I used to start every year of 10 th grade English with a unit on advertising, as a way to teach kids to think about persuasion. While we’re all aware of ads, we often don’t stop to think about how they convince us to buy a product. What we looked at back then could be useful now, in this time of confusion about what is true and what isn’t. When someone makes an argument, for a cause or an idea, ask yourself: 1. What is being “sold”? In advertising, that’s easy, but in other areas, it’s more difficult to see what you’re being offered. Solutions to a problem? A person or platform to vote for/support? Just as you have to decide whether you really need butt deodorant, you also should think about what politicians, from national to local, are trying to sell you. Right now, in many cases, it’s fear: fear of the unknown, fear of the future, fear of those who are different. 2. Who is making the claim? Knowing a person’s goals and motivation helps us understand why they sa