3 August

If you look up images of ‘arguing’, nearly all of them will come back as people shouting at each other. Why are we so afraid of argument, and why do we think it means shouting at each other? In my experience most people are really distressed about the thought of arguing about anything. “Chill” is a common response to people arguing. By not arguing, I would argue (ha) we’re creating a society that we see right now - of complaining about everything, outrage, polarised views etc. Our refusal to argue means tensions get bottled up, and then they explode. Families should all fight and argue. Schools should be places of argument. Facebook and other social places should be too. People have no way to learn how to deal with difficult situations otherwise. To me the number of people emerging with depression is directly linked to this timidity we have around avoiding argument, so that when somebody does have a confrontation, they freak out and become anxious, and then eventually depressed. We’ve forgotten how to argue our differences.