TOW #23 - Article: "Is American Democracy Headed to Extinction?"

As we were studying Plato in class a few weeks ago, many of the questions posed surrounding Crito were about the laws and governance of Athens. Not too long after Plato’s time, the democratic system in place soon fell apart and was replaced by a new system of government. This is what Stein Ringen, retired Oxford University professor and author, believes lies ahead in America’s not-so-distant future. Through historical comparison and citing other experts’ opinions, Ringen argues that because economic inequality has followed through to political inequality, democratic government will quickly become deprived of power and capacity.

He begins by noting that in Athens, democracy only lasted 250 years before being replaced, and here in America we are quickly approaching that same amount of time (currently 238 years of democratic governance). He argues that democracy is not the default, and therefore must be actively nurtured and cared for rather than forgotten once achieved. Ringen claims that, “It’s not enough for governments to simply be democratic; they must deliver or decay.” He then quotes constitutional scholar Anthony King when he describes the decline of effectual governance in Britain’s democracy as going from “order” to “mess” in less than 30 years. Going back to the US, Ringen states that, “The three branches of government are designed to deliver through checks and balances. But balance has become gridlock.” He continues by referring to the conflict between democrats and republicans, specifically in congress how one side essentially blocks anything that the other side attempts to pass. His last point is about the influence of economics on politics. Ringen states, “When money is allowed to transgress from markets, where it belongs, to politics, where it has no business, those who control it gain power to decide who the successful candidates will be — those they wish to fund — and what they can decide once they are in office.” He claims that this leads to corruption and a disconnect between what the people under the government want, and what the endorsing corporations believe will lead to their largest profits. To support this, he quotes Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis when he stated, “We may have democracy, or we may have wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can’t have both.”

By quoting fellow experts, Ringen appeals very effectively to ethos through enhancing the credibility of his argument. Additionally, by relating our current situation to that of Athens, the idea that democracy is not everlasting becomes a much more feasible idea to understand for his audience who may otherwise doubt the practicality of a country such as the US having a governmental collapse. Ultimately, I found the article to be very effective through the use of historical comparison and support from experts in the subject.

TOW #22 - Opinion: "What I'd Say to My Fat Son"

Illustration by Michael Kuo

Although I have never struggled with the issue myself, being overweight is something that I have seen others been made fun of first-hand. When I was around ten and my younger brother was around seven or eight, I myself would every now and again even tease him about his weight when he used to be a little chubby. He is currently fourteen, actively participates in basketball and track, and has a physicality similar to my own. In his New York Times opinion article titled “What I’d Say to My Fat Son”, freelance writer and musician Joshua Max details his experience as a youth struggling with being overweight, and how he would confront the issue if it were to arise in a son of his.

Almost entirely through personal anecdotes and reflection upon his past, Max talks about how he was teased and bullied by not just his classmates at school, but his own family as well, everyone except for his dad. He claims that while his father preached the idea that it is not one’s body that is important but rather their mind, with all of the negative feedback he received about his weight, this message was one that was very difficult for Max to believe in. He talks about how he went from temporarily losing weight at a “fat camp” only to slowly gain it back later, to his damaging addiction of purging, and ultimately to his embracement of peace. Although he is currently at an average weight, whenever he looks in the mirror now and doesn’t necessarily love what he sees, he doesn’t purge or become dissatisfied, he helps others. Feeds a homeless person or helps shovel snow off of his neighbors’ cars. Relative to if he had a son with a weight issue, he says that he would, “[…] intervene, not conspire to humiliate and torture him.” (Max) He would help teach him the basics of portion control and exercise while simultaneously telling his son to keep his head held high despite the opinions of others.

I suppose a large part of Max’s purpose in writing this article was to deter others from making fun of those who may be overweight, as it can cause serious damage emotionally, mentally, and even worsen their physical issues. Ultimately, I thought that Max was successful by using his own personal story, sharing what worked for him, and what only made things worse.

