Blog Post 5: Buying Into the Green Movement

The Perspectives on Globalization article that I chose to write my rhetorical analysis on is the article by Alex Williams titled Buying Into the Green Movement. In this article, Williams tries to persuade readers that simply consuming less is more effective than spending money on environmentally friendly products. He also shows how the trend of living an eco-sensitive life is more of a social statement, much like the Kony 2012 or an Anti-War movement, He (she?) did a beautiful job at making what was written credible by quoting sources from 10 different people. Of these, 3 were people from his counter argument group that were high up in environmentally friendly organizations whom he was targeting. By doing this, the counter argument was addressed and proven faulty in a proper way. The writer also did a brilliant job of using imagery and analogies to further develop his arguments. One of my favorites was talking about gas mileage and how hybrid cars are not worth it. The desired object was to show that purchasing one car would make a greater impact. He described how a specific Lexus hybrid car gets 22 miles to the gallon on a highway compared to a Toyota Yaris which gets 40. He then compared this to a "snack wells" moment. This company offers fat-free tasty snacks. However, these guilt-free snack create people to eat more and more, avoiding indulgence in fat, but piling on calories. His word choice he uses also allows this environmentally friendly group to appear crazy and extreme, but not to the point where it distracts from his main arguments. For example, he quoted an environmental activist who stated "Green consumerism is an oxymoronic phrase... The news media and marketers are to blame for turning environmentalism into fashion and distracting from serious issues." I thought that Alex Williams did a brilliant job and i am looking forward to writing a rhetorical analysis on this short essay.