Lauren Berlant was able to effectively present her argument using a variety of rhetorical strategies including ethos, logos, pathos, and repetition among others. She made this chapter convincing to me, as I found it very interesting to read about obesity as a symptom from the exhaustion experienced by the trials of just living and working day in and day out. I have known that eating is a pleasurable activity that people engage in for many, many reasons. Such is the idea behind eating at celebratory events, "comfort foods", and turning to a pint of ice cream after a bad exam. I found myself being able to relate to a lot of the things the author mentions about stress, the compelling responsibility of being an adult, the need to be constantly efficient and productive, and wanting to just keep eating constantly. I have experienced the exhaustion she talks about, and there are many weeks in the semester when I feel like I am just working for the weekend. The most common enjoyable moments during my day is when I can just be brainless, like when I get to watch TV and also admittedly when I am eating. It really is an escape, and although I still make conscious decisions about what I eat, I can definitely see how over a long time people develop obesity and the health related problems that come with this habit of mindless eating. The solution the author offered in the text was not really one that was very probable of achieving. It involved completely changing the dynamics of capitalism and working based means of living. This solution being seemingly impossible made the current and future situation of this epidemic a little depressingly hopeless. It was also powerful to point out how this affects different classes, races, the "privileged", and how it relates to moral judgements in health.
I was a bit confused with Lauren Berlant's argument. She states at the beginning that "this chapter considers obesity as an effect of people's attachment to life" (26). It made since when she continued to say "eating provides a kind of rest for the exhausted self, an interruption of being good, conscious, and intentional that feels like a relief" (Berlant 26). However, she lost me when she started talking about sovereignty. I didn't see how that was applied to obesity. I did understand her basic argument, which is already known today, that people eat because it feels good, or that they eat because they feel a certain way. There is a correlation between eating and emotion. She kept mentioning the word "feeling" or "feel" and put it in italics usually, so it made sense that her argument was about feeling and the exhausted self not having time. On the other hand, I see it somewhat related to the Biggest Loser episode. The trainers kept repeating that this was the season of no excuses. Some of the contestants mentioned time or they just couldn't control themselves. Some of these excuses I saw reflected in the chapter by Berlant. After looking over both arguments, both demonstrate that throughout the day your energy is drained, leaving you to be vulnerable to your feelings and habits.
The Biggest Loser video was pretty eye opening. Their motto, "no excuses" was the part of the video that hit close to home for me. I find myself constantly battling this same thing in my mind. I know I have to work out, but studying and homework always seems to come first. I always argue with myself on the idea that I can always wok out tomorrow, I can't always study tomorrow when I have a limited amount of time to study for a test. I think this is something that many college students face when being on their own. It is hard to find that balance between a social life, studying, and trying to exercise. When watching this video I was laying in my bed and all I could think about the need I felt to work out. I think The Biggest Loser inspires a wide range of people. It allows more overweight individuals to relate to the people on the show and at the same time it resonates in people who are somewhat active as well. If the people on the show can work out than there is no reason why I shouldn’t be. It saddened me to see how low self-esteem many contestants have on this show. One woman confessed she couldn't even look at herself in the mirror. The stigma our society as places on obesity is terrible. Not only are many being looked at negatively for being overweight, their view of themselves personally is often one of no hope and disgust. I love that The Biggest Loser was created and I hope that it inspires people to continue their path to living a healthier lifestyle.
As a college student, I found Laura Berlant's argument obesity as a symptom from being exhausted and not having enough time on your hands to be extremely convincing. As the episode of the Biggest Loser expressed, the majority of the individuals there claimed their excuse was due to lack of time and lack of motivation. I had read Berlant's article first and saw that many of the reasons she claimed people become obese was expressed within the episode, especially how obesity "looks at how exhaustion shaped the reproduction of life at home and at work" (Berlant 26). A lot of these individuals had huge families at home, and therefore used lack of time, expense of organic food, and exhaustion as excuses. I agree with Nesa that the solution Berlant gave, although explicitly detailed, was not a very probable one; however, the simple, to-the-point solution the trainers gave, "no excuses" was actually very effective. I also agree with Ashley that I'm ALWAYS making excuses for myself and these trainers really inspire a much wider audience than Berlant. On a side note, I also thought that David Harvey's definition of sickness under capitalism as "the inability to work" was very truthful (Berlant 30). I cannot even count the number of times my dad or my sister have taken medicine just to make it through a day of work or I have dragged myself to campus just so I can get credit for going to a class when I just want to roll over and die. It's shocking how unhealthy we treat our bodies just so we can make it to that one day or work or that one day of school when our health is so much more important.