TOW #21 - Visual Text: Snickers "Godzilla" You're Not You When You're Hungry Ad

As you are most likely already aware, the people over at Snickers have had their hilariously popular “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” advertising campaign going for quite some time now. They’ve created both magazine advertisements and commercials that have employed famous individuals from high-profile celebrities such as Betty White, to historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln. The most recent commercial they’ve released as part of this campaign stars none-other-than Godzilla himself. Through ridiculous humor and stark juxtaposition, this advertisement effectively achieves its purpose of selling Snickers candy bars within the “You’re Not You When You’re Hungry” advertising campaign.

The commercial begins with a bunch of friends and Godzilla simply enjoying themselves on a sunny lakeside beach while happy feel-good type music playing in the background, when an attractive woman walks by and waves hello to Godzilla exclusively. His friends around him then take turns giving him high-fives and congratulating him for gaining the attention of the attractive young lady. Aside from the obvious humor of a woman being attracted to Godzilla, the purpose of this scene was to paint him as someone that everyone admires, which is also the theme throughout this commercial. Godzilla is then playing ping pong against one of his friends with the rest watching, and when he beats him, everyone begins cheering. Following that we find Godzilla dancing at a party while two guests comment on him saying that, “Godzilla’s actually pretty cool,” to which his friend responds, “Except when he’s hungry.” The feel-good music is then replaced with screams as commercial then cuts to a classic Godzilla scene with him destroying a city at night when one of his friends manages to throw a Snickers bar into Godzilla’s mouth. Finally, feel-good music begins to play again and the commercial cuts back to another scene of Godzilla and his friends at the lake water skiing and having a great time. 

This commercial was successful by utilizing humor throughout and first painting Godzilla as the cool guy that everyone admires and wants to be friends with. Then it cuts to a dark scene depicting how different Godzilla acts when he’s hungry, and then after eating a Snickers bar, how he instantly becomes fun and cool again. This not only makes us want to eat Snickers because the commercial was funny and Snickers satisfies enough to even tame Godzilla, but eating Snickers will also make us likable and fun to be around.

TOW #20 - IRB: Section One of Into the Wild

I imagine that for the author of a biography, one of the greatest difficulties must be in keeping his or her own personal bias, opinions, and feelings from skewing or distorting the factual story and portrayal of the biography’s subject. Luckily for anyone planning to read Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, he addresses this issue head-on in an author’s note at the beginning of the book by stating, “I won't claim to be an impartial biographer. McCandless's strange tale struck a personal note that made a dispassionate rendering of the tragedy impossible. Through most of the book, I have tried—and largely succeeded, I think—to minimize my authorial presence.” Krakauer continues by warning the reader that parts of McCandless’s narrative will be briefly interrupted by pieces of a story from Krakauer’s own childhood. 

In that way, Krakauer has made this biography different from any other I have ever read, especially the one I recently completed about Malcolm X. In this biography, the author actually talks about similar personal experiences and emotions relative to the main story being told. I find this technique particularly effective in this biography due to the fact that it helps make McCandless’s strange behavior a little more understandable. Additionally, while they are both told in narrative styles, Into the Wild takes it to the next level, as compared to Malcolm X, by incorporating direct quotes from McCandless, as well as those who helped him along his journey. Additionally, the biography includes documents created by McCandless, several of which can be found in every chapter thus far. Other than that, in terms of style, Krakauer sticks to a third-person point of view acting as a narrator which merely contributes to the general vibe I have from the book so far, in terms of it coming off as a story that was somehow simply made up. I often find it necessary to remind myself that the story I am reading is that of someone who actually lived through such experiences. 

I have genuinely enjoyed what I have read so far and am excited to soon finish the book. By incorporating direct quotes, primary documents, and pieces of his own personal anecdote, Krakauer has thus far made an already intriguing yet mysterious story understandable and interesting.