Blog 10: Logical Fallacies

Band Wagon:
AT&T uses the saying "Join America's Best Network." This phrase is generally followed by how many customers they currently have. This is trying to say that AT&T already has millions of loyal customers and that there network is obviously the best so since all your friends are here, you should be a customer as well.

False Dilemma:
In an episode of that 70's show entitled Celebration Day, Kelso and Hyde tell Jackie that she has to pick one of them. While contemplating, one of the other characters ask if she doesn't love Kelso, then she must love Hyde. And if she doesn't love Hyde, then she must love Kelso. Comically enough she ends up not picking either because she loves "me" more, but that's a complete other story/problem/fallacy there.


Hasty Generalization:
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-11-2010/fright-club
This clip from the Daily Show is full of hasty generalizations. The main argument is that all Republicans are good at stopping Terrorist because less attack appended while Bush was president, then when Obama was president. They also say that all Democrats are good at fixing the environment because more hurricanes destroyed major cities when Bush was president then when Obama was president.

Blog 9: Logical Fallacies

Slippery Slope:
http://mediamatters.org/mmtv/200905120037
Glenn Beck talks about how if we allow for same sex couples to marry, then we will have to allow for polygamy to happen.

Ad Hominem:
http://youtu.be/anKkX1wvgBw
In this ad by Time Warner Cable they attack DirecTv by saying that they "hate puppies." There love or hate of puppies has nothing to do with their services, but instead attacks their character.

Post Hoc:
In an episode of The Simpsons called Much Apu About Nothing, after an isolated bear attack, the mayor pays for a bear patrol. Homer states that there are no bears because the patrol is working. Lisa then remarks that because she is holding a rock, that rocks must keep tigers away since she doesn't see any tigers. This is post hoc because Homer is assuming that bear patrol equals no bears, not that there are not any bears that reside in Springfield.

Blog 8: Gender

The Dr. Pepper 10 advertisement has drawn controversy since its inception. The product’s catch phrase “It’s Not for Women” has caused many feminist organizations to rant about the obvious stereotyping. But beyond this seemingly blatant stereotyping, there are more gender extremes.

First and foremost in the ad is the use of the saying “It’s Not for Women.” This simple phrase is to the point and is seemingly saying that women are not permitted to use this product. The advertisers are more or less not trying to offend women, but encourage men to drink their soda. The saying is meant to be nothing more than a joke, not a saying of hate towards women. In the television advertisement, the main character calls out women and tells them that they should drink their girly diet sodas and watch romantic movies and leave the rest to the men. Dr. Pepper is not trying to sell their soda to women, they are trying to sell their soda to men and they are appealing to humor by putting down women to appease their audience. Aside from this there are bigger issues going here then the simple offensive statement.

The greatest gender problem in this advertisement is the one against men, not against women. Generally men tend to not drink diet drinks because of the very feminine attitude towards them. In recent times companies like Coke and Pepsi have made their diet drinks like Coke Zero and Pepsi Max have exciting labels and dark color schemes to stay away from the idea that their drinks are girly. Dr. Pepper is doing the same thing with this drink. The can itself is gunmetal grey, which goes along with the television advertisement of the men driving around shooting guns while drinking Dr. Pepper 10. Also the use of the word “bold” makes the drink sound more exciting and less bland. There is an emphasis on the world “bold” to show that the drink has more of a punch to it and that it doesn’t have the bland, boring taste that is generally associated with diet drinks. Furthermore, the use of the text style is very blocky and straightforward. Aside from the standard Dr. Pepper logo, the name of the product “10” and the description of the soda on the can as well as in the advertisement are very blocky and military like. Dr. Pepper is trying to stay away from any type of sweeping text or anything that looks too whimsical or feminine.

In the television advertisement, there is a very buff, military like man running through what looks like a jungle and a war zone. He is wearing heavy gear, but his arms are left exposed to show his buff arms. He is dirty and sweaty and is running around and jumping over things as explosions are going off in the distance. He is doing all sorts of absurd things like punching a snake, jumping over boulders, stopping enemies on motorcycles and jumping off a cliff into a dune buggy. This depiction shows that if you drink Dr. Pepper 10 that you will be just like this man. That somehow this soda will allow you to be as strong as he is. But it also shows that if you don’t drink Dr. Pepper 10 that you are not manly, that you are not any better than the women that drink regular diet soda. This causes a manipulation of the way men should be acting and what they should be drinking. It is causing men to worry about whether or not they are being girly.

Blog 7: Race

Link to article: http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/no-such-place-as-post-racial-america/?ref=race

In Touré’s article “No Such Place as ‘Post Racial’ America” the use of the term “post racial” is reviewed. The author talks about the ways that the term is over used and the implications for the use of the term.

