MaddieZ’s Weblog

Few people will argue with the statement that humor is one of the most successful strategies for arguments. Everyone enjoys laughing and joking around, it puts people in a better mood. And people in a better mood are usually more open to listening to people’s opinions that are different from there own. But I didn’t realize how much goes into a humorous argument. It is hard to make jokes and poke fun at current events and situations in a non-offensive manner. There is a fine line between being flat out rude and joking in a light-hearted way. And once the line is crossed and the author is insulting, the reader will lose interest and the author will lose his ethos. If a author decides to use parody in presenting an argument, he or she will take something familiar and turn it in to something new and original. An argument that utilizes satire will use humor to address problems and present possible solutions. In a not so obvious way, I saw humor in certain aspects of the material we analyzed in class about eating disorders and the obesity epidemic. It is quite ironic and rather humorous that to these girls that are struggling with eating disorders see food as the ultimate sinful temptation and enemy. This is quite bizarre considering food is a necessity in life. Many of the pro-ana and pro-mia sites had posts that one could not help but laught at. This doesn’t mean that the issue of eating disorders is humorous. Unfortunately these people are truly sick, and they look to these sites as personal confirmation that the thoughts that go through their heads and the lifestyles they have adapted are normal. This idea is not humerous at all, it is quite frightening to think that these people are willing to risk their lives to be thin.

Every argument, whether intended or not, has some sort of distinct style. This style is communicated through use of certain diction, punctuation, font or figurative language. And it is important to remember that pretty much everything is an argument, whether it is a paper, a movie, an article, or even a conversation. I was reminded of this in watching the documentary Thin this week during class. Just as certain punctuations communicate certain emotions and feelings, the pauses serve similar purposes to emphasize certain points and elicit certain emotions. These all play into the seriousness of the issue being discussed in the film-eating disorders. They affect so many people of all ages and races. The women that we learn about in this film have serious, life-threatening illnesses and are in desperate need for outside help. They have gotten to a point in their lives that they are unable to help themselves and they have such a skewed self-image that it takes multiple doctors, nutritionists, psychiatrists and many other professionals to help them. While some people argue that those with eating disorders are able to stop their problem whenever they feel like it, I feel that it is quite the opposite. In extreme cases, these women are unable to do anything about it. I feel strongly about this because just last month one of my friends died of anorexia. For years she has been struggling, and no matter what anyone would say to her, she still had the belief that she was too fat and not good enough. Even the doctors couldn’t cure this “disease” that consumed her life. Towards the end, it had spiraled so out of control that she just wanted to end her misery. Nobody could help her, and she was very aware that her life would be ending soon. Hopefully for all the others, they will have different outcomes and conquer this sickness. Saying that these women are sick or that they have an illness is an argument in itself. Illness implies something that is out of the control of the patient, and in my opinion that is just the case for all the people who suffer from eating disorders. I am very interested to continue on with this Unit, and I have definitely benefited from the readings and from the class discussions about topics including eating disorders, obesity and the so called epidemic that is affecting Americans of all ages.

I think that this unit will be extremely interesting. Being a girl, there are so many encounters and situations with food choice, pressure to look a certain way and to weigh a specific weight. Rarely do I go through a day without thinking about whether the clothes I’m wearing make my butt look big or being nervous that people might not like the way I look. This being said, it is obvious that I would be very conscious of what food I put into my body. In deciding what foods to eat or what foods to run from, it is clear that I do a lot of evaluations. In deciding not to go for the extra fattening foods or for seconds, I am presenting myself with evaluative arguments. I consider the so called “risks” of that particular food. In doing this, I look at the nutritional facts and consider how much extra working out I’m going to have to do to burn off the calories. Once these things have been considered, I make a final decision. My trainer used to always say nothing tastes as good as it feels to be thin and that a food would be a moment on your lips and forever on your hips. Thinking about these catchy slogans, I would evaluate and consider whether or not I really wanted that or if I would eat it and then regret the careless decision. I think that this chapter of Everything is and Argument is very relevant to the topic we are talking about in class. So often we read about the newest diet or medical research diagnosing Americans with the so called obesity epidemic. But with all this information, we also must evaluate the argument that is being presented and then decide whether or not this is a valid argument and if the author is qualified to make a certain claim. These evaluations are essential. Because if someone comes out with a certain diet or diet pill, many people are quick to go out and buy everything about it. They spend ridiculous amounts of money on these things before they can think twice about the risks of them and whether or not the creator established him or herself as a professional. People are risking their health and well-being for their unattainable desire to have the perfect body. Without consciously knowing about it, we are always making arguments of evaluations in literaly everything that we do; what to wear, what to eat, who to hang out, what activities or groups to join, the list goes on and on. This being said, I am extremely anxious to get into this unit just because eating and the body is something that I am really interested in and that has a lot of personal relevance to my life.