I've always been a fan of The Biggest Loser. This season is just as good as any other I have watched! Showing people with different backgrounds and stories all coming together to work hard for their common goal of a healthy weight is really inspiring to me. I think it's a great show that definitely motivates me when watching it. I think it also brings awareness to how dangerous being overweight can be to your health, like that man's heart condition, for example. I think making this a competitive show and also having the contestants compete against themselves each week is a good example on simply doing it for yourself. I agree with Ashley that the motto "no excuses" for this season is very empowering and a good saying to keep in mind when trying to find excuses not to exercise or eat healthy. I can also relate to this when i'm tired, have homework, or am busy, but making time to exercise is one of the most important things in one's life if you think about it. If you aren't healthy you cannot do the other things. I also understood why the players on the show want to better themselves for their families and I think that this show works to put healthy lives and losing weight into a positive light for Americans.
I have watched the biggest loser a couple times prior to this class and have always found it to be very empowering and motivational. The way the go about changing these people lives and lifestyles is pretty incredible. It is really so sad that people let themselves get so out of hand and overweight and have to go on shows like these in order to regain their health. Every contestant was well aware that something needed to change in their life or had a goal or reason that they wanted to turn their life around; which I think is key for this program to work. I agree with Abbey that the motto "no excuses" for this season is a great one. It is so true and perfect for people who are having a rough time and want to quit or give up at any given moment. There are no excuses for anything in life... its more of someone being lazy and unwilling. Since being over weight has become such a major issue in the United States I think this show is a great way to show people who are going down that path that your life could be like the people on the show eventually. It is a very encouraging program but you have to be a strong person to be able to handle an experience like that as well as the need to WANT to lose weight so bad that you are willing to go through the hardship.
Lauren Berlant did a good job at addressing the complex elements that humans deal with in there everyday life. Explaining the "different kinds of explanation for the epidemic of overfeeding that has engendered "obesity" as a word we hear every day (Berlant 26). I honestly though Berlant was going to argue about how to live a good life and explain how some fast food are the increase in American obesity etc. I want to mention that Berlant style of writing was very appealing and convincing. I like her organization though out the chapter, how in the first two pages she was informing what she will not focus on and radar she would do the opposite by “eliminating bodily sigma”. Then though the next two pages her ethos is what made me like her ideas more. She used Harvey’s idea in order to pint out what humans have to deal with in everyday life, how we “must work to live, but we must do whatever we need to do, including stay sick, in order to work”.Therefore making me think that human actions and by the way the economy is form, is the reason why we create these so call bad decisions (of eating) in order to just get though the day. One of my favorite line Berlant wore was how she mentioned, “we are forced to ask whether we can even imagine this world as a world organized for health”. I took that as how are people whom are not able to afford a healthy life style can manage to live as a healthy human. As she questioned “why it is so hard to intervene in the areas of appetites and pleasure without doing a lot of damage to the population most in crisis”(Berlant 33). Watching the first episode of “The Biggest Loser” I noticed how mostly all the contestants reason of being overweight was due to EXCUSES and the lack of time to themselves. By reading Berlant’s chapter made me see how their actions in everyday life was effecting them physically and mentally.
As many have stated above, I was thoroughly convinced with the part of Berlant's argument that stresses eating as a result of exhaustion. However, it was difficult to grasp the idea of sovereignty behind obesity. I wish she had stated more simply what she was trying to convey. After the "exhaustion" I felt from other schoolwork and life in general, I wasn't able to digest her style of writing didn't very well.