One of the first things he does is use a number of negative terms to describe “post racial.” In the first line of the article he uses “bankrupt” and “meaningless” which cause the audience to have an immediate negative connotation with the term. He also uses metaphors to evoke negative emotions as well. He states that the use of the term “post racial” should be like that of “nails on a chalkboard.” The use of the saying “nails on a chalkboard” not only reminds the audience of the physical pain associated with that noise, but also allows for the general overuse of the saying to be recalled. Following that metaphor, the author makes another metaphorical connection by comparing “post racial” to the Loch Ness Monster. He states that the use of the term is dangerous and can cause harm and ruin a civilization, just as a monster would do.

The racial implications in the article are the author’s use of images and statistics that deal with whites and blacks. Touré starts off by saying that there are less unemployed whites than blacks, which statistically is true. The author then moves away from his statistics and makes his audience feel guilty. He states that race is not a “black issue” but an “everyone issue” and that the whites need to pay attention. He follows this by creating a graphic image of a neighbor’s house burning mixed with that of the burning soul of a neighbor. He says that our neighbors, being the blacks, are metaphorically being burned, and that the whites should not be standing by and watching.

A glaring problem with this article is that the author is trying to make a statement about how racism being gone and that blacks are the victims of racism, yet he refuses to acknowledge any of the numerous other races in the United States. He talks about the blacks metaphorically burning, that they have no jobs and that social practices favor the white. The author has a tinge of racism by not using examples involving Hispanics, Asians or any number of other races. Although this could be the author further showing that racism is not dead because the other races can get lost in the mix with the historical struggle between whites and blacks. 

Blog 6: Political Cartoon Analysis

This political cartoon plays on the ongoing unrest with Wall Street among the American public. At this time many people are participating in the Occupy Wall Street protest which have caused the debate over Wall Street’s participation in the American economy to come to the forefront.

The cartoon depicted above contains elements of indexical signs, substitutions and superimposition. The man, seen as being Wall Street, is an indexical sign for the system of corporations that make up Wall Street. The woman in the cartoon represents the American people. Substitution is used to show the growing unrest with Wall Street. The printing of “Wall Street” on the businessman and the printing of “Bonus” on the moneybag is showing imposition.

The giant businessman has many attributes that represent some of the atrocities that many people have spoken about in regards to Wall Street. The most obvious attribute is his size. He is very tall and fat, especially in comparison to the woman that he is holding. His overall largeness is a representation of how much power Wall Street has been able to obtain. It shows that the corporations, which the businessman ultimately represents, has gotten to the point where they are out of control and unable to be stopped and that they can walk around destroying the smaller business and households around them. His suit and glasses give off the stereotypical image of a corporate businessman. In comparison to the rest of his body, his head is small. This may represent the idea that those that run corporations are not smart or do not have any idea as to the problems that plague the rest of the country.

In contrast with the giant businessman, there is the small woman that he is holding. She is much smaller than him, thus representing the small amount of power that average American households have over corporations. She is also screaming, showing that she is scared or horrified by the image of or by the pain that the giant businessman is inflecting on her. He is holding her like King Kong held Ann Darrow, as if he is searching for her love. With the expression that she is giving off it also appears as though she is be chocked by him, that Wall Street is cutting off average American’s air by putting regulations and causing economic strife. These two images together is ironic because the corporations need the average Americans to continue to survive, yet their need to be dominant is hurting their consumers.

One of the less prominent images in the cartoon is the large footprints placed through the houses. The footprints represent the left over mess from the giant “Wall Street” businessman. The houses are quaint and have the image of a stereotypical American suburb. These houses are destroyed and the giant footprints ruin their manicured lawns. This is symbolic of how the overarching power of Wall Street has hurt the homeowners, seemingly the middle class, of America. This plays on the controversy in the news over Wall Street, which typically represents the top 1% of the population, using their power to control the economy and cause problems for those in the lower 99%.

Other images in the cartoon include the moneybag that the giant businessman has in his jacket pocket. This represents the controversy that arose over corporate heads getting bonuses when they were accepting government bailout money. Another image is the phrase written off to the side that says, “Why don’t you love me?” This is a play on the corporations and Wall Street being detached from the average American household. They are unaware of what is going on with the majority of Americans and they are unwilling to figure out how to help them. They feel that the majority of people should essentially get over whatever problems they have and continue on with their lives, as the corporations have been able to do. 

Woodrow Wilson's "War Message"

The piece that I have chosen for my paper is Woodrow Wilson’s “War Message.” This piece takes place in 1917, during a time in which most of the world was involved in World War I. This speech was given in Congress, as the President requested that the United States declare war against Germany.

