Bagging Plastic

In the article Bagging Plastic, the author Veronica Majerol uses different kinds of evidence to express the problems with plastic in the world and topic of banning plastic bags. Mainly, she uses facts expressed in numbers about different environmental issues. She also uses insight from environmentalists and other people for their thoughts on whether plastic bags should be banned or not. Lastly, the actual pictures in the article contribute to our understanding of plastics role in our world.

Majerol includes facts about plastic use in America to explain why it’s problematic. She stated “Americans use about 100 billion plastic bags each year” and “In 2012, Americans generated about 32 million tons of plastic waste…and recycled only about 9 percent.” The issue with this, is the non-recycled plastic piles up in landfills, “where it can take up to 1,00 years to decompose” or enter sewer drains, rivers, and oceans. In water, plastic bags are dangerous to animals such as sea turtles, sea birds, and whales that confuse them for food and choke on them. Judging from how much plastic waste is produced and how little gets recycled, many sea animals are going to be harmed by plastics afterlife.

The article also includes the views of different people to acknowledge both sides of an upcoming debate, whether the use of plastic bags should be banned. Majerol writes about Mark Daniels from the American Progressive Bag Alliance. “He says 9 out of 10 Americans reuse plastic bags for things like packing lunch, lining trash cans, and picking up after their dogs.” Daniels also says more than 30,000 thousand jobs and related to plastic bag production and recycling. He thinks plastic bags shouldn’t be recycled for these practical and economic reasons. The article also contains reasoning from Alex Padilla, a state senator in California who is sponsoring a statewide ban on plastic bags. “We have lived for thousands of years without single-use plastic bags” he says, “I think we will be just fine without them.” This is insight from the other side of the argument, that plastic bags should be banned for their harmful effects.

The pictures in the article also help us comprehend the issues of plastic usage by giving a good visual on things described in the text. One picture is of three men carrying groceries in plastic bags, captioned, “Can Americans give up plastic bags?” This is a reflection of how many things we use plastic bags for, and the difficulty it would cause if we lost them. Another picture is of a sea turtle chewing two pieces of plastic bag. It provides the visual that was mentioned in the text, that plastic is able to find its way into the reach of animals and be a potential danger. The last picture is a photograph of a scavenger in a “Sea of Trash,” a waterway in the Philippines completely covered in plastic garbage. This represents the facts mentioned about plastic waste and gives a good picture on the sheer amount of trash is produced from non-recycled plastic.

The author used numeral values and pictures to explain the problem plastic is creating and includes insight from people to consider both sides of the argument of whether plastic bags should be banned or not. My own opinion, is plastic bags cannot be banned, until an adequate replacement is found for each of the jobs they cover. As Daniels said, people reuse plastic bags for multiple things, and I think they are too useful in our lives to take out. Perhaps we need to focus on our recycling processes instead to avoid plastic getting into the sewers and sea.

Horsemen of the Esophagus

In the book Horsemen of the Esophagus, the author Jason Fagone takes us through his journey into the world of competitive eating and the lives of some of its greatest eaters. These mega eaters join competitions such as the “Wing Bowl” or “Nathan’s Famous Forth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest” in hopes of becoming a champion eater. These contests are very popular and are broadcast on television or radio and many people go to watch the events in person. Some of the top eaters can make a lot of money just by chomping on food. But many people look at these contests as disgusting and horrifying because of how much food the competitors consume and how fast they consume it. However, eaters are proud of and passionate about their work and consider eating to be an art or a skill, and they are very talented.

Eating competitively can be viewed as a monstrous process where people eat volumes of food that are not meant to be eaten. Take Nathan’s hot dog competition and one of its contestants, Tskeru Kobayoshi, nicknamed Koby.  Koby is a 23-year-old Japanese, weighs only 100 pounds, and competes against guys twice his size. In this 12-minute contest, Koby ate an astounding 50 hot dogs to break the previous record and win first place. For a flimsy kid to eat so much can be described as animalistic; he is simply a freak. The way they eat is also obscene and really stretches what we think of these people. “Koby was eating his dogs with an inhumane ease,” the author writes. “Koby was separating the dog from the bun. What’s more, he was breaking each dog in half, then eating both halves at the same time, after which he dunked (in water) and ate the bun.” To eat hot dogs by turning the bun to mush and eating the meat whole is grotesque and no normal person would do such a thing.

Even though eating competitively is gross and freaky, eaters consider themselves very skilled and passionate people. Fans of the sport find it breathtaking to watch eaters go to work on different foods. “The eaters took eating seriously—they trained, they spent their money and time, risked their health and relationships,” the author explains. Eaters like to compare themselves with athletes, and don’t see themselves as monsters with wide stomachs. Fans get exited and amazed at how much food they can eat. Steve Addicks, a competitive eater himself, sat next to Koby in a hot dog competition with his mouth gaping because he was so amazed at his speed. “I was in awe. It was amazing. I was standing next to something that it’s like, ah, I don’t know—it was almost a religious experience, you know? Something that I was so close to see, that very few people will ever be able to witness, as far as the magnitude of what it meant to me as an eater.” Steve, watching Koby eat, felt like he was watching a miracle unfold. Big eating events have thousands of fans who are just as amazed at the spectacle.

