Elevator Pitch Proposal – Ben & Jerry’s Circle of Life Advertisement

 

With climate change and sustainability becoming exceedingly important issues for our generation, it is no surprise that corporations such as Ben & Jerry’s are working through campaigns such as the one above to convey their commitment to these causes to consumers. While it is generally a commonplace for people to think that most large corporations “only care about money” and have no concern for the environment, Ben & Jerry’s is clearly trying to shift this commonplace. The advertisement notes that they are “working daily throughout our operations to reduce our footprint”, establishing their ethos as a company that values impact over profit. They further convey credibility by promising to report their progress annually. Furthermore, the advertisement appeals to our pathos when it describes the company as a one that cares about our communities, earth, and individual customers. The visual imagery of different hands grasping a globe above the caption evokes a deep emotional sense of community and brotherhood. Next, the nature of the advertisement as one that connects multiple captions and pictures together establishes its logos, or the coherent message the company seeks to portray. Namely, a circular diagram is illustrated that connects the company’s love and care for its customers and community to the ethical manner in which it gathers ingredients to the ecologically efficient manner in which it produces its food. The ideas flow smoothly from one source to the next in establishing the overall message of a company that truly cares about the social implications of their actions, not just the financial ones. Such a campaign to demonstrate social/environmental consciousness to consumers is not just confined to Ben & Jerry’s, but exists as a part of a larger shift in American corporate culture that has occurred over the past few years. While corporations were once seen as impersonal agents only concerned with dominating others in the free market, advertisements such as this demonstrate a shift towards valuing social engagement as a way to connect with issues that consumers care about.

Passion Blog #2 – Review of Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Recently, I finished re-reading one of my new favorite novels, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. From the beginning pages to the end, the reader is immersed in a dystopian future that exaggerates the potential of genetic engineering, medicine, and mass production to cultivate a society that is “always happy”, but at the same time enslaved. While similar in nature to 1984 in the sense that it depicts a perceivably irremovable totalitarian regime, the tactics of each regime are entirely different. While the Oceanic government in 1984 is brutal and oppressive, the government in Brave New World encourages indulgence and vice as a way to control the population by their base appetites. Namely, Huxley develops the idea of controlling and enslaving citizens through their passions and instincts.

One major motif in Brave New World that conveys how human desire can be used as a method of control is the consumption of Soma, a euphoric and hallucinogenic drug. The ubiquitous substance is given to workers in daily rations that can either be used manufacture a slight high or a “holiday”, where one is only semi-conscious for an extended period of time. Soma is uniformly considered an immediate cure for any problem one may face, or a way to enhance one of the many recreational activities the population is encouraged to engage in. Ironically, it is the use of this drug that “the Savage”, a character from a tribal reservation that is brought back to “civilization” in the name of scientific experimentation, takes the biggest problem with. His mother Linda becomes addicted to the euphoria of the drug when taken back to “civilization” and is allowed to essentially overdose by her doctor. Even while the use of Soma does not result in an overdose for most people in the society, it represents how their sense of pleasure and happiness has been confined to a substance that they are reliant upon.

Another major motif in Brave New World that connects control with allowing the indulgence of passions is in the encouragement of promiscuity and prohibiting monogamy. The employment of genetic engineering in Brave New World, which applies Henry Ford’s mass production techniques to biological reproduction, excludes the need for sex as a means of reproduction. Marriage and childbearing are hence considered taboo, as well as real relationships and romanticism. Promiscuity is not only a social suggestion but also strictly enforced, as those with too few partners or those who sleep with the same person for a while may fall under the suspicion of the government. Similar to Soma, this aspect of “civilization” is heavily scrutinized by “the Savage” who desires marriage with Lenina, a girl he is heavily attracted to. His intention to develop a real relationship with her and avoid fornication confuses her, and eventually leads him to be fully ostracized by those around him. Widespread promiscuity keeps the population complacent to their desires and ensures the success of the genetic engineering apparatus, but it prevents them form experiencing any of the true happiness associate with marriage and real relationship.

Passion Blog #1 – Brainstorming Possible Topics

One interest I have, that I believe would make a good topic for my blog, is reviewing and analyzing books that I am either reading or have previously read. I thoroughly enjoy reading good books and especially classics such as “Great Gatsby”, “1984”, “Brave New World”, and “To Kill a Mockingbird”. I also enjoy reading a broad variety of nonfiction books covering topics from finance to religion. I think that a blog where I dove deeper into the motifs, themes, and applications of some of these books I enjoyed would allow me to not only strengthen my own perspective of what I believe the author was conveying, but also share this view with others.

Another possible topic for my blog would be to write about gymnastics. As a gymnast at Penn State, I have years of experience in training, competition, and watching/analyzing gymnastics. It is a major passion of mine and it could be interesting for me to share some of my knowledge about a sport that generally most people know very little about. While gymnastics itself is a very broad topic, I could do posts such as explaining how I learned a certain skill, explaining how the scoring system works, or reflecting on the results of a recent important competition.

RCL blog #1 – Analyzing Commonplaces in a Political Message by Joe Biden

Addressing concerns surrounding the economy is an especially important priority to the Biden administration right now given the events of the past year. Record levels of inflation combined with recessionary fears has prompted a political climate increasingly skeptical to the administration’s plans to cope with these challenges, only heightening the importance of carefully chosen rhetoric in Biden’s messaging. In a recent video address that was uploaded to his official YouTube channel (which can be viewed here:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/G5Gb3hoM0ag), Biden justified his administration’s previous policies through the commonplace of “helping working Americans and the middle class”. A strong solidarity with the middle and working classes is extremely prevalent in American culture, regardless of political ideology or affiliation. One only needs to see a glimpse of Trump’s rhetoric on the 2016 campaign trail to see that he similarly identified as one who would “fight” for the American middle class against large corporations, the “political establishment”, and global interest groups. Hence, it is a politically clever move for Biden to cultivate the current American sentiment towards support for the middle class as a way to show the good intentions of his administration’s previous fiscal policy initiatives. Biden admits that while inflation may have been an externality from his small business loans and individual payment programs, they were necessary for the survival of the middle class during a pandemic that was particularly challenging for this group. In this sense, Joe Biden cleverly uses the rhetorical situation of an American public worried about the economy to assure them of his commitment towards the middle class, a popular commonplace. This advertisement relates to two of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, namely “Decent Work and Economic Growth” as well as “Reduced Inequalities”. Biden, in this speech, attempted to demonstrated his “ethos” as a president committed to fixing long term inequalities for the American middle class and unconcerned about temporary inflation.