"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell- post 1

Certain events happen in this world that seem inexplicable; most people go about their lives without ever trying to explain them. They view such phenomena as completely random and independent of each other. In The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell attempts to prove that this is not the case. Many events and trends can be explained through three encompassing “rules of epidemics”: “The Law of the Few”, the “Stickiness Factor”, and the “Power of Context.” Gladwell applies these theories to a multitude of diverse things in order to increase the strength and magnitude of his overarching argument and expositions.

The use of anecdotes is extremely powerful in this novel. Short, resonating stories are recounted in every chapter. It is largely the arrangement, however, that makes the anecdotes so powerful.  Many chapters begin with a unique anecdote about some seemingly esoteric topic. This draws the reader’s attention effectively instead of boring them with broad assertions. Gladwell then analyzes these anecdotes to dissect the influence of the three encompassing theories. During the analysis, he appeals very strongly to his audience’s logos with a wide array of facts and statistics to support his evidence. This structure leaves the reader curious how the stories will be applied, and then completes their sense of anticipation with concise and all-inclusive answers.

Malcolm Gladwell has a gift. He presents an argument not of content, but of the process of thinking. He forces people to think about the trends and topics around them in a very different way. In The Tipping Point he assumes the role of a quilter. Each presented anecdote is a section, and his logical analysis using the “rules of epidemics” act as the thread that hold them together.  

"Governing Bad" Economics, Congress, and Drugs

“Breaking Bad.” You say those two words to almost any group of friends, and a conversation is bound to ensue about the dramatic, controversial television program. The fiscal cliff that America faces is also a topic of hot discussion. David Fitzimmons addresses the economic problem in his unique cartoon that spins the “Breaking Bad” theme into a shot at Congress. Using a play on words, this cartoon is entitled “Governing Bad.” It depicts a man, holding a bag of drugs, that says “I can’t stop cooking.” The man represents congress, and the illegal substances are meant to depict the national debt.

The television metaphor is used very effectively to communicate Fitzsimmons’s message by making it more relatable to its viewers. The drug dealer is shown as having an addiction to cooking the drugs. In this cartoon, congress becomes the drug dealer and the drugs are the debt. Fitzsimmons uses this analogy to show that, no matter what they try, congress simply cannot avoid raising the fiscal debt. Drug dealers have an infamous reputation in society, and this is used to instill a relatable message about Fitzsimmons’s feelings towards congress. He also uses the extremely negative connotations that are associated with cooking the drugs drugs to analogize the impact that congress has specifically had on the debt. Not everyone is engaged in politics. This cartoon relates a political theme to one that is common in pop culture discussions, ultimately making its message accessible to a wider range of audience and increasing its effectiveness. 

To view the cartoon: http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/5011763f-84e0-4b97-9bb0-7125e45f39aa.html

"Frank Ocean Can Fly"- The man behind the music

Millions of people are tuning in tonight to watch as a multitude of talented musicians compete for the prestigious Grammy awards. From country to R&B, the selection of artists is eclectic. One of these names is Frank Ocean, who has been nominated for 6 Awards pertaining to his recent album “Channel Orange.” Ocean is a unique, devoted, tenacious, and trend-setting 25 year-old who seems to be ahead of his time. His records are distinguishable from the redundant tracks often released in today’s music industry. Jeff Himmelman successfully captures the essence of the man behind the music in his interview with Frank Ocean.

Most interviews are written in a formulaic output. They simply tell an account of the conversations had between interviewer and interviewee. In this sense, they become boring quite quickly. Instead, Himmelman utilizes an anachronistic arrangement to his advantage. By telling things out of order, he becomes a storyteller rather than an interviewer. Ocean’s life and “character” is told through the persona of Himmelman, rather than a bland, chronological retelling of Ocean’s interview.

Frank Ocean has achieved fame mainly through his album “Channel Orange.” To appeal to a likely audience of Ocean fans, Himmelman uses this as a recurring theme. Multiple times throughout the piece, the record is indirectly used to relate and depict parts of Ocean’s life. For example, Himmelman writes, “Like Ocean in person, the album is challenging. It demands to be taken on its own terms, and in places it puts you to work.” The entity of the album is used to analogically describe Ocean as a person. Himmelman also uses certain songs from the album as anecdotes, relating their essential meaning to the topics that Ocean brings up in the interview.

After reading the piece, I have a completely changed view of Frank Ocean. He is no longer a superficial music-maker, but a man with a very interesting story and view of life. Through Himmelman’s anachronistic arrangement and use of “Channel Orange,” a unique reading experience is obtained through the piece that ultimately creates a resonating and impassioned impression of Frank Ocean in its readers. 

For more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/10/magazine/frank-ocean-can-fly.html?ref=magazine&_r=0

A Catastrophic Failure of Prediction

The recession of the late 2000’s is known as one of the worst American financial crises in history. Millions of people lost their homes, jobs, and sense of security. Everyone seems to have their own opinions pertaining to the causes of the massive incident. Nate Silver, who is known for his stellar election predictions and commentary, takes his personal stance in this excerpt from his book The Signal and the Noise.  Two weeks before the 2008 presidential election, ratings scientists were hired by the government to determine the likelihood that mortgage backed securities would default. Silver places much of the blame for the recession on their failed predictions.

A metaphor is used rather effectively to communicate the complex topic. Silver writes, “It was as if the weather forecast had been 86 degrees and sunny, and instead there was a blizzard.” By comparing the event to a weather forecast, Silver taps into the cultural memory of his audience and makes the complexity of mortgage backed securities predications seem austere. The logos of the American audience is also appealed to in Silver’s cause and effect description of the false predictions that caused the recession. It is ultimately due to these rhetorical devices that Silver’s false prediction notion is perceived as an intelligible and convincing theory for the cause of the recession.