Many people cannot stomach competitive eating and dismiss it as disgusting, while the eaters consider it serious and its fans are blown away by it. I think the process is repulsive, but if I were to attend something like the Nathan’s hot dog contest, I would probably be very excited and impressed by the eaters’ ability to consume so much so fast. Although I would never compare these guys to professional athletes, I think they are dedicated and skilled people who just have a job where they publicly become an animal with food. Eating competitions are rising in popularity, and maybe one day they’ll become like watching basketball or soccer.

Literary Essay

Many children in the world the world have difficulty socializing and making friends at or outside of school. Although some have intentionally chosen that path, others suffer from the loneliness of being a nobody and go through their school years without having people to talk to and help them out. The main character, Aaron, in the book Narc by Crissa-Jean Chappell is a perfect example of a pariah in high school. Early in the book, the police found Aaron’s 14-year-old sister with a bag of weed and he had to claim it was his to protect her. But the police agreed to drop his charges if he worked for them in uncovering the “shot caller,” or the head dealer in his drug-infested school, Palm Hammock. In order to do this, he had to find ways to get involved with other kids in his school and attend parties (18). In the process, Aaron is able to shake off his old, nobody self and meet people and go to parties. This shows that even a person with poor social skills like Aaron, with motivation and support from other people, can rise up from the bottom of the social scale and overcome their past loneliness.

Motivation is a key part in becoming socially active. In Aaron’s old life, he spent his free time alone at home playing video games and smoking. He never had nights out drinking with friends and didn’t pursue girls (pp. 247-248). But once his sister was found with weed, he had to act to keep himself and his sister out of deep trouble. “This is kind of serious. I could book her for possession of an illegal substance with intent to sell. Or you could go to jail,” said the cop who busted them. Aaron had great concern for his younger sister, Haylie, and told the officer: “I already told you. It’s mine. Please. Just leave her alone, she’s just a kid.” From then on, his concern for Haylie motivated him to carry out his mission, making friends and becoming involved in social activities (p. 14). Although Aaron didn’t have much of a choice, his sister still inspired him discard his old self and open up to people in his school. In the school library he talked to a popular girl named Morgan, whom he would later chat online with as well. After a detention class, he met with another girl nicknamed Skully. Although he originally talked to them for purposes of his mission, they would later become genuine friends. “Soon I was hanging out with Morgan and Skully every weekend,” he said (p. 339). Aaron was able to make friends because of the strong incentive of protecting his sister.

Something else that motivated Aaron to speak up was the well being of other people. Even early in the book, Aaron showed concern for Skully even though they had not even met yet. When a teacher took her phone away in detention, he stood up for her, saying, “I just don’t think his fair, taking away her phone.” Everyone in the room gawked and whispered. It wasn’t a long statement, but nonetheless it drew attention; Aaron had been heard by his peers (p. 22). That statement might have been important in the meeting of Skully and Aaron because they became friends later that day.

Another time Aaron was concerned about other people and was moved to speak up was when he was on Morgan’s Facebook page looking for information. He saw pictures of her bare arm crisscrossed with scars (p. 24). He later witnessed her self-mutilating herself in private. “I watched her lift up her skirt and drag the metal across the pale flesh of her inner thigh. She did this a couple more times, slow, careful strokes, then slipped the piece of metal in her sock.” After seeing this, he had a growing concern for Morgan for the rest of the book. He became Morgan’s friend right after the incident and would try to comfort her when her scars or something about the way she looked embarrassed her. Later, Morgan and Aaron were taking a swim when Morgan got out of the water, afraid to reveal the scars on her thigh. Seeing this, Aaron knew he had to comfort her. “Well, I can’t see much of anything right now. And besides, I don’t care. You’re hot, Morgan. Don’t you know that?” (pp. 368-369). He tried to raise her self-esteem to stop her from cutting herself by complimenting her. Being helpful to other people by talking to them is extra social behavior, and it was his concern for them that gave him the motivation.

Last, Aaron received support from other people that helped him to become more than a nobody. For example, when things in Aaron’s house were getting out of hand, he had to move out to keep his family safe. Luckily, Skully nicely took him in for quite a while. Living at Skully’s house was a perfect opportunity for Aaron to hang out with her as much as possible (pp. 339-340). It was then when Aaron started to do everything with Skully because he was her houseguest and got to hang out with Morgan on weekends, as Morgan and Skully were best friends. By helping out Aaron when he was in trouble, Skully also gave him an opportunity to socialize more than he ever had.

Another example of how Skully helped his social life was that she provided him opportunities to attend parties. Although it was mostly unintentional, Aaron would never have made it to a party without her. Skully had posted an event on her Facebook page, an open party invitation. It read “Bring snax, booze, whatever/whomever u want. Here’s the deal. I want to see ALL your beautiful faces” (p. 66). Aaron then had the chance for the biggest social feat of his life, go to a party, because of Skully’s invitation.

To summarize, Aaron started out as a social reject but through motivation that came from his care for other people and help from his new friend, he was able to fashion a new life with people to hang out with who also cared for him. Even though he had always had bad social skills, he pushed himself and realized talking to people wasn’t all that hard. For pariahs around the world, it’s important to give them plenty of support and motivation to come out of their shells. The character Aaron showed a perfect example of this process and has the ability to inspire people just like him.

Critical Analysis on "The Ivory War"

The article The Ivory War by Patricia Smith is about the increasing Chinese demand for ivory and its devastating effect on the elephants that are poached to obtain it. Even though the sale of ivory was banned by an international trade group in 1989, its popularity has erupted and has created a large illegal trade that could potentially wipe out the elephants of Africa. Because a pound of ivory can go for $1,000 on the black market, people use any means possible to get a hold of elephant tusks. This has alarmed wildlife conservationists.

To help explain China’s need for ivory, the author includes details about Chinese culture. China’s middle class has been growing with the nation’s economy and many have the money to buy ivory items such as rings and combs. Ivory is special to them because it has always been a part of Chinese life. Smith writes, “Ivory is etched deeply into Chinese culture. Popular lore tells of emperors who believed ivory chopsticks would change color upon contact with poisoned food.” She also includes a quote from Wu Shaohua, president of the Shanghai Collectors Association. “Love for ivory is in our blood,” he said. It is clear that ivory is important to the Chinese and why it sells for so much.

The author also writes about how poachers who want ivory will go to extreme means to get it and how all kinds of people are after it. Tens of thousands of elephants are killed annually for their ivory. Poachers will shoot elephants in the wild and in wildlife preserves and leave the carcass, only taking the tusks. Poachers in Zimbabwe put cyanide in water holes of a national park, killing 80 elephants. Some poachers will even kill wildlife rangers who try to stop them. In Tanzania, poor villagers roll poisoned pumpkins on the road for elephants to eat. Subsistence hunters deep in the rainforest of Gabon are enlisted to kill elephants and collect the tusks. Even criminal gangs are involved in the ivory trade. “Some of Africa’s most notorious armed groups are hunting down elephants and using the tusks to buy weapons,” the article says. “Organized crime groups are helping move the ivory around the world.” By showing how many elephants are killed and how badly people want to hunt them, the piece conveys why conservationists are concerned about the survival of elephants.

Smith makes us concerned about elephants by presenting evidence in multiple ways. She quotes Andrew Dobson, an ecologist at Princeton University, who says, “The huge [elephant] populations in West Africa have disappeared, and those in the center and east are going rapidly.” Smith also included a shocking fact about the Ivory Coast, which got its name from the vast elephant herds that once roamed its forests: “Today, after decades of carnage, there are almost no elephants left on the Ivory Coast.” In addition, the article includes maps of elephant ranges in 1979 and 2007. The first map has a significant amount of green, which represented elephant ranges, while the second had about only a quarter as much. By presenting information about the rapid decline of elephants in multiple ways, the author erases any doubt we might have about how serious this issue is.

After reading the article, I realize how much I dislike the poaching of elephants. In addition to the author’s factual information, I developed my own reasons to be against this practice. Although ivory is rooted deeply in Chinese culture, it is not used for important purposes. Ivory is carved into bookmarks, statues, idols and other decorations that could easily be made with another material. Ivory is simply not an essential resource to the Chinese, or anyone. I ask what it would take for the Chinese to give up a culture that goes back many generations. Are chopsticks made of ivory truly worth the extinction of the elephant?

Synthesis Page on "The Story of Stuff"

The Story of Stuff 2

The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard is about overconsumption on our planet and the effects it is having on the environment and our health. Leonard explores firsthand factories and communities around the world to find out intricate processes and stories of what’s behind simple products in our lives. One chapter explains how industries created a huge consumer class to keep up with the revolution of mass production. Leonard summarizes in two sections how industry did this: “Planned Obsolescence,” which describes how consumers are persuaded to buy many of the same item, and “Advertising,” which explains how companies use effective tricks to get people to buy from them. These “tricks” are surprising in that they are so present in our lives that we consider them normal.