As for "The Biggest Loser", I was so enraged after watching the show. People were literally passing out, losing their memory and throwing up their guts on the FIRST day of the show. I agree the average weight these contestants were at is not very healthy. Of course I don't say this simply because they are large, but morbid obesity (like 400 lbs) can have detrimental health effects including arterial plaque, disease in the liver, and so much more. I feel that this show was obviously intended for entertainment purposes, and that in order for program to be healthier, there should have been a more gradual transition from their everyday lives to fitness and working out. Someone who hasn't lifted a single toe in their lives will not suddenly be able to run a marathon. It's meant to be a gradual process that they incorporate into their daily lifestyles.
I agree with everyone else about the clarity of Berlant's argument regarding obesity being the result of exhaustion of life and that our bodily lives are shaped significantly by the demands of work. I also specifically liked the statement: "Knowledge is not really power where the appetites are concerned." It makes me think about the obese audience of "The Big Loser", and question whether or not they are motivated by the show to lose the extra weight and become "healthier". I have to admit that the show is very engaging. I found myself cheering for the participants; however, I was furious that the trainers made them go through so much and even accused one of the girls of "fake-puking" when obviously other participants were vomiting due to the intense pressure. Losing about 15 pounds a week sounds so "unhealthy" to me; yet the show is using health to attract its audience, and it has been very successful so far.
This week's reading and the video were very interesting. Firt of all, Lauren Berlant's arguement that obesity is a result of fatigue from life, from being good and responsible is a convincing one. Because, I am also one of the people who eat to let out the stress from the work I do. Before I came to America to study abroad, I had a lot of things to do. I had to apply for study abroad program, I had to do my schoolwork, I had my job, and I was really stressed. After my daily schedule is done, I am tired, but still I hung out with friends. We ate hanging out, and I gained a lot because I ate late at night after all the work I've done. As I experienced myself, I couldn't agree more with Lauren Berlant's argument. Secondly, the biggest loser seemed too intense for me. I know that losing 15 pounds a week is a lot even though people in the show are generally more than 300 pounds. It was a little shocking for me to watch, but still it was fun watching.
Lauren Berlant was able to effectively present her argument using a variety of rhetorical strategies including ethos, logos, pathos, and repetition among others. She made this chapter convincing to me, as I found it very interesting to read about obesity as a symptom from the exhaustion experienced by the trials of just living and working day in and day out. I have known that eating is a pleasurable activity that people engage in for many, many reasons. Such is the idea behind eating at celebratory events, "comfort foods", and turning to a pint of ice cream after a bad exam. I found myself being able to relate to a lot of the things the author mentions about stress, the compelling responsibility of being an adult, the need to be constantly efficient and productive, and wanting to just keep eating constantly. I have experienced the exhaustion she talks about, and there are many weeks in the semester when I feel like I am just working for the weekend. The most common enjoyable moments during my day is when I can just be brainless, like when I get to watch TV and also admittedly when I am eating. It really is an escape, and although I still make conscious decisions about what I eat, I can definitely see how over a long time people develop obesity and the health related problems that come with this habit of mindless eating. The solution the author offered in the text was not really one that was very probable of achieving. It involved completely changing the dynamics of capitalism and working based means of living. This solution being seemingly impossible made the current and future situation of this epidemic a little depressingly hopeless. It was also powerful to point out how this affects different classes, races, the "privileged", and how it relates to moral judgements in health.
ReplyDeleteI was a bit confused with Lauren Berlant's argument. She states at the beginning that "this chapter considers obesity as an effect of people's attachment to life" (26). It made since when she continued to say "eating provides a kind of rest for the exhausted self, an interruption of being good, conscious, and intentional that feels like a relief" (Berlant 26). However, she lost me when she started talking about sovereignty. I didn't see how that was applied to obesity. I did understand her basic argument, which is already known today, that people eat because it feels good, or that they eat because they feel a certain way. There is a correlation between eating and emotion. She kept mentioning the word "feeling" or "feel" and put it in italics usually, so it made sense that her argument was about feeling and the exhausted self not having time. On the other hand, I see it somewhat related to the Biggest Loser episode. The trainers kept repeating that this was the season of no excuses. Some of the contestants mentioned time or they just couldn't control themselves. Some of these excuses I saw reflected in the chapter by Berlant. After looking over both arguments, both demonstrate that throughout the day your energy is drained, leaving you to be vulnerable to your feelings and habits.
