small object, large object

If we are what we consume, then the availability and widespread popularity of such products as Red Bull says a lot about contemporary American society. The energy drink provides a false sense of alertness made for the fast paced American lifestyle.

Red Bull is a not so safe alternative for the people that don't drink coffee. Although this product does provide energy, the crash after the run is not worth having. Red Bull provides something like a bipolar effect; meaning while drinking the product, you are full of life and energy, but after all of that wares off, you are left feeling drained and weary. From personal experience this has happened plenty of times, yet the addicting quality of the product keeps me coming back. Wether it is the extra boost of energy before an exam or I need to stay awake for a long drive back home, Red Bull is what I turn to.

At one point in time there was discussion about removing Red Bull from the shelves of stores for medical reasons. People were suffering from heart attacks following drinking Red Bull. Like other energy drinks, Red Bull has an excess amount of sugar thus causing heart problems. Red Bull's main promotion slogan is that it gives you wings. The metaphorical aspect of this slogan makes one feel as though they are invincible. Flying is a "super power" that most people crave; it presents a feeling of being on top of the world, and that is exactly how the makers of this product get the attention of consumers.

Although Red Bull may not be the healthiest of drinks on the market, American consumers keep demanding it. What this says about contemporary American society is that we do not value sleep or health and are willing to put energy drinks above that. This might come as a contradiction because there are many diet pills and foods out there, yet Americans are willing to deprive themselves of sleep and drink Red Bull as an alternative. The makers of this product assume that as long as there are those people who are staying up trying to get work done, or truck drivers driving cross-country, their product will remain in high demand.

Argument -- Is Google Making Us Stupid.

In the argumentive paper, "Is Google Making Us Stupid?," Nicholas Carr proposes that the simplicity of finding information on the Internet has thus turned this generation of people into people whom are impatient and are no longer able to sit for a long period of time and do something constructive. "Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I'd always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle." Not only does Carr feel as though he has lost focus when things don't come as easily as they do when searching on google, he also states that some of his friends and acquaintances -- "literary types, most of them" -- are also faced with the same problem. This new development in technology has turned our generation into people that are lazy and spoiled. Once a generation able to sit down and read lengthy works has been subdued to the convenience of google and many other popular search engines. In Carr's article he doesn't find it necessary to go into detail as to what Google is or what it is used for. The simple fact that he can just state what it is and further his thesis with evidence supporting the convenience of Google further emphasizes his point, which is Google is making us stupid.

Is Google Making Us Dumb

In the article "Is Google Making Us Stupid," many points were made and thereafter justified with evidence. One point in particular stood out to me; Maryanne Wolf said that "we are not only what we read, we are how we read." Immediately I thought of the great change and development between my generation and the ones that came before mine. When Wolf references "we are how we read," I believe she is referencing our claim as the technology generation. The drastic change and upgrade in technology has made information of all sorts easily accessible. I don't believe google is making us dumb, I just think that it is providing information to a generation of people who are used to the fast pace of the world. the accessibility of the information provided on google is just trying to keep up with the times in which we live in. The world isn't the same place it was twenty years ago, let alone ten years ago -- so as the times change, so does the technology, information, and the way we access that information.