Leonard describes how companies get people to buy products in great quantities. With a new load of products coming from factories, the industry needed a lot of consumers, so the architects of the system came up with a strategy called planned obsolescence, or “designed for the dump. ” She includes a quote from American industrial designer Brook Stevens, who popularized the term in the 1950s: “Instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, and a little sooner than necessary.” That summarizes what the scheme is about, enticing people buy new things, faster. Leonard uses the example of our cell phones. “Today’s cell phones, for example, which have an average lifespan of only about a year, are pretty much never technologically obsolete when we throw them away and replace them with new ones.” People are constantly replacing their phones even though each new one is little better than the last one. To get people to do this the industry did several things. One, it made the cost of repairing products equal to or more expensive than buying new ones. Two, it made replacement parts and service very hard to get. Three, it made upgrades and accessories that were incompatible with older models. Lastly, the look of products had to keep changing to “provide an incentive to toss the older model.” So by making repair a hassle and new products look more desirable, the industry got consumption to a new level.

The book’s second section is called "Advertising." This is the second major reason the industry was able to expand its consumer class to keep pace with its mass-producing factories. Leonard starts by explaining just how many advertisements we see: “By the time she is twenty, the average American has been exposed to nearly a million advertising messages.” Children can identify company logos before they even begin school. Clearly, advertising has always been in the background of our lives. At one time, advertisements expressed simple messages like “Just imported" or “Now in stock.” Today, advertising is on a whole new scale. It involves psychologists, neuroscientists, and actual consumers to find out ways to influence people. Modern ads make us feel bad about what we don't have, and push us to buy more. Brands use image to try to convince us, and often associate their product with a person, lifestyle, or social status. Tiger Woods is under contract from Nike, and his gear is never swoosh-less. To provide an example of what advertisements can do, Leonard writes of her daughter’s infatuation with the popular television character, Dora the Explorer: “Dora popped up everywhere¾on TV, toothbrushes, shampoo, backpacks, electronic games, pencil sets, underwear, bikes, sweatshirts, birthday party goodie bags, pillow cases, beach pails, ice cream, and even breakfast cereal.” Leonard says whenever her daughter sees Dora on a product she squeals, even if it’s something like toothpaste¾not something otherwise inviting for a pre-kindergartener. She writes that buying that toothpaste was like gaining a friend for her daughter. “Despite my best efforts, it’s been impossible to keep ads from influencing her,” Leonard explains. Clearly ads are very effective in getting people to purchase loads of stuff.

It is scary how well planned obsolescence and advertising has worked, and after reading that section I see what the industry does more clearly. I see gadget after gadget come out, like the iPhone and its many generations. I have witnessed clothing trends become old within weeks and have watched my family struggle to repair things, such as wristwatches, and end up replacing them. It is also frightening how many ads there are; Tiger Woods is basically a walking commercial. The book has really opened my eyes to everything that makes us buy more, and I’ll definitely pay more attention to the effects of the techniques used by companies on me.

Annie Leonard explains in depth how the consumer class expanded so much and she provides examples to help us see what she means. Anyone who reads her book will probably have the same reaction as I did¾shock at how effective industry’s plan was.

Review on Jefferson's Blog

Go to: Jeffersons Blog

I have read the post titled "Social Action: Inquiry Question #1" on Jefferson’s blog and have decided to praise his great work. In the post, Jefferson takes apart on old picture book called “Stone Soup” by Marcia Brown. Because I have also read the book, I understand what points Jefferson is making, while he’s also introduced me to aspects of social action that I have not noticed. Jefferson uses the few number of details to find and elaborate aspects of war and poverty. He explains well where he came up with these themes that my younger self could not of found and unlocked to me an entirely new and deeper side of the book.

“Stone Soup” is about three French soldiers coming back from war to a small town looking for food and shelter. After being refused, the soldiers make a pot of soup out of a single stone, but convince the people to help by adding an ingredient. Jefferson analyzed the beginning to bring out its reflection of poverty using very basic, picture book details. He states how the “the villagers are nice, gentle people.” But these people were on such the brink of starvation and poverty that they simply couldn’t afford to help out the soldiers. For a group of caring people, they must be at an extreme level of poor. Jefferson also uses basic details to bring out the issue of war and it’s effect on different people. He includes details from citizens and soldiers to show the how the book reflects these issues. He stated, “The beginning of the book explains how they [the soldiers] haven’t had anything to eat for two days. Also they had to march all the way home by themselves.” For regular people, he mentioned a quote from one of the books characters. “We gave all we could spare to soldiers who came before you,” said Albert, who had refused the soldiers food. Now we can clearly see that war probably has a very negative impact to different groups, and can lead to bad cases of poverty.

One last thing good about the post, was it was very straight forward, and there were no unclear or confusing parts. Not once did I have to stop and try to find out what the author was trying to say. Overall, Jefferson did a good job unpacking simple details and revealing the more complex theme of “Stone Soup.”