Response to "Why Factory Farms Threaten Your Health"

       To me, this article is quite unique. People have a set conception that is delivered by the media and radical vegetarians that factory farm meat is unhealthy, but choose to ignore it. But this article, written by John Robbins, presents an even bigger issue that raises questions and concerns that are way deeper than simply "it's unhealthy to eat chemical and growth hormone infused meat". According to a vast majority of Health experts, the antibiotics that farmers put in animal feed are among the 70% that are withheld from human use. Recent studies show that the introduction of these antibiotics to human bodies allows for bacteria to evolve and surpass the antibiotic effect. This is troubling, and it is particularly mind-boggling to learn that "Seventy percent of all health-care related infections in the U.S. are resistant to at least one antibiotic, Murphy said, which already costs the nation's health care system $50 billion a year..." and "one antibiotic resistant infection, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), now kills more Americans each year than HIV-AIDS." 
       I've never even heard of this issue in antibiotics--and I read the news almost every day! If all of this is true, then America needs to hear more about it. I'm honestly curious to how the intake of meat is affecting my OWN ability to fight bacteria. 

Puff Culture: How American Cigarette Advertising Has Changed Over the Decades to Appeal to the Modern Audience

Clark had spent the last four hours on his feet. His hair slicked back and dress shirt unbuttoned half-way down his chest, he had managed to balance a glass of Jim Beam and Pop while he danced the night away. After the last Buddy Holly song was over, Clark leaned up against the wall and surveyed the room. After an odd minute, he had succeeded in catching the glimpse of Ella’s beautiful blue eyes. With poised fingers, he motioned for her to abandon her place on the leather couch and follow him to the balcony—which was now empty. As the pair embraced each other, Clark pulled a fancy red container from his pocket, and emptied the contents into his palm. “Pall Mall” read two finely-roled cigarettes. Ella leaned back into the warmth of his arms, as smoke slowly seeped out of their mouths into the crisp October night air. As Clark played with a lock of Ella’s dazzling blonde hair, he flicked a speck of cigarette ash over the ledge. Life couldn’t possibly be any sweeter.

            Seems like the stereotypical 1950’s cigarette commercial, huh? Although this gem was never an actual advertisement, it embodies the classic marketing strategy that caused so many people to take up smoking. Throughout the years, cigarette use has been a very common activity. The 20^th century always saw Jonny Cash and Keith Richards with a lit cigarette in their mouths, and our generation sees the likes of Jonny Depp and Jay Lo walking around with a little white cylinder dangling. When you think cigarette, you might imagine a French model smoking from a fancy white “Cruella de Vil” extension, or perhaps a guy on a Harley-Davidson wearing a sleek leather jacket holding a pack of Marlboro Reds. But cigarettes have become so prevalent that you see college students heaving in the next dose of nicotine on their way to class. Whatever the generation, advertising strategies like the one above have influenced people of all ages to indulge in the little white tobacco-filled tube. Although modern times have exposed the health risks of smoking to the public, it appears that even the strongest of anti-tobacco protests have failed to completely eliminate cigarette use.

            Although the consistency of cigarettes has seen very few changes, marketing strategies have evolved greatly throughout the years to appeal to a changing audience. Our generation has become increasingly aware of the dangers of cigarette additives, and anti-smoking Television commercials show shocking images of cancer survivors having to speak through a robotic simulated voice. To better understand what kind of advertising tactics cigarette companies have employed throughout the years, we’re going to take a look at two popular advertisements; an old 1953 Pall Mall advertisement, and a 2007 American Spirit promotion.

            After taking a look at the Pall Mall poster, it sure doesn’t look like a scene from the PGA tour. For one, those golfers look far more interested in their cigarettes than in golfing. And that’s not Tiger Woods you see there in the drawing—and if it was, well…he sure would have a bad taste in cigarettes.  But to a person in the 1950’s, this poster was probably a depiction of a great time on the golf course. The people depicted are neatly-groomed and Caucasian, and their expensive golfing attire suggests that this ad was targeted at a wealthier audience. Aside from this detailed drawing, there are some aspects of the poster that really jump out at you. Firstly, the poster designer uses bold, red font to outline slogans/catchphrases as well as vivid illustrations to capture the reader’s attention. In addition, the simplistic way the slogans and descriptions are worded makes the product seem much more appealing.

