TOW #25 (TEXT)- The Drinking Age Is Past Its Prime by Camille Paglia

Ever since the legalization of recreational marijuana in certain American states, the public eye has shifted from alcohol policy to that of pot. Following the public, many teens have also shifted from alcohol abuse to much harder drugs like "Molly", meth, etc. In her article, "The Drinking Age is Past its Prime" Camille Paglia discusses the bad effects of this shift and proposes that the drinking age of 21 in America should be reduced. In order to convince her audience that the drinking age should be changed, Paglia uses anecdotes, and the dangers of harder drugs in order to create a logical argument for the change in drinking age. Paglia refers to the fact that in other nations, drinking at 18 is normal because at this age, people are taught how to handle alcohol. She mentions how in her Italian-American culture, "children were given sips of my grandfather’s home-made wine. This civilized practice descends from antiquity," This personal anecdote shows readers how in other cultures, alcohol is not seen as complete taboo, but rather a part of growing up. In this way, Paglia tries to demonstrate how if children can sip wine, then 18 year olds should be able to drink responsibly. By using this anecdote, readers understand that alcohol is not as criminal as society has made it, and therefore we should reduce the age limit. One of the main arguments Paglia makes is the fact that with such an old age restriction on drinking, kids are starting to turn to much more harmful, untested drugs. She writes, " Club drugs — Ecstasy, methamphetamine, ketamine (a veterinary tranquilizer) — surged at raves for teenagers and on the gay male circuit scene." This quote shows that with the high alcohol age, kids are actually having a much worse effect on the "harmless" alcohol. I think that by showing the repercussions of the high alcohol age, the readers realize that the drinking age indeed has caused problems and therefore a change may be required. Overall, I think Paglia does a great job in forwarding her purpose in formulating a strong argument to change the drinking age from 21 to 18. By using anecdotes, and comparing alcohol usage to much harder drugs, Paglia appeals to the readers' sense of logos, and furthermore makes a valid argument. 

IRB Intro Post #4- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner

   For the next 4 weeks, I have chosen to read, "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. This book brings new light to somewhat boring topics and reveals hidden aspects about them. The book essentially targets how we study the relationships that underlie the events and problems that we encounter and hear about every day. The book is broken down into chapters in which the authors take topics such as comparing education to sumo wrestlers, and the economics of drug cartels and simply analyze them. I was recommended this book last summer and although I read the start of it a bit, I did not finish it because I didn't have the time to read it. Looking back, the book was very interesting and therefore I thought it would make for a great TOW. Since I am very interesting in business and economics, I think that reading about "Freakonomics" would be a great choice for an IRB. By reading this book I hope to gain a better understanding of the way the world works, get insight into economics, and expose myself to a different type of non-fiction book. Moreover, I hope to expose myself to a new genre, and learn about economics from reading this book.

TOW 24 (IRB): Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Having just finished Malcolm Gladwell's Blink, I now understand the true way in which Gladwell crafts his books. Gladwell intricately bombards the reader with a plethora of examples and scenarios in order to get across his theory of "thin-slicing". Gladwell's entire purpose in writing this book is to forward his idea of "thin-slicing" and making it accepted amongst his readers. Since thin slicing is a relatively unknown theory, Gladwell uses his anecdotes and examples to make the theory as relatable as possible to the variety of readers that compose his audience. Gladwells examples range from commanding the US Marine Corps in Vietnam to diagnosing heart attacks at a hospital. Since most of the book is made of anecdotes, the main, if not the only, rhetorical device Gladwell uses is his utilization of various examples. Gladwell, in using a variety of anecdotes, is able to target all spectrums of his audience and not those who already understand the theory. By using examples, he makes the complex simple, and as a result a layperson like myself can understand his theory. In my opinion, I think Gladwell's style of writing makes his book very relatable and in-depth. As a result, I think Gladwell achieves his purpose of forwarding the thin-slicing theory, and persuading his readers that his theory has validity to it. While I have yet to read Gladwell's first book, The Outliers, since I have thoroughly enjoyed this book, I will be sure to check out his others.