Second Blog Assignment

These two articles emphasize the impact that words have on us and how the definitions of the words mentioned have changed overtime.  Also, everything that has been created today is based on what people wanted more of from the past.  Oswalt defines otaku as a group of people who live in their own world and follow patterns that are outside of the norm just as in Japan.  These groups of people also have obsessive interest in anime or videogames. Oswalt and his friends were seen as nerds/geeks by other cliques; however, he didn’t believe that he and his friends fit the stereotypical description. He and his friend’s “nerdy” ways were their only option because they were young, didn’t have cars and weren’t interested in girls yet. The point of Oswalt’s essay is to inform us that although things seem new and eccentric, what we have now is branched off from what someone once loved in the past. In the past you were able to ponder and absorb what went on. You would still have time to question and reanalyze before what was to come next. Oswalt’s point about larger society is that everyone has gotten to a point where they become Otaku about anything instantly. There isn’t a difference between “nerds” and “normal” people. Being an “outcast” and interested in different things is not a bad thing, but instead a way of being ahead of everyone else. I agree with his point because although someone might not be interested in what you favor, doesn’t mean they should be considered and “outcast” or “nerd”. With the advancements in technology I believe that “geekiness” has become normal.

Supermarket Pastoral is the phrase Pollan uses to describe the development of farm animals, fruits and vegetables. He uses this phrase to express how the gratification of what we have longed for and depended on is not what is in occurrence. Those who shop at Whole Foods want high quality, organic, humanely raised food. Pollan explains that these expectations they have aren’t really for their well being, but for the business of the organic food industry. Customers still depict that their produce are from small family farms and are not aware that the produce really comes from the two big corporate “organic” growers in California. Customers look at the organic label on foods and don’t realize that it is just an alternative for the direct observation of how a food is produced.  They instead just use the label as a way to determine the freshness. Because the organic movement was conceived as a critique of industrial values, the process of industrialization has cost many.  This shows that the culture of “organic” agriculture is rather an industrial artifact than just the organic label that gives off an image of a simpler agriculture. Words affect us in our everyday lives however we don’t take time out to fully research and analyze them. Often times we are not aware that there are many definitions of words and therefore are left in the dark about things until someone eventually brings it to light.