"...Tools of their tools"

In The Omnivore's Dilemma, Pollan states that "men have become tools of their tools". What exactly does this mean? Well, the way I see it, Pollan is trying to say that although men do use tools for everything, they've become so dependent on them that without them, they'd come to a screeching halt. A taxi driver's tool is a taxi. Without it, he wouldn't be anything. The same thing goes for George Naylor, the Iowa farmer if you take his 1975 tractor away. For those tools to get something done, the operator must use them correctly. It's a term that can go both ways really. When you look deeper into it, you realize that how men use the tools is what really matters. The tool is the "constant variable" while man is the "dependent variable". In other words, the tools are the same for everyone, how you choose to use them is all up to you. Here's a silly example; You could have a car as your tool. You can choose to use it as a taxi to make money, or you can race it for even more money.

Physical appearance versus everything else. Isn't that what it's all about these days? I think it is, at least for women that is, or they say... The perfect body, flawless face, and the smooth hair. Isn't that all associated with women? Sort of. When you look at physical appearance, you usually think of the women you see in those magazines. The skinny body compared to the fat one. Men face this problem too, but society doesn't realize it. If you look in any advertisement, it's always the big, muscular guys that get the role. This puts pressure on other men making them think that if they don't look like that, then society won't accept them. It's the same problem for both men and women, but women get more attention when it comes to this issue compared to men.

Language (Asimov and Sedaris)

According to Sedaris and Asimov, you can be extremely intelligent, but it probably won't work for you when it comes to the different situations you're in. For example, you could be a genius when it comes to science, and if someone asks you a question about it, you'd be able to answer it immediately. If they asked you a question about mechanical engineering, chances are, you wouldn't have a clue on how to answer. The same thing applies to an English teacher. If you try talking to him/her in Arabic, they wouldn't have a clue what you're saying. Yeah, they might be smart when it comes to that specific language, but when it comes to other things, they could be as clueless an anything.

Reality (Goffman / Bordo)

One quote from Goffman that intrigued me was when he says "the point here is that it appears that children and women are pictured on floors and beds more than are men" (Goffman, 41). This quote had me thinking about the traditional view of women staying at home to cook, clean, and take care of the kids. Out of curiosity, I researched about how much the average stay at home mom would earn and came across a site called "salary.com". According to their study, the average US stay at home mom would earn a whopping $134,121 a year if they would get paid for it. I find this interesting because the average household income is only $55,000. A housewife makes well over double this amount, meaning their job is not easy. Trying to make women look inferior to men by picturing them on the floor and beds just doesn't make sense.

Bordo mentions that "my 56-year-old forehead will now be judged against my neighbor's, not just Goldie's, Cher's, and Faye's". This caught my attention because I think people nowadays are forgetting what real beauty is. Beauty in general is natural. How disappointed would you be if you found out the girl's face you've been eyeing for the past few weeks is all Botox and plastic surgery? I don't know about you, but that's a huge "no no". Just as much as you want her to have real hair instead of a wig, you want her to have real skin. That's what real beauty is. It's purely natural.

Honestly, I don't think Goffman's words hold up much today, but when it comes to Bordo, it fits today perfectly. Today, women are portrayed as independent. They've developed the attitude of "if men can do it, we can do it". This generally started during World War II when women took over their husband's jobs but you see it today more than ever. In advertisements, you'll see women dressed up professionally and running their own business. Also, studies have shown that the average age for marriage has went up by several years. This is because more and more women are staying in school to finish up their degrees and start up a career. The men are no longer the main income in some households. This income allows parents to leave this kids at home with a babysitter or send them to child care. On the other hand, Bordo's words go along with lots of celebrities and other women today. Plastic surgery and Botox is getting very popular. More and more commercials and advertisements have shown up recently, hence the news about a new celebrity reconstructing a part of their body every day. People have forgotten what true beauty really is. Like I mentioned before, its all natural!

Amplification through simplification... (McCloud/Logical Fallacy)

McCloud writes, "the fact that your mind is capable of taking a circle, two dots and a line and turning them into a face is nothing short of incredible! But still more incredible is the fact that you cannot avoid seeing a face because your mind won't let you!" (McCloud, 202]. Basically, McCloud is saying that something as simple as a circle, two dots, and a line will give you the same meaning as a much more complex drawing of a very realistic face. When it comes to delivering messages to the audience, simplifying a picture doesn't mean it won't be as effective as its complicated, well-detailed counterpart. The more simplified the picture, the more general it is. If someone shows you a picture of Steve Jobs for example, would you be able to imagine yourself in his position? Probably not, because it's specific. On the other hand, if you're shown a picture of a circle, two dots, and a line, you can see yourself in it. A picture of Steve Jobs is a picture of Steve Jobs. You might have a few people around the world that look like him, but it's rare. A picture of a circle, two dots, and a line applies to all 6 billion of us. Our mind can interpret the simplest of things and transform them into something as real as life.

Because last winter was so cold, Global Warming is a hoax. This is considered a logical fallacy because its a false interpretation of what Global Warming really is. Global Warming is mostly a long term affect and will have a much greater impact on the environment 100 years from now compared to today.

If ever there was an idea custom-made for Jay Leno monologue, this was it: Possession of nuclear materials . Isn’t that like retarded? Whatever happened to the old bow and arrow? I happen to sympathize with some of these countries, though, perhaps because they know other countries are ready and armed with it.

Blog #1: The Nature of Rhetorical Critcism

Foss' definition of rhetoric refers to "the human use of symbols to communicate" (Foss, 4). According to Foss, "this definition includes 3 primary dimensions (1) Humans as the creators of rhetoric. (2) symbols as the medium for rhetoric; and (3) communication as the purpose for rhetoric".(Foss, 4) To me, Foss' definition gives me the idea that rhetoric is simply a mean of communication but with a sense of persuasion added to it. After reading the article and looking over several definitions of rhetoric, I now have a good understanding of what it really means. It's the art of persuasion; one's way with speaking the language, writing the words and revealing the symbols. Rhetoric also depends for each specific person. A symbol can mean one thing to you, and the complete opposite to someone else. One person can see something completely different than another. This has to do with one's experience, views, and things such as optimism or pessimism. One example from my experience would be listening to some of the motivational speeches given by President Obama during last year's presidential election. Barack Obama has a way with words that seems so persuasive, you'd think you're crazy if you didn't agree with him. Compare him with McCain or Bush when he spoke to his crowd and you'd see the difference immediately. He is considered a pioneer when it comes to persuasion. Knowing exactly how to use a language in a way that catches someone's attention and gets them hooked is in itself an art.

Rhetoric:

Definition #1: The ability to use language effectively.

Definition #2: The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively.