The Rhetoric of Fiji Water

With a sudden increase in health awareness in the United States, bottled water has quickly gained popularity. The question remains however, is bottled water as good for you as the companies that produce it claim? And, is bottled water really worth what we pay for it?  

The problem with discovering the true answers to these questions is that most research conducted to evaluate claims made by bottling companies is conducted by firms that are hired by the company. While this practice is an industry standard, where the FDA is not required to analyze the claims made by water bottling companies, it has the potential to mislead the public through false advertisement. In a website for one of the most "healthy/pure/perfect" bottled water companies known as Fiji, nearly all of the messages are rhetorical. The website contains everything from mission statements regarding the companies commitment to the environment to claims that the minerals found in "Fiji" water will have a substantial and positive effect on multiple aspects of ones health. Examine the picture and the website. Fiji water is so excellently presented, it almost seems too good to be true.  

Selling Luxury With Lust-- The Source of America's Credit Crunch

Although I am not an advocate of Taoist philosophies of societal control, I think Lao Tzu may have been on to something. According to this school of thought, the "aristocracy" should keep the "common people" ignorant of the "aristocracy's" wealth and luxury. In this country, there is a cable television channel devoted entirely to glorifying the "lifestyles of the rich and the famous." This kind of media only tantalizes the common people with the kind of eccentric luxury and sex they will never have or experience. Now what does this have to do with debt? You may ask. As most savvy business people and financial managers will say, one should only owe money on an investment. When one goes into debt to afford a luxury that will only depreciate in value, i.e. luxury vehicles, expensive meals, and vacations, they are only paying extra to pretend to afford a luxury that is beyond their means. This frivolous use of credit is expanding the money supply to dangerous levels, that could possibly result in a recession. As a citizen of this country it is our responsibility control our lust for things we cannot have. Our collective irresponsibility is slowly but surely destroying the economy we have worked so hard to create. 

"America is living in spin" ~ Thank You For Smoking (2005)

Although this post may diverge from the blogs central theme, I am going to take the liberty of adding "lying to the public" to the seven deadly sins. In this day and age of media overload, the average American is bombarded with so much "breaking news," it is becoming difficult to discern what is relevant from what isn't. Although this nation is possibly more educated in current events than it has ever been before, the average American does not have the time to investigate the accuracy or the significance of the majority of these "news stories." This then invites us to recall Richard Vatz's concept that the rhetor is responsible for the accuracy and the relevance of that which he or she chooses to make salient. The problem with this system then, does not find itself with the people or the obscene amount of available information, but rather with the rhetors who "spin" information and news to promote their own self-interest or the agenda of the agency they are employed by. An anecdote that corresponds and reenforces this idea involves an argument between President Lincoln and one of his colleagues about civil war reconstruction. It goes something like this :

"President Lincoln, frustrated by a seemingly endless argument with one of his colleagues over antebellum reconstruction, made a final attempt to reason with the man. 

'tell me sir, how many legs does a cow have?' said Lincoln.

'why, four." Said the man 'Why do you ask?'

'Now suppose we call a tail a leg also, how many legs would a cow then have?' 

'Five of course'

'You see, thats where your wrong.' Said Lincoln 'Just because you call a tail a leg, doesn't mean that tail is a leg.'"

Corporate Greed

We have all heard the evils of fast food restaurant chains, oppressive automobile companies, and trust-like corporations such as Wal-Mart and Microsoft, however, none of these companies capitalize on the well being of average individuals in the same way this particular industry does. Some people are expecting a dissent on Big Tobbacco, others on oil companies, but this industry, my friends, is truly a corporate monster. The health insurance industry is abusing the people of this nation. According to the World Health Organization "The U. S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance."  (, 2/2/08) