6 - Argumentative Essay

Names are overrated. Names, titles, and labels all capitalize on people's natural tendency to make assumptions and put the value in what something is called rather than what it is, leading to misinformed individuals and bad decision making. 

Assumptions are the only thing more dangerous than blatant lies, because the blame for misunderstanding falls entirely on you. When people hear a name, they don't hesitate to make connections and assume things before they know them to be true. Arch Manning, the current quarterback for the University of Texas, is known first as Eli and Peyton Maning's nephew, second as his own person. Despite not having seen him actually play, a plethora of reports and sports analysts had claimed he would be a star on the field, a Heisman contender before playing a single snap. Majority of the country expected nearly unprecedented talent because of the name on his jersey, before seeing any concrete proof of his talent. In true Texas fashion they lost to Ohio, but his individual performance was perfectly average at best and subpar at worst. Why should the focus be on his name? One might think the name means he has connections, or a head start compared to his peers, but assumptions like that are part of the problem. This young man's name doesn't throw touchdown passes, nor study film with the coaches. His work ethic and skill will determine how he performs, and as Texas heads into a big game at the Swamp (University of Florida's stadium) maybe fans should stop worrying about how to spell his name, and instead how to better support their program and young QB. Shakespeare, one of the most well renown playwrights, wrote that a rose would still be as sweet called by any other name. The opposite is equally true, and failure to realize that means failure to comprehend the world around you. No matter what you call someone, or something, the value is based in quality. Names make people forget this.

Misinformed individuals make poor decisions. There is no better way to ensure failure than by withholding crucial information. Pretend for a moment you got accepted to two colleges. They're equally far from home, have the same style and size of a campus, but most importantly, you will get the same degree from both. Is one inherently better? What if one costs $7,000 a year, and the other costs $60,000? Most people, who don't have thousands of dollars to throw away, would choose the former, electing to save money. However, if the first was named "Hillsborough Community College" and the other was an Ivy league school, some people would genuinely maul and grieve over the decision, ultimately deciding to spend far more for the same degree. The value of the degree is the same, but because of the title attached one suddenly has significantly more value. This odd cultural phenomenon is everywhere. Two bags of the same material can cost wildly different amounts simply because one has, or lacks, a logo. Gucci made colored pencils a few years ago, at an outrageous price, and people still assumed it was better before purchasing, when the price tag truly came from the name. People will believe the name is worth the price, to say where it's from rather than what it is, but when time passes and names are forgotten will you know what you have? Maybe, maybe not, either way a name is but a poor disguise for the truth. Some will see the curtain, some will see the man behind it, but call both an honors student and people will assume they're geniuses regardless.