BBC and NY Times articles response

The first article we read was BBC news article called "In the eye of the beholder?". This article talked about the idea of beauty, and the reasons behind the growing issue of gaining it. I found it interesting, for example, when it likened the want of a blemish free face with the finding of a healthy mate. "Those who champion the evolutionary cause, who put all our instincts and preferences down to nature rather than nurture, see this desire for averageness as inextricably linked to finding a healthy partner with whom to reproduce." But at the same time, this left the question of why thinness is so sought after, since it does not give someone the appearance of being a healthy mate. "But the argument becomes more difficult when it comes to explaining western preferences for the very thin, or China's former desire for binding feet to make them tiny, neither of which have any apparent benefit for mating capacities." Our group finally decided that at the present time, our desire for beauty was driven not by necessity for a healthy mate, but rather by what we thought was aesthetically pleasing. It was no longer a matter of the life and death of the offspring, but rather the sheer attractiveness of the other person.

I really found this article interesting, in the way it showed both sides of the topics. The above comments, for example. It also explained the idea that it was the cosmetic industries fault that beauty was becoming so important, while also showing how that industry disagreed and defended itself.

The second article was a NY Times article called "The Morality of Fat". It dealt with the idea that fat has become our number one enemy these past years, and how society has changed to accommodate that. I found it amazing that while the health food craze has increased, so has " the American waistline". Food has always been something iffy in society. These days, the healthier you cook, the "wealthier" it would seem you are, since healthy cooking is more expensive and time consuming. But at the same time "There is a market clamor for low-fat frozen yogurt, there is a steady rise in sales of high-fat premium ice cream."

In our seminar, we spoke a lot about what we thought was personal responsibility and what we thought was the responsibility of others. For example, i thought there was a certain point in someones childhood where they became self-sufficient, while others thought that children should be supported by their parents, and its their responsibility to show them whats healthy and whats not. I think both our seminars were very in depth, and very enlightening. I hope to have more sometimes soon.