"Discover a Smoothness, Mildness, and Satisfaction No Other Cigarette Offers You…There is no substitute for Pall Mall--the finest quality money can buy…The cigarette that changed America's smoking habits". What strikes you in this conglomeration of advertising slogans? Perhaps for the modern audience, nothing at all. Its just another advertising scheme for a cigarette brand that is trying to popularize itself in the market among dozens of other cigarette brands. Without proof, how could we possibly know that Pall Mall cigarettes are truly mild, smooth, and satisfying? Perhaps in the 1950’s, when smoking was as commonplace as chewing gum, you would just have to give the little red pack a try. Through the descriptions on the poster, Pall Mall is trying to infer that they are the best cigarette brand out there. I mean, look at the drawing. Don’t those golfers look amazed by the product? And the classy bold font against the Pall Mall-red background definitely catches the reader’s eye. For all you smokers out there—have you ever smoked a cigarette that had you coughing up hairballs and burned out too quickly? Smoking Pall Mall cigarettes will give you the ultimate smoking experience; irritation free, and maybe even cancer free. After all, these cigarettes are the finest money can buy—and I don’t see any surgeon’s warning on that poster.

Our generation is becoming increasingly green-minded. Although we’re not ready to give up our gas-guzzling tanks quite yet, technological advances along with a focus on climate mitigation has brought upon a movement that encourages people to decrease their carbon footprint. Many appliances you buy nowadays come with an energy star rating, college campuses are starting to rebuild in accordance with LEDA standards, and the government is offering monetary incentives to trade in your inefficient vehicle for a compact fuel economy rock star. And American Spirit, a cigarette company that is just now becoming popular (especially among hipsters) offers further green incentive to switch your tobacco loyalties. Written on the poster in tobacco-colored letters says “ITS ONLY NATURAL.” It’s the first thing you see when you look at the poster, and honestly it summarizes the entirety of it. American Spirit says the reason it is better is because their offices are run on wind power, and their growing practices are environmentally-friendly and organic. This differs from the more common advertisement in that it targets a certain audience—a modern audience that is aware of our changing planet. And switching to American Spirit can seem like a no-brainer; if you’re going to smoke, you might as well smoke something that is chemical-free and leaves a smaller impact on our world. And if you’re 21 years of age, you can get up to $20 dollars’ worth of gift certificates—that’s 4 free packs of cigarettes (for all you non-smokers).

An aspect of advertising not to overlook is the presentation of the cigarettes themselves; their packaging, and their look. The Pall Mall container has an extremely genuine design, with a majestic-looking crest that has crowned Lions and a suit of armor on it, the latin phrase “In Hoc Signo Vinces” (which Wikipedia tells me is the expression Constantine used when he decided to bear the Cross), and the unmistakable white lettering with cherry red background. Presentation is everything, and I think the brand presents a very classy design. By the cross alone, the brand could easily be mistaken for a noble family instead of a cigarette brand. American Spirit comes in a variety of compact colored containers, depending on the type of tobacco you prefer. Their greatest appeal, however, is their Native American symbol. A muscular-looking Indian is presented wearing a headdress and smoking a massive cigarette, silhouetted by a beautiful rising sun. Living on a continent that was once exclusively populated by Native Americans, it is extremely uncommon to see one of these guys walking around (especially in Native garb). Rather ironically, American settlers oppressed Native Americans and forced them onto reservations, but nowadays, there is a nostalgic feeling associated with our Tomahawk-wielding friends. Throughout the years, there have been a number of movies and novels about the old civilization that have peaked our imagination. I know for a fact that I dressed up as an ‘Indian Chief’ for Halloween one year, and I consider “The Last of the Mohicans” to be one of the best movies ever made.

The American Spirit promotion differs greatly from the 1953 Pall Mall ad in that there is a standard surgeon’s general warning included at the bottom. Nearly sixty years after Pall Mall popularized their brand, we are now aware that smoking is bad for our health. But if you look at the matter in black and white, some people just aren’t ready to give up their tobacco—and this factor may never change. If you’ve ever been a smoker, you know that Pall Mall cigarettes are cheap to buy and are revolting in taste. But on the other side, American Spirit cigarettes are over-priced and (in my opinion) too strong in taste.

But there you have it, readers of Whatever magazine—the advertising strategies of two world-famous cigarette brands dissected in a nut shell. Please remember that by no means am I encouraging the use of cigarettes. In fact, smoking has become a huge problem among America’s youth, and it really makes me wonder about the severity of lung, mouth, and throat problems that many will experience in the near future. If you have any comments or questions regarding this article, please send me an email or catch me at my guest lecture next week. Its…whatever!

Fear Factories Response

       Matthew Scully takes an alternative perspective on animal cruelty and factory farming to appeal to the conservative crowd. A self-proclaimed conservative, Scully begins the article by saying that he at first saw the factory farming issue as a very minor problem. He says that PETA activists and other prominent animal rights groups have the viewpoint that human beings have an obligation to treat animals humanely. The author makes the argument that this is incorrect, and is objectionable especially by a religious and conservative crowd. Instead, Scully makes the point that "Human beings in their moral progress learn to appraise things correctly, using reasoned moral judgment to perceive a prior order not of our devising" (110). In other words, it is not our obligation to treat animals humanely. But many conservatives simply ignore the issue, as the one conservative who told the author "I don't want to know". It is instead just and charitable for us to treat animals fairly; human kind is kind by nature, and it is only right to direct our altruism and compassion to animals as well as other human beings.