ReplyDeleteThe Biggest Loser video was pretty eye opening. Their motto, "no excuses" was the part of the video that hit close to home for me. I find myself constantly battling this same thing in my mind. I know I have to work out, but studying and homework always seems to come first. I always argue with myself on the idea that I can always wok out tomorrow, I can't always study tomorrow when I have a limited amount of time to study for a test. I think this is something that many college students face when being on their own. It is hard to find that balance between a social life, studying, and trying to exercise. When watching this video I was laying in my bed and all I could think about the need I felt to work out. I think The Biggest Loser inspires a wide range of people. It allows more overweight individuals to relate to the people on the show and at the same time it resonates in people who are somewhat active as well. If the people on the show can work out than there is no reason why I shouldn’t be. It saddened me to see how low self-esteem many contestants have on this show. One woman confessed she couldn't even look at herself in the mirror. The stigma our society as places on obesity is terrible. Not only are many being looked at negatively for being overweight, their view of themselves personally is often one of no hope and disgust. I love that The Biggest Loser was created and I hope that it inspires people to continue their path to living a healthier lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteAs a college student, I found Laura Berlant's argument obesity as a symptom from being exhausted and not having enough time on your hands to be extremely convincing. As the episode of the Biggest Loser expressed, the majority of the individuals there claimed their excuse was due to lack of time and lack of motivation. I had read Berlant's article first and saw that many of the reasons she claimed people become obese was expressed within the episode, especially how obesity "looks at how exhaustion shaped the reproduction of life at home and at work" (Berlant 26). A lot of these individuals had huge families at home, and therefore used lack of time, expense of organic food, and exhaustion as excuses. I agree with Nesa that the solution Berlant gave, although explicitly detailed, was not a very probable one; however, the simple, to-the-point solution the trainers gave, "no excuses" was actually very effective. I also agree with Ashley that I'm ALWAYS making excuses for myself and these trainers really inspire a much wider audience than Berlant. On a side note, I also thought that David Harvey's definition of sickness under capitalism as "the inability to work" was very truthful (Berlant 30). I cannot even count the number of times my dad or my sister have taken medicine just to make it through a day of work or I have dragged myself to campus just so I can get credit for going to a class when I just want to roll over and die. It's shocking how unhealthy we treat our bodies just so we can make it to that one day or work or that one day of school when our health is so much more important.
ReplyDeleteI've always been a fan of The Biggest Loser. This season is just as good as any other I have watched! Showing people with different backgrounds and stories all coming together to work hard for their common goal of a healthy weight is really inspiring to me. I think it's a great show that definitely motivates me when watching it. I think it also brings awareness to how dangerous being overweight can be to your health, like that man's heart condition, for example. I think making this a competitive show and also having the contestants compete against themselves each week is a good example on simply doing it for yourself. I agree with Ashley that the motto "no excuses" for this season is very empowering and a good saying to keep in mind when trying to find excuses not to exercise or eat healthy. I can also relate to this when i'm tired, have homework, or am busy, but making time to exercise is one of the most important things in one's life if you think about it. If you aren't healthy you cannot do the other things. I also understood why the players on the show want to better themselves for their families and I think that this show works to put healthy lives and losing weight into a positive light for Americans.
ReplyDeleteI have watched the biggest loser a couple times prior to this class and have always found it to be very empowering and motivational. The way the go about changing these people lives and lifestyles is pretty incredible. It is really so sad that people let themselves get so out of hand and overweight and have to go on shows like these in order to regain their health. Every contestant was well aware that something needed to change in their life or had a goal or reason that they wanted to turn their life around; which I think is key for this program to work. I agree with Abbey that the motto "no excuses" for this season is a great one. It is so true and perfect for people who are having a rough time and want to quit or give up at any given moment. There are no excuses for anything in life... its more of someone being lazy and unwilling. Since being over weight has become such a major issue in the United States I think this show is a great way to show people who are going down that path that your life could be like the people on the show eventually. It is a very encouraging program but you have to be a strong person to be able to handle an experience like that as well as the need to WANT to lose weight so bad that you are willing to go through the hardship.
