The Argument

I have had many instances in my life where I was treated like a helpless child. The because I said so argument coming from a respected adult honestly makes you feel like you are a worthless helpless ignorant child that should listen to your parents even if they are wrong. An authority figure should treat a child with respect and if they so happen to be wrong well it can prove how the child can learn debating and arguments and the truth. But this story is not all about me, no, on the contrary, it is about someone else.

My name is Margaret Morin. My friends called me Mags or Margie or even Maggie. Today at school, my classmates and I were given the gift of research. A research project on an assigned topic where we had to take a pro or constate.

I was sitting at the front of the classroom, watching my teacher who had dressed in a worn floral print dress, as the summer heat beat against the glass. Our fan had recently broken so we were all sweating like no tomorrow. You could smell the BO in the room. It was not a wonderful time as also our windows were broken, so we couldn't open them to let some fresh air in.

My teacher, Miss Wrinkles, her actual name, was fanning herself as she smiled at us, changing her disposition. She stopped fanning herself long enough to start handing out a stack of papers.

"What I am passing out to you guys is a research project. You have been assigned at random to debate and research a chosen prompt topic against another classmate." She said as I was handed the packet. 

I looked through it when my jaw dropped. I was paired with none other than the dumbest sack of rocks to find, Karen Quentin. She couldn't tell you the difference between a cat or a dog.

I was not pleased as I read the rest of the assignment. We had to prepare both arguments essentially as our argument, and addressing the counterargument, with a dignified speech on why your claim is accurate.

I knew I was a shoo-in to beat her but I would at least try to sit down with her. I walked over to where she was sitting as she rolled her eyes at me slowly stopping talking to her friend that was sat next to her.

"Hello Margaret, didn't think you would come over," Karen replied sarcastically as I rolled my eyes at her.

"We need a good grade Karen, so either listen or work with me. But we have to debate both our argument and the counterargument. Did you read the topic that was chosen for us, or did you just go straight to talking?" I said definitively angered that I was teamed up with her. 

"I'll just let you do all of the work like I always do." She grinned going back to her conversation with the other shrimp of the class. 

"That's not how it works, if you read it, it is due next Monday, we have a week to make our case about ' Healthcare should be universal, meaning available to all people'," I added showing her the paper as she waved me off making me stand there uncomfortably.

"So like just write the paper and I will add my name to it, gosh." She chided despicably as I started to walk to my seat, defeated that I was paired up with an utter moron.

Miss Wrinkles walked over to us with a smile. She winked at me as she had me sit back down. I started to get to work as I heard her reprimand Karen, she needed to do the work or she would not be able to take credit and will get a 0 on a 150 point project, which is a lot?

Universal health care was a hot topic, so I chose to support it which I knew Karen would just ride the fence as she did on all of our assignments. Somehow she got into APUSH or AP US History with her lack of motivation or determination. 

Miss Wrinkles looked at the clock as she started to write down some stuff on the board for us to use with our assignment.

"This assignment is complex. The elephant in the room you did not choose your topics. But this project will teach you how to debate, research and apply your resources into an essay format. The topic must be interesting, have the potential of an argument, and the availability of data. So for example say I was debating the importance of informed consent. I need to find data and apply it to my debate by iterating and creating a graph on informed consent cases, comparing it to cases that had improper use of informed consent. To prepare for your debate, you need to research and find 2 resources that support your argument and two resources that go against your argument. Citing your work is vital to research and debate. You must read your evidence, take notes, and discuss it with your teammate. You also need to prepare your counterargument. As a class, we will take notes and decide which argument won. You all are dismissed." She added as we started to pack up getting ready for the weekend.

This was my last class of the day as the bell rang. I smiled nodding to Miss Wrinkle as I headed home to get started on the project, the rest of my homework already done for the day.

I ran home, my home on the other side of the school as I put the key in the lock and turned. 

My family being stubborn had decided to be as close to the school as possible so they didn't have to pay the bus fees again. I walked in, smiled at my husky dog, churro, and sat down at the desktop computer after making myself a snack, peanut butter, celery, and raisins the ultimate pass time.

I got to work, popping in an earbud, and started to type up my thesis. We had to create an essay on our research topic, mine being on why universal health care should be implemented across the globe or internationally. I took the high road and decided to discuss the argument of why we need universal health care and its benefits. I was posing a strong argument by the end of my type-up. I knew that Karen would wait till the last minute to create her argument so I took notes and created a presentation since I had some free time. I got into it as my weekend was surrounded by this project.

The big day came, last period with my presentation ready to be presented. I wrote down notes of others presentations, us ultimately voting that the fast food industry should be shut down, birth control should be offered for free in schools, the state standardized tests should be abolished, homework should be banned, vaccinations should be required, and vaping should be banned, a few people argued the last one.

When it got to mine and Karen's turn, not once Karen had sat with me to look at the presentation or work with me so she could counterpoint my argument. I went first as Karen rolled her eyes, filing her nails and painting them, not caring about my presentation. I went up front, cleared my throat, and smiled at the crowd. 

They all smiled back as I displayed my argument. 

"Universal health care is vital for global and national processes. With universal health care, hospitals can offer better care for their patients, the homeless can receive the care they deserve, and the greed of the medical industry can be deferred. Health care costs are pricy and with universal health care, health care costs can be costly for medical facilities, the provider, the patients, and even big pharma companies. This can also help lower administrative costs and create a universal cost for health care within hospitals and insurance companies. Universal health care can impose healthier policies and regulations that can help communities and drive out the drugs and alcohol epidemics that drive the streets. It can even help to build a better workforce and keep physicians and facilities engaged with their patients. Now the counterargument might argue that universal health care causes cost-cutting procedures, health care costs are a significant portion of the government's budget, and healthy people pay for others medical care or continuation of care. Well, that could be a case for universal health care but universal health care is needed to prevent future social costs that might affect our future children and families. Universal health care can help drive for better procedures and health care regimes at hospitals and a change to patient care, patient management, and even improve the hefty costs insurance companies in other countries, like our own cause." I grasped as Miss Wrinkle nodded to me after she finished asking questions to me and asking about my citations. 

Karen was up next with a look of deer in the headlights as she realized she did nothing for the project, feeling that it was a one-person job when in fact it was a two-person job. 

Miss Wrinkle asked for her essay as she slowly handed over a blank piece of paper. Miss. Wrinkle sighed as she shook her head handing it back.

"Did you do any of the work," Miss Wrinkles asked flummoxed by her display of lack of cooperation or intentions of doing the hefty weighted project. 

"Uhm, well I can argue it. I can argue the universal health care thing." She said proudly of herself. 

I hid my laugh at her as half of the points were the presentation and essay, if she read the project she would have known that. She probably was partying with Ben, a rowdy boy in the grade ahead of us who was known as the partier of his grade. 

She slowly went to the front of the room as she smiled at everyone and glaring at me, specifically. 

"Universal health care is so great." Karen started as Miss Wrinkles cut her off.

I hid my laughter as a cough. Karen was trying so hard but failing so miserably. She honestly deserves it. If you don't do the work, then you won't exactly know what you are talking about even if you have the fake-it-till-you-make-it strategy. 

"You are supposed to be the opposite of how it is not great, Miss Quentin." Miss Wrinkle said as she wrote some notes on her grading sheet.

"Oh right, right, completely forgot." She stopped staring off at the teacher who was just facepalming. She cleared her throat again and started back up. "Universal health care is so bad. We should not get it. Universal health care details how it lowers costs. But it does not, like not at all. There are long wait times with universal health care and the government might limit some services that will not be available to everyone. And-." She was saying as Miss Wrinkle cut her off again.

"Okay, okay Miss Quentin can you tell me your resources at all or how universal health care could impact your counterargument." Miss Wrinkle sighed shaking her head at Karen's account on universal health care.

Somehow she did bring up some great points but her temperament lacks research and dedication within her argument. 

"Uhm well obviously universal health care might lower costs but how can it lower costs if not everyone pays the same thing. I mean look at our health care system health care costs would not standardize the care that patients need, and look at how universal health care affects other regions." Karen said happily smiling at herself. 

"Okay miss Quentin, how is your argument better than Miss Morin's argument?" Miss Wrinkle said as her eyes bulged at what Karen replied with.

"Because I said so, obviously that is how it is," Karen replied stupidly. 

"Miss Quentin, thank you, sit down." Miss Wrinkle replied with, annoyed I might add as she read off another person's name who slowly passed Karen without a hint of knowledge to her.

She sulked back to her seat as Miss Wrinkles called up another student after the other one made his argument on how conservation of energy can help mother earth. 

This went on for a while as I took notes waiting for the bell to ring. It was a great feeling to see Karen sulk in her chair, knowing she did not care how this assignment went for her.

The bell finally rang with our classmate proposing their argument to the class.

A week or so later, the results were in I got 155 points out of 150, an A+ or a 103.33% grade which was an amazing feeling. I heard from the ladder that Karen got 57 points out of 150 points which was in itself impressive after Miss Wrinkles got so annoyed by her temperament. This meant that Karen only got a 38% grade or an F in the class.