“I am not now thinking of the loss of property involved, immense and serious as that is, but only of the wanton and wholesale destruction of the lives of non-combatants, men, women, and children, engaged in pursuits which have always, even in the darkest periods of modern history, been deemed innocent and legitimate. Property can be paid for; the lives of the peaceful and innocent people cannot be.”

In this quote Wilson is make an appeal to pathos by showing the German submarines as cruel and unruly. He begins by showing that property is important, but that human life is of greater importance. He uses the line “even in the darkest periods of modern history” to create an even greater effect because it shows that the Germans are more barbaric than anyone previously. The use of words like “peaceful” and “innocent” allow the audience to think of these people as being helpless and good, and that the acts that are being performed against them are truly horrible.

“We have no quarrel with the German people. We have no feelings towards them but one of sympathy and friendship. It was not upon their impulse that their government acted in entering this war. It was not with their previous knowledge or approval. It was a war determined upon as wars used to be determined upon in the old, unhappy days when peoples were nowhere consulted by their rulers and wars were provoked and waged in the interest of dynasties or of little groups of ambitious men who were accustomed to use their fellow men as pawns and tools.”

In this section of the speech, Wilson is trying to show that the United States is not interested in hurting the country of Germany but the government that has made this decision to terrorize other nations. This entire quote has a touch of irony, because though Wilson says that he does not have a problem with the people and that they are only victims of their government, they are about to be victims of war. With the United States declaring war on Germany the majority of these people that we have such “sympathy and friendship” for will more than likely be injured by the acts of the United States. Though this is the underlying message, the one that the audience will respond to will be Wilson’s appeal to pathos. He is able to make his declaration of war essentially against these people while settling the nerves of the American public that may be weary of attacking a whole nation of people. This quote makes it seem as though Wilson is saying that the citizens of Germany will not be injured, when in fact they will probably be the ones that suffer the most.

“Neutrality is no longer feasible or desirable where the peace of the world is involved and the freedom of its peoples, and the menace to that peace and freedom lies in the existence of autocratic governments backed by organized force which is controlled wholly by their will, not by the will of their people.”

This quote repeatedly uses the words “freedom” and “peace.” This is done by Wilson in order to bring a certain tone or feeling to this section. When the audience hears this section of the speech the will associate “peace” and “freedom” with good things, and the fact that this “menace,” which is very negative term, is disturbing these things, the audience is going to have a negative reaction to the “menace.” Also, Wilson uses a bit of historical evidence here to appeal to his point. When he talks about governments controlling the people against their will, it will make the audience think back to the times in which the United States was being controlled by England and how desperate our country felt during those times.

Fun. Fearless. Female. Metaphor.

Cosmopolitan magazine specifically caters to women between the ages of 18 and 25. The pages of Cosmo are littered with articles giving advice to these women. Within each of the stories, the writers of the magazine use a number of metaphors to make their articles more exciting and more relatable to women of this age group. The use of metaphors is detrimental for these types of magazines because they keep their audience entertained and keep them reading, buying and subscribing to the magazine instead of flipping on the TV to their favorite reality show. After all the title of the magazine Cosmopolitan is a metaphor within itself as it represents the personalities, styles and cultures of all its readers.

Specifically looking at the September 2011 edition of the magazine, there are 3 articles in particular that represent the metaphorical language generally associated with the magazine. In the first article "Is Facebook Bumming you out?" metaphors are used to liven the story up and give it a more interesting read. For instance in the following quote: "We're bombarded with news of our friends' accomplishments." In this quote "bombarded" is used as a metaphor for the influx of information that we receive from various social media outlets, but it is put in a more casual word instead of using a long drawn out explanation.

In the second article "Cool Minded Tricks That Give You An Edge" metaphors are used in the same capacity by using a more broad or generalized word to represent a larger explanation. For example, "Well science has proven that that is a bunch of crap." In the previous quote "science" is used instead of listing out the name of the researcher, the research company, etc. which would bore the audience that Cosmo is trying to reach. 

In the third article "In Defense of the Slacker Dude" metaphors are used to bring a more comical explanation to an article. In this particular article, a male writer is writing from his own prospective which generally is not seen in Cosmo. The male author uses the following quote: "Free from a biological clock, they appear to be flipping the bird at adulthood like never before." Particularly the metaphor of the male "flipping the bird" gives a more casual and comical explanation of not worrying about adulthood. He writes this metaphor to relate to his female audience because by using this metaphor the readers can relate because they have probably heard their male friends or boyfriends use the same type of language. 

