Response Paper
Response Paper
Messner’s article focuses on outlining the relationship between the consumption of alcohol and modern men’s sport. The central argument in this exposition is that beer and liquor play a critical role in the vicious cycle involving sports, hegemonic masculinity, and alcohol (Messner & de Oca, 2005). On the other hand, Schlosser’s article talks about the American fast food business with particular emphasis on MacDonald’s. The article also describes the relationship that existed between Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s, and Walt Disney, founder of the Disney empire. The article assesses the proliferative growth of fast food businesses in America, with McDonald’s being used as the chief example. The central argument in this paper is that the fast food business is mainly focused on corporate growth even it comes at a cost to the customer, especially children (Schlosser, 2001).
These central arguments are similar since they both convey the same message. In both articles, the authors argue that the corporate world is primarily focused on profits at the cost of the health and livelihood of their customers. In Messner’s article, the author states that beer and liquor advertisements are mainly focused on promoting the desirability of alcohol instead of teaching customers about the qualities of the products (Messner & de Oca, 2005). In Schlosser’s article, the author describes the relentless campaigns of fast food chains such as McDonald’s and Coca-Cola to reach their customers (Schlosser, 2001). According to the author, these campaigns rarely spell out the adverse health effects of these products to customers. The main difference between these arguments lies in the fact that Messner’s article focuses on the impact of alcohol on modern male sports while Schlosser’s article addresses the effect of fast foods on the well-being of American children.
In both articles, the authors raise common themes such as corporate greed and modernity. In Messner’s article, corporate greed features heavily in the advertisements conducted by beer and liquor companies. These advertisements are primarily focused on promoting the tropes of masculinity without highlighting the adverse effects of these products on the customers (Messner & de Oca, 2005). In Schlosser’s article, fast food chains are willing to do anything to reach their customers, including organizing campaigns in schools (Schlosser, 2001). Hence, both articles bring out the aspect of corporate greed whereby companies are geared towards making profits irrespective of the negative effects of their products on the consumer. Additionally, both articles reveal the negative effects of modernity. Innovations that come with modernity such as the Internet have made it easier for businesses to bombard their customers with misleading information to make more profits. For instance, McDonald’s uses its website to gain personal consumer information from children without parental approval (Schlosser, 2001). In Messner’s article, the author supposes that the influence of alcohol is more apparent in modern male sports than ever before.
Commentary
Both articles bring out an interesting aspect of the business world that has been around for years. This aspect is the fact that the corporate world is primarily geared towards making profits and is willing to do anything to realize this goal. The American food industry, in particular, is notorious for adding harmful additives such as artificial flavoring to its products. Nevertheless, food companies continue to market their products vigorously to consumers who are unaware of the health effects of these commodities. Companies such as ConAgra Foods have been implicated in the use of harmful ingredients in their food products (Schlosser, 2001). These revelations show the extensive greed for profits that is prevalent in the current corporate environment. This greed is excellently captured in the two articles by Messner and Schlosser.
References
Messner, M., & de Oca, J. (2005). The Male Consumer as Loser: Beer and Liquor Ads in Mega Sports Media Events. Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 30(3), 1879-1909.
Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