Proposed Advertisement Analysis

I would like to analyze the discrepancies between two advertisements for major cigarette brands; American Spirit and Pall Mall. The images are from different time periods; the Pall Mall cigarette ad is from 1953, while the American Spirit ad is a recent one featured in several mainstream magazines such as “Rolling Stone”.  Although I am unsure where the Pall Mall ad was originally featured, I imagine that it could have been posted in a popular magazine as well. I own an original copy of this advertisement, and I actually have it framed on my wall. It would probably be good to find a modern Pall Mall ad to compare the antique one to, however; Pall Mall reached its peak in the 1960’s, and is not a popular cigarette nowadays—there was no good modern advertisement that would possibly compare. The American Spirit advertisement is similar to the antique Pall Mall one in that they both use false, unsubstantiated logic in their descriptions.

The Pall Mall ad is unique in that it is more artful and makes the claim that Pall Mall cigarettes are smoother and milder. The poster depicts upper class golfers joyfully offering each other cigarettes, as well as a sophisticated looking gentleman surveying the cigarette in his hand followed by biased descriptions of the smoking experience. The font is bold and professional looking, and the red theme of the poster contrasts greatly with the black and white drawings. I also find the American Spirit advertisement to be unique in that it appeals to the modern audience by presenting their cigarettes as organic and environmentally friendly. There are images of “natural” things depicted on the poster such as renewable wind turbines and sunflowers, and the mascot of the brand (a Native American) also gives the audience a feeling of the purity and naturalness of the product. The strategies used in marketing both brands are quite different, and also reflect the values of the audience in each respective time period. 

My Post Secret Card

       The "post secret" card I made had a picture of Don Draper from the popular show "Mad Men" with the words "Who am I anyway?" written in red sparkly letters surrounding his face. Although only Mad Men viewers would truly understand the significance of this card, I believe anybody could gain a certain understanding of the meaning. The man depicted is a confidant business man with his hair perfectly groomed, a calm expression on his face, wearing an expensive business suit. The written phrase implies that Don Draper is undergoing a crisis of identity- perhaps he does not enjoy his occupation, or he is his hiding his true identity.
       In the show, Donald Draper is one of the most successful business men in America. He is a partner of a innovative advertising agency, has dozens of employees at his command, has a seemingly perfect family and lavish home, and has the finest liquor and cigarettes always in stock in his office. Although it appears to the viewer that Don Draper has the perfect balanced life, it is not actually so. He is unhappy with his marriage and has many sexual encounters with other women (and often his clients), he is unable to devote equivalent attention to his children and family as he does to his job, and we later come to find out that his past is different than it appears. His father was an adulterer and impregnated a prostitute (his mother), his step mother hated him growing up, he was given a purple heart in combat as a result of an accident he caused, and following the war, he changed his identity to start his life from a clean slate.
       The bold red words and their placement around Don Draper's sullen face provides a bold suggestion that he  is undergoing an identity crisis. The broken pocket watch in the top right hand corner is an indication that Draper is lost in time, and is unable to find himself.

Magazine Ad 3

Source: http://www.treehugger.com/wwf-ad-fish-head.jpg

Target Audience: all Americans, particularly those that are ignorant about climate change and its looming dangers to human kind.

Product: An opportunity to save the planet/our lifestyle

The reader needs to take become informed about the affects of climate change, and therefore become more involved in climate mitigation. It is implied that if the reader does not help create change in America, then human kind will evolve to a hotter earth taken up mostly by the ocean. Human appearance will become more fish/amphibian-like, as our lives will probably involve living in/around the water. The strategy used is to shock the reader- nobody wants to look like this guy (fish).

Magazine Ad 2

Source 1: http://officeroom.org/uploads/posts/2010-07/1279833104_s16.jpg
Target Audience: recently married young women/homemakers who are presented with the task of impressing their man with a great meal.

Product: Schlitz Beer

The consumer, particularly younger married women, need to purchase Schlitz beer for their man in order to either offset a poorly-cooked meal, or just make them happy in general. As a result of purchasing Schlitz beer, poor cooking skills can be offset with the availability of a refreshing cold beer.

Magazine Ad 1

Source 1: http://azharkamar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/funny-ads-braun-2.jpg

Target Audience: All males, particularly older men who need to shave regularly/trim hair and keep up with their appearance.

Product: Braun hair trimmer

The consumer needs the Braun hair trimmer to go from having a horrendous hairstyle to a well-kept hairdo. The product will bring out the "human" in every man, and make him look handsome and confidant- even in older age. As a result of purchasing the Braun trimmer, every man will be able to tremendously transform their appearance.