ReplyDeleteLauren Berlant did a good job at addressing the complex elements that humans deal with in there everyday life. Explaining the "different kinds of explanation for the epidemic of overfeeding that has engendered "obesity" as a word we hear every day (Berlant 26). I honestly though Berlant was going to argue about how to live a good life and explain how some fast food are the increase in American obesity etc. I want to mention that Berlant style of writing was very appealing and convincing. I like her organization though out the chapter, how in the first two pages she was informing what she will not focus on and radar she would do the opposite by “eliminating bodily sigma”. Then though the next two pages her ethos is what made me like her ideas more. She used Harvey’s idea in order to pint out what humans have to deal with in everyday life, how we “must work to live, but we must do whatever we need to do, including stay sick, in order to work”.Therefore making me think that human actions and by the way the economy is form, is the reason why we create these so call bad decisions (of eating) in order to just get though the day. One of my favorite line Berlant wore was how she mentioned, “we are forced to ask whether we can even imagine this world as a world organized for health”. I took that as how are people whom are not able to afford a healthy life style can manage to live as a healthy human. As she questioned “why it is so hard to intervene in the areas of appetites and pleasure without doing a lot of damage to the population most in crisis”(Berlant 33).
ReplyDeleteWatching the first episode of “The Biggest Loser” I noticed how mostly all the contestants reason of being overweight was due to EXCUSES and the lack of time to themselves. By reading Berlant’s chapter made me see how their actions in everyday life was effecting them physically and mentally.
As many have stated above, I was thoroughly convinced with the part of Berlant's argument that stresses eating as a result of exhaustion. However, it was difficult to grasp the idea of sovereignty behind obesity. I wish she had stated more simply what she was trying to convey. After the "exhaustion" I felt from other schoolwork and life in general, I wasn't able to digest her style of writing didn't very well.
ReplyDeleteAs for "The Biggest Loser", I was so enraged after watching the show. People were literally passing out, losing their memory and throwing up their guts on the FIRST day of the show. I agree the average weight these contestants were at is not very healthy. Of course I don't say this simply because they are large, but morbid obesity (like 400 lbs) can have detrimental health effects including arterial plaque, disease in the liver, and so much more. I feel that this show was obviously intended for entertainment purposes, and that in order for program to be healthier, there should have been a more gradual transition from their everyday lives to fitness and working out. Someone who hasn't lifted a single toe in their lives will not suddenly be able to run a marathon. It's meant to be a gradual process that they incorporate into their daily lifestyles.
I agree with everyone else about the clarity of Berlant's argument regarding obesity being the result of exhaustion of life and that our bodily lives are shaped significantly by the demands of work. I also specifically liked the statement: "Knowledge is not really power where the appetites are concerned." It makes me think about the obese audience of "The Big Loser", and question whether or not they are motivated by the show to lose the extra weight and become "healthier". I have to admit that the show is very engaging. I found myself cheering for the participants; however, I was furious that the trainers made them go through so much and even accused one of the girls of "fake-puking" when obviously other participants were vomiting due to the intense pressure. Losing about 15 pounds a week sounds so "unhealthy" to me; yet the show is using health to attract its audience, and it has been very successful so far.
ReplyDeleteThis week's reading and the video were very interesting. Firt of all, Lauren Berlant's arguement that obesity is a result of fatigue from life, from being good and responsible is a convincing one. Because, I am also one of the people who eat to let out the stress from the work I do. Before I came to America to study abroad, I had a lot of things to do. I had to apply for study abroad program, I had to do my schoolwork, I had my job, and I was really stressed. After my daily schedule is done, I am tired, but still I hung out with friends. We ate hanging out, and I gained a lot because I ate late at night after all the work I've done. As I experienced myself, I couldn't agree more with Lauren Berlant's argument.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, the biggest loser seemed too intense for me. I know that losing 15 pounds a week is a lot even though people in the show are generally more than 300 pounds. It was a little shocking for me to watch, but still it was fun watching.