Critical Reading- yankeeskid6

“Is PTSD Contagious?”

 “Even when everyone’s in the family room watching TV, it’s only connected to Netflix and not to cable, since news is often a trigger”

-The claim the other seems to make in this statement is that the everyday news plays a role into triggering someone with PTSD to react negatively. In the same sentence the author presents a claim on news itself saying that since its a trigger it must hold some factors that cause PTSD; things such as violence, loud noises or sadness overall.

“She has not, unlike military wives she advises, ever been beat up.”

• The author as well as Brannan make a claim in this statement that isn’t backed up by any statistics and is purely a personal claim. They are in a way stating that ALL military wives are victims to personal violence with their husbands. Nothing is here to back up this claim and is purely untrue.

“You can’t see Caleb’s other wound, either. It’s called traumatic brain injury, or TBI, from multiple concussions.”

• The author presents us with information about Caleb’s state of mind but in that action expresses a claim that backfires on her original claim that is presented in the beginning of the article. Her claim is that Caleb has two issues 1. PTSD but not just that, but 2. TBI as well. She further explains that for years he didn’t know he had a brain injury. This is a claim that PTSD isn’t the only reason for his behaviors and that maybe all along TBI is the real cause.

“Holocaust survivors “had more resources and networks, wider family members and community to support them to adapt to their new circumstances after a war.” They were not, in other words, expected to man up and get over it.”

• The claim presented is pretty simple. The author claims Holocaust survivors had an easier time after coping with what they just want through. The authors claims they weren’t expected of anything which in turn claims our soldiers today are expected of something. She categorizes what a support system looks like with things such as community, wider families and resources. This claim can be statistically proven wrong considering many more Jews were MURDERED (didn’t die in battle) and that they had no choice in being there. Their trauma would have been way worse. Also, no one expects our soldiers to just come home and forget about.

“Caleb alone, just in disability checks, not even including any of his treatment or his numerous prescriptions, will cost the VA $1.7 million if he lives until he’s 80.”

• I like this claim because of the word “cost” when something costs a certain amount its usually an item of value just like Calebs life is. However, this claim is saying that Caleb is an inconvenience financially to the VA until he is 80. The word “cost” usually gives off a bad vibe something that makes you say “I don’t want to buy it but its essential so I guess I will.”

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