The Argument in "Combating 'Fine'"

 Here is the link to the argument I am referencing: http://theprojectheal.org/combating-fine/

        An argument that I found very convincing is from a post on the blog of a nonprofit organization called Project HEAL. This specific post was written by an internal medicine doctor named Jennifer L. Gaudiani. In her post, which is titled, “Combating ‘Fine,’” she argues that individuals with eating disorders are never actually fine even when they believe they are. People dealing with eating disorders often claim and even believe they are fine, but Dr. Gaudiani asserts that this is just a lie that eating disorders are telling these individuals. Furthermore, she argues that believing this lie only keeps people sick. Clearly, this argument isn’t aimed at the general public who aren’t familiar with eating disorders; it is specifically directed at people struggling with eating disorders or those involved in the lives of those with eating disorders. 

These arguments were convincing, because they contained ethos and pathos. Dr. Gaudiani earned ethos for her arguments prior to the post, during the post, and after the post. Her impressive credentials are listed at the top of the page: “by Jennifer L. Gaudiani, MD, CEDS, Founder & Medical Director of the Gaudiani Clinic.” Right away, I knew she would someone I could trust to have real knowledge about eating disorders. In the middle of the post, she states how long she has been working with eating disorders, and after the post, there is a small paragraph that expands upon her credentials. So, she definitely met the good sense requirement for having ethos. All of her credentials also show that she has good moral character and goodwill, because she has clearly spent a lot of time trying to help those with eating disorders.  Additionally, the compassionate tone she uses in her post also shows her good moral character and goodwill. Her use of pathos is slightly more subtle. I think her last paragraph best exemplifies what I mean by that. She wrote: “If you have an eating disorder, no matter what shape or size you are, no matter what your blood work says, you are not fine. The more you fight the eating disorder’s attempts to convince you you’re fine, the sooner you can move back towards the things in life you truly care about, and return to being a whole you.” Understanding eating disorders as I do, I can tell you that this would be a very emotionally charged statement to read if you had an eating disorder. True, it probably wouldn’t appeal emotionally to someone who didn’t know about or have an eating disorder, but this argument isn’t aimed at those people. So, yes, her use of pathos is subtle and pointed at a specific audience, but it’s definitely there. Dr. Gaudiani didn’t really use logos, but I don’t think she needed to use in this post. If she had written this article for people who didn’t know about eating disorders, she probably would have needed facts. But the majority of people who know about eating disorders already know the facts. What Dr. Gaudiani knew was that often the facts actually aren't very convincing to those struggling with eating disorders.