As seen above, Cosmo is all about relating to its primary audience and in using metaphor they are better able to relate to said audience. Without the use of metaphor in this type of work, the articles would come across stuffy and boring to those whom the magazine is intended.

Cosmopoliatn. Sep 2011: n. page. Print.

Fantastical Children's Series in which Love is the Ultimate Weapon that Defeats Evil

In most works that are written for children there is some sort of lesson to be learned at the end of the story. Generally these novels end in a happy light with the lesson being right in front of the reader. In modern times, children's novels have tended to deal with fantastical topics from wizardry, future lands, alternate dimensions and super powers. And it seems that these novels always tend to end the same, with the child hero overcoming the villain. But there is a specific children's genre in which the ability to love and be loved is the ultimate weapon that overcomes the evil in the story.

One piece of work in which love overcomes evil is the very popular Harry Potter series. In this series, the basis of the story comes from the fact that Harry's mother dies to save him because she loves him. Throughout the series Harry is reminded of this fact, but fails to realize the power of love. Also Voldemort, the main villain in the series, is skeptical of the power that love can possess and continuously fails to realize that it is ultimately what could defeat him. Take for instance in the following quote:

"Is it love again?... Dumbledore's favorite solution, love, which he claimed conqured death, though love did not stop him falling from the tower and breaking like an old waxwork? Love, which did not prevent me from stamping out your mudblood mother like a cockroach Potter--and nobody seems to love you enough to run forward this time and take my curse. So what will stop you from dying now when I strike?"

It is apparent in this quote that Voldemort is highly skeptical that it is in fact love which saved Harry from him years earlier and that it will be love now that will save him again. And it is not long after Voldemort speaks these words that he meets his demise. It was the power that Harry got from his mother and father and all those that sacrificed themselves to save him, and the love that Harry had for his family and friends that was able to defeat the enemy in the end.

Another instant in which this is true is in the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. This series of novels takes place in a post apocalyptic world in which 12 districts are ruled by a single kingdom called the Capitol. The Capitol, each year, forces 2 children from each of the 12 districts to compete in the Hunger Games, in which the victor is the one who survived. These games were broadcasted every year for the enjoyment of the people of the Capitol. The main character Katniss, was originally not selected for the Hunger Games, but took her sister's spot when her name was drawn. In an effort to win over the affections of the people of the Capitol, Katniss's district's male counterpart, Petta, is displayed as her lover and that the pair are being torn apart from the games. Katniss and Petta make it out of the games together because of their love and it is their love that starts the rebellion. In the following quote it is apparent that Katniss and Petta's love is growing:

"This is the first kiss that we are fully aware of. Neither of us hobbled by sickness or pain or simply unconscious. Our lips neither burning with fever or icy cold. This is the first kiss where I actually feel stirring inside my chest. Warm and curious. This is the first kiss that makes me want another."

Even after this one moment it still takes the majority of the series for Katniss to realize that she is actually in love with Petta and that their courtship was more than an act. In the end of the series it is their love and the love of those who sacrificed their lives for the rebellion that defeats the Capitol enemy in the end.

A third series in which love conquers all is the series that came from A Wrinkle in Time. In the main character, Meg, has her father taken from her by IT to another dimension. In an effort to save her father, Meg, her brother Charles Wallace, and her friend Calvin. Meg and her companions go through a series of trials and tribulations in which Meg's loyalty for her brother, friend and father are tested. In an effort to saver their father, Charles Wallace, sacrifices himself and is taken prisoner by IT. In order to save her brother, Meg must get into IT's kingdom. Meg is told by the W's, that she has a weapon that IT does not have and it is ultimately what will defeat him. Meg final realizes that love is the weapon that she must use. It is her love for her brother that is able to defeat IT, as seen in the following quote:

"If she could give love to IT perhaps it would shrivel up and die, for she was sure that IT could not withstand love. But she in all her weakness and foolishness and baseness and nothingness, was incapable of loving IT. Perhaps it was not too much to ask of her, but she could not do it. But she could love Charles Wallace."

The similarities between these 3 examples are numerous. In all of the pieces, some type of sacrifice is made by multiple people. In general a family member makes the first sacrifice, Harry's mother sacrifices herself for him, Katniss sacrifices herself for her sister and Charles Wallace sacrifices himself for his father. As each of these series progresses, more people sacrifice themselves for love. In each of these works as well, the characters go on some sort of a journey, and eventually are able to discover that love is the tool that they should be using to defeat their enemies. The final similarity is that even after all of the sacrifice and hardships that the characters face, each of these stories ends in the happy, lesson learned setting that all children's books revolve around.