Jameson Irish Whiskey. Whats the rush?

    

            This Jameson ad gets right to the point by promising you will be able to slow down and enjoy the time you have in the day by drinking their famous Jameson Irish Whiskey. The caption “Rush Hour Chicago” tells the reader that the environment can be fast paced, chaotic and in a swirl of a whirlwind yet once you sit down and have a sip of Jameson Whiskey, everything around you will not matter or be a second priority. The ad appeals to our culture very obviously; who doesn’t enjoy a drink or two at the end of a long day? Whether it’s wine, whiskey or a simple beer, a whole lot of people in our society like to go and have a drink to wash their daily stressors away. And what’s better than sharing a drink with a friend? The ad promises that you will have a moment of peace to talk to friends and get your mind of your busy job; it promises that things will slow down and you can just put on the auto pilot – notice the caption near the bottom of the ad “Jameson Irish Whiskey. What’s the rush?”

            The ad promises you will have a good time drinking Jameson Whiskey; notice all four people at the table are smiling and look like they don’t have a care in the world. The ad tells you that Jameson Irish Whiskey will make everyone happy. Also, the ad is aimed at the biggest audience possible – businessmen and women across the country. Notice that these people aren’t sitting in a high class restaurant drinking wine with their pinky finger outstretched and they aren’t drinking the alcohol out of a brown bag outside of 7-eleven. They are sitting at a table, right outside of their favorite restaurant or bar. They are all your everyday, middle class citizens, sitting down sharing a common yet quality whiskey and they are enjoying it; why shouldn't you? 

Sept. 13th, 2010. Rugby vs. Football

Alright, so today I took part in an argument with some ignorant bastard on YouTube and I ultimately felt very compelled to bring it up in today's Blog assignment.

The topic is simple: Rugby vs. Football

The positions on the issue are plain: Rugby is better then Football and Football is better than Rugby. Why?

For evidence of my claim, I stated that the game of Rugby is constant like soccer, but along with having to run for a total of 80 minutes there is also full contact which for the most part is done without padding; thus, rugby is a much more physically demanding sport than football. The counter I received was that in Football, the average game lasts 60 minutes and the padding allows you to hit harder; also, in Football, you need to be bigger, faster and stronger than your opposing position to win. Umm... correct me if I'm wrong, but can't that be said about any sport?

            Next, I said that in Rugby, every player on the field has to have the conditioning of a running back in football, and the strength of a linebacker or lineman in football, and weigh between 200 and 300lbs (On an International level) so every player needs to be a well rounded athlete. The counter argument was that in Football, the training is specific to each position because each person has to worry about specific tasks. Fair enough, but in Rugby anyone can play any position; they all need the conditioning and strength to do EVERY task. (Ok, with the exception of kicking the ball.)

            For a logos appeal, I stated that Rugby is an International Sport. Rugby World Cup is the second most watched sport in the world under World Cup Soccer. Sevens Rugby is an Olympic sport. The majority of the world prefers Rugby over Football. The counter argument was that Football is a multi-billion dollar industry and that people here in the U.S. love football just as much as other people love Rugby. Excuse me? How can you mention the money that is invested in Football when Rugby is an International sport??
           
           To counter that last statement about Football, I talked about how social of a sport Rugby really is. You see, despite trying to kill each other on the field, as long as there was no dirty play by either team, there is always a social event after the game where both teams share a meal, a couple beers, sing traditional rugby songs, and that is another aspect of the sport so many people enjoy. Do you see Football players doing this? Rarely.

            For a logical fallacy I must admit, I don’t remember saying any. But for Football, oh my god this was the most ignorant and slightly racist thing I could have heard. This guy said that the reason that Football isn’t a International sport is because people in other countries simply can’t get as huge and gain the muscle mass people in the U.S. can, and then proceeded to say that some third world countries wouldn’t be able to afford the gear for the team. 

            At that point I just stopped arguing. I couldn’t handle arguing with someone so ignorant, stubborn and plain stupid. Concluding this Blog, I will say that this argument along with many others is hard to put into the perspective of rhetorical analysis because in the end it comes down to personal taste for which sport you enjoy more. But I would like to share both sides of the argument with someone more intelligent and open than the guy I argued with the other day.