The Whole Picture

I absolutely adore Whole Foods Market, so it’s quite a shame the prices usually steer me towards cheaper alternatives; however, I was lucky enough to have my sister come through town this weekend on business.  After a run around Town Lake she offered to treat me to dinner, and so I decided to continue with the healthy trend (as well as the fact that I knew I had an assignment due this week).  I have been there on many occasions, so I already knew I was attracted to the store, but I had never truly contemplated why.  I realized that almost everything from the store I chose to put in my body would be healthy, but there had to be more subliminal forces at work.  First, I noticed the not so subtle word choice used on signs.  Whether for entire areas of the store, or just for individual items, the descriptions are never as simplistic as “Potatoes” or “Deli Section”.  At Whole Foods the signs read “Organic Rustic Potatoes” and “Natural Meat and Poultry,” and they aren’t just “Chicken Nuggets”; they feel the need to specify their wholesomeness by adding “Breast” to the title.  I’m sure I buy into this technique though.  Diction is terrifically important in argument, whether it is simply informative, as the signs are, or persuasive, as in a debate.  Through other information on their well crafted signs and other descriptive plaques, they establish ethos in the consumers’ eyes.  By certifying where fruits and vegetables are from, as well as especially identifying local produce, the store gains credibility, as customers view how the company is seeking to support local growers, help the environment, and add uniqueness (as well as justification for high prices) to a nondescript piece of fruit.  Another detail I noticed as I walked with my sister towards the “Prepared Foods” section was organization in the store, and in particular organization by association, a powerful argumentative strategy.  By placing mushrooms in the midst of moss and logs, the store knows one will not be able to separate the two.  One will see the two together and think how fresh, organic, and natural the mushrooms must be.  By placing wine next to certain cheeses, the store appeals to consumers’ knowledge that the two blend together beautifully, and how decadent they are as a pair.  The company of course hopes the consumer will feel obligated to buy both as a consequence.  At this point in browsing I was distracted from my task at hand by the food laying in clear view, and felt compelled to grab a box by the pound meal to enjoy with my sister.

Everything in Moderation

When reading through the first few chapters of “Everything’s an Argument,” one small detail stuck out in my mind more vividly than any one particular mode of argumentation developed by the authors.  At the end of each section, which is generally devoted to a single tactic to be employed within arguments, the authors immediately advise against the overuse of each such strategy.  Two tactics that can be carelessly implemented are humor and emotional appeals.  Both are meant to be used in moderation, and even then only in very specific situations.  In the brilliant stand-up by Jim Gaffigan, in his argument against Hot Pockets, he relies almost solely on humor.  In this particular venue, this is to be expected however.  He is a comedian, and therefore he loses no credibility by cracking jokes throughout his argument on this less than serious topic.  Food is an area where humor is likely to be employed with little caution, as most people do not hold especially strong beliefs about it (although more and more people seem interested in such areas concerning it as animal treatment).  A presidential candidate in a debate is an entirely different story.  Humor may be used sparingly to break the tension between candidates, but if a candidate attempts to use too much he will overshadow serious issues, and thus lose ethos in the eyes of his supporters.  Emotional appeals must also be treated with the utmost care.  I refer once again to presidential candidates in a debate.  If a candidate is to quickly relate an important issue to a personal experience, it can really draw in viewers emotionally; however, if they frequent such a tactic that audience begins to feel quite like a gigantic puppet, as talked about in the book.  An informed viewer does not like being pulled around by their heartstrings.  The topic of this blog applies well both literally and figuratively to food as well.  Food is both meant to be eaten in moderation, and tactics of argumentation surrounding it should be as well. 

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