the playoffs Hibbert registered a 0.8 PER compared to Noah’s 23.2 in the playoffs. The evidence is there. Joakim Noah is the better center, and the use of rhetoric helped me prove my point.