Brett Clark
Summary/Response Essay
College Composition and Research
Feb 9, 2016
How would you like your steak cooked? What kind of potato would you like with your meat? Would you like a lager or a light beer? These are all questions every guy is asked by the waiter or waitress when he goes out to a restaurant. At least that is what Carrie Packwood Freeman and Debra Merskin would have you believe based off of their article, “Having it His Way: The Construction of Masculinity in Fast-Food TV Advertising.” Throughout the article, Feeman and Merskin would have their readers believe that all men must eat unhealthy red meats, work blue-collar jobs, and view their super hot model woman as an object to truly be manly. I, an American male, disagree with the belief that men need to eat red meat, work blue-collar jobs, and view women as objects to be masculine.
Throughout Freeman and Merskin’s article, they talk about how awful all men are based off of many different fast-food commercials. According to Freeman and Merskin, “Clearly, advertisers trust we believe that a traditional American male does not eat organic, plant-based proteins-- he primarily eats meats, which would also explain the prominent of masculine themes in advertisements for meat products, like burgers, and subs” ( 455). Freeman and Merskin claim that fast-food commercials are advertised directly for men. They also believe that fast-food commercials make men out to be cavemen who only eat red meat, work heavy lifting blue-collar jobs, are brutally killing innocent animals all over the world, and view all women as objects for sex.
Freeman and Merskin make several claims throughout their article that completely stretch the truth based off of no factual evidence. They claim that “the more men sit at their desks all day, the more they want to be reassured about their maleness in eating those large slabs of bleeding meat which are the last symbols of machismo” (458). In other words, Freeman and Merskin believe all white-collar men would be shy, depressed, and have a low-self esteem because they are not “manly” enough to do a strenuous job. Once men eat their meat they feel better due to the manliness of a big juicy steak. I, for one, disagree because I believe that working at a desk job is just as manly as working construction; whatever the job, the worker still has the xy chromosome.
Not only does Freeman and Merskin say men need meat to be manly, but they also say that men eating fast-food are killing themselves and the earth. Freeman and Merskin suggest, “Fast-food companies are the chief financial supporter of the meat industry, a problematic industry which is associated with labor exploitation (especially in immigrants), mass animal cruelty and death, and environmental destruction…” (459). I disagree with this mainly because all of those things are fallacies meant to distract their readers from the main point of their arguments. Though some of their points may have been true at one time, in a certain company. Anymore, all of their points were common misconceptions about fast-food industries.
In another point Freeman and Merskin make about all fast food commercials object all women as objects of sex does hold some truth, but not at all to the point they make. Freeman and Merskin wrote, “...focus on a line, sexualinzed woman doing something sediuctive while also eating a burger, the flesh of both humans and non humans become objects of the camera's impilead heterosexualmale gaze” (470). Though a small number of fast-food chains have done this, it does not mean all fast-food chains are guilty of using these types of advertising. Freeman and Merskin claim atop of that, all men view women as objects of sex. Again, even though some men do just like some fast-food companies use women as objects of sex, yet not all men and fast-food chains are guilty.
In conclusion, I disagree with most of the article “Having it His Way,” by Carrie Freeman and Debra Merskin. They made their three main claims, white-collar men need meat to feel manly, all fast-food companies brutally kill and maim animals, and all fast-food companies and men view women as objects of sex, is completely false. They made all of their claims based off of common fallacies and misconceptions.
Works Cited
Freeman, Carrie and Debra Merskin. "Having it His Way." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 454-479. Print.
Summary/Response Essay
College Composition and Research
Feb 9, 2016
How would you like your steak cooked? What kind of potato would you like with your meat? Would you like a lager or a light beer? These are all questions every guy is asked by the waiter or waitress when he goes out to a restaurant. At least that is what Carrie Packwood Freeman and Debra Merskin would have you believe based off of their article, “Having it His Way: The Construction of Masculinity in Fast-Food TV Advertising.” Throughout the article, Feeman and Merskin would have their readers believe that all men must eat unhealthy red meats, work blue-collar jobs, and view their super hot model woman as an object to truly be manly. I, an American male, disagree with the belief that men need to eat red meat, work blue-collar jobs, and view women as objects to be masculine.
Throughout Freeman and Merskin’s article, they talk about how awful all men are based off of many different fast-food commercials. According to Freeman and Merskin, “Clearly, advertisers trust we believe that a traditional American male does not eat organic, plant-based proteins-- he primarily eats meats, which would also explain the prominent of masculine themes in advertisements for meat products, like burgers, and subs” ( 455). Freeman and Merskin claim that fast-food commercials are advertised directly for men. They also believe that fast-food commercials make men out to be cavemen who only eat red meat, work heavy lifting blue-collar jobs, are brutally killing innocent animals all over the world, and view all women as objects for sex.
Freeman and Merskin make several claims throughout their article that completely stretch the truth based off of no factual evidence. They claim that “the more men sit at their desks all day, the more they want to be reassured about their maleness in eating those large slabs of bleeding meat which are the last symbols of machismo” (458). In other words, Freeman and Merskin believe all white-collar men would be shy, depressed, and have a low-self esteem because they are not “manly” enough to do a strenuous job. Once men eat their meat they feel better due to the manliness of a big juicy steak. I, for one, disagree because I believe that working at a desk job is just as manly as working construction; whatever the job, the worker still has the xy chromosome.
Not only does Freeman and Merskin say men need meat to be manly, but they also say that men eating fast-food are killing themselves and the earth. Freeman and Merskin suggest, “Fast-food companies are the chief financial supporter of the meat industry, a problematic industry which is associated with labor exploitation (especially in immigrants), mass animal cruelty and death, and environmental destruction…” (459). I disagree with this mainly because all of those things are fallacies meant to distract their readers from the main point of their arguments. Though some of their points may have been true at one time, in a certain company. Anymore, all of their points were common misconceptions about fast-food industries.
In another point Freeman and Merskin make about all fast food commercials object all women as objects of sex does hold some truth, but not at all to the point they make. Freeman and Merskin wrote, “...focus on a line, sexualinzed woman doing something sediuctive while also eating a burger, the flesh of both humans and non humans become objects of the camera's impilead heterosexualmale gaze” (470). Though a small number of fast-food chains have done this, it does not mean all fast-food chains are guilty of using these types of advertising. Freeman and Merskin claim atop of that, all men view women as objects of sex. Again, even though some men do just like some fast-food companies use women as objects of sex, yet not all men and fast-food chains are guilty.
In conclusion, I disagree with most of the article “Having it His Way,” by Carrie Freeman and Debra Merskin. They made their three main claims, white-collar men need meat to feel manly, all fast-food companies brutally kill and maim animals, and all fast-food companies and men view women as objects of sex, is completely false. They made all of their claims based off of common fallacies and misconceptions.
Works Cited
Freeman, Carrie and Debra Merskin. "Having it His Way." They Say I Say With Readings. By Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein. Ed. Russel Durst. 2E ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. 454-479. Print.