In the two essays Don't Blame TV by Jeff Greenfield and Who Us? Stop Blaming Kids and TV by Mike Males, both authors defend the theory that television has little impact on today's youth and that other significant factors are responsible for negative changes in society. Although the arguments may seem similar, there are many differences in how the authors attempt to defend their points, making one more effective than the other. In any well written argumentative essay there must be a clear thesis, good supporting examples, some objections along with any rebuttals, the writing should be focused with a natural flow. First, the thesis of Greenfield's essay is quite broad and is not explicitly stated so that the reader can understand the argument. In his thesis he states that TV has been blamed for the decline in school test scores, for the increase in crime, for the decrease in voter turnout, for the growth of premarital and extramarital relationships, for the alleged collapse of life family and the increase in the divorce rate (1). Later in the essay he gets to his real thesis with a Latin phrase describing false causality: post hoc, ergo propter hoc (1). In other words, it is incorrect to conclude that because these changes in society followed the increased use of television, television must be the cause. This thesis is what he tries to support in his essay, but it is naive to assume that the increase in television and the increase in society's problems are merely coincidental. On the other hand, Males makes his thesis very simple and clear in the first line of his essay by quoting James Baldwin: “Children have never been very good at listening to elders, but they have never failed to imitate them” (qtd. in Males 1 ). In this regard... halfway through the document... the direct violence and its rejection of sex are less evident. The lack of evidence in Greenfield's essay is also a major contributor to its overall failure. For these reasons I should choose Mike Males' essay for its clear and simple thesis, examples with supporting facts, comparison of opposing points of view, general focus, and continuity. Works Cited Greenfield, Jeff. “Don't Blame the TV” Contemporary Reader International Association of Chiefs of Police “Recommendations from the 1997 IACP Summit” theiacp.org (1997) Web. (April 12, 2011)Maschi, Mike. “Who us? Stop Blaming Kids and TV - For Crime and Substance Abuse” Progressive October 1997 Nagourney, Eric. “Behavior: TV in Child's Room Sets Off Academic Alarm” New York Times (2005) Web. April 12, 2011 Shapiro, Jeremy F. “Sex and Television: The Impact on Our Children” Daily Strength (November 2008) Web. April 12. 2011