Persuasion Paper Final

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Josh Kane

Josh Kane

COMM 355: Persuasion

Dr. Diane Nathaniel

Opinion Piece Analysis paper

Mar 22, 2010


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When the United States was founded and the U.S constitution was written

our founding fathers agreed upon the belief that everyone should be treated

equally. This belief throughout history has continuously fallen short, and is

seldom enforced by our government and society. Todays American citizens, in

one form or another, are being deprived of their given rights. In February 2010,

an editor for the Miami Herald, Casey Woods, further examined parental leave

and how it deprives women of their natural right of being a parent . When Woods

article is examined through a cultural premise, there are different theories within

the premise that can be directly related to the article. Theories such as Eternal

return, Reichs cultural parables such as; Mob at the Gates, can used to relate

directly to the article.

Casey Woods, Miami Herald, decided to take a look closer on the United

States and its attitudes toward parental leave. Woods argues women in the

workforce are deprived from being a parent and time for political pitch. Woods

found a recent study by Harvard and McGill University researchers that

concluded compared to some of the worlds most economically successful

countries, the United States is dead last when it comes to providing supportive

work conditions such as parental leave. The study also shows even up and

coming countries grant their citizens with supportive work conditions. Woods,

shows how whats a given protection to some countries the United States cringe

at the thought of providing such conditions. The United States has created a


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workaholic culture (Woods, pg.1) and when taking a leave, its frowned upon

and people develop a sense of self-debt to the kindness of their employer.

Woods quotes Joan Bloch, assistant professor at Drexel University, Women

today dont even expect to be able to make choices. Woods believes women

should be given the opportunity to spend time with their children and not have to

worry about being laid off. Woods exploits the cultural attitude of the United

States and wonders why we as citizens accept and allow such deprivation to take

place.

Culture is a set of material practices used to demonstrate ones self. For

example culture is someones beliefs or languages. Culture may be regional or

generational. When culture is used as a proposition in which arguments are

based, the individual is depicting the arguments through cultural premise. Within

Make paid parental leave a priority Cultural premises such as Reichs cultural

parables and Eternal Return are represented throughout.

Eternal Return is the cultural myth or theory that society has been

corrupted throughout time and that society needs to return to the way it used to

be. Also within Eternal Return there is a notion that we have lost sight of our

beginnings and we need to rid ourselves or corruption and confusion. (Larson,

238). Within Make paid parental leave a priority, examples of Eternal Return

can be found throughout. Jody Heymann, co-author of the Harvard study citied

within Make paid parental leave a priority, stated A lot of people in the U.S.


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dont realize that most of the world has a right to these things . This quotation

relates to that there is a notion that we have lost sight our beginnings . Our

country promises us everyone would be equally treated from the beginning but

today these women are deprived of this right and people lose sight of the current

wrong doing.

Mob at the Gates creates an us vs. them mentality. The mob may also

be the greedy corporate executives who exploit workers and this theory states

the deprivation may be acceptable for one side but not for the other. (Larson,

242) Mob at the Gates, falls under Reichs Cultural Parables. Reichs Cultural

Parables contend there are Rising expectations for prosperity throughout the

world. (Reich 241) Within Make paid parental leave a priority Reichs Cultural

Parable Mob at the Gates examples from the editorial can be taken an

interrupted culturally with the use of this parable. In Make paid parental leave a

priority, John Bloch, assistant professor at Drexel University, states, Women

today dont even expect to be able to make choices. Women today have a

mentality as if it is they vs. the oppressing parties. Women are being exploited

and to them it is not acceptable but to others it is accepted and at times

considered a non-issue. Another example from the editorial on how the cultural

premise is represented is when Woods states, Other countries, both wealthy

and poor, have not flinched at funding parental leave, but any suggestion that

our government subsidize these family-friendly policies inevitably draws shrill


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complaints of big government or new entitlement. (Woods, pg.2) When

organizations mention the United States government should support financially

family friendly polices our government and they choose to overlook and brush off

the possible policies it gives further background to womens arguments that they

stand alone. The women have no choices but to develop the us vs. them

mentality as described in The Mob at the gates.

The United States was founded on the beliefs that everyone should be

treated equally. The United States though when examined further is not

practicing what they preach. The equality that its promised to every citizen of

the United States is daily deprived in our citizens workforce. Americans society

through the centuries has constantly debated the subjects of slavery,

desegregation, and womens suffrage. In todays workforce, some of these

issues are still present. American society has conformed to the norms

established through generations and ignorantly participating in its own modern

day suffrage. It is someones natural right to be a parent and these natural rights

should not be deprived or dictated by our government or accepted by our society .

Society when decoded culturally allows one to look further into the culture of their

associated organization and how culture impacts ones beliefs and attitudes.Through the cultural interpretation of medicated forms of communication, society

will become aware of issues in todays society and why in our culture we allowed

ourselves to conform to such negative norms. Cultural premises interpret for


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society the issue, allow one to develop reasoning, show how the culture was

formed, and how the culture can be changed.


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Works Citied

Charles U. Larson, . (2010). Persuasion: reception and

responsibil i ty. Boston, MA: Wadsworth

Casey Woods, Init ials. (2010, February 28). Make Paid parentalleave a priority . Miami Herald,

Persuasion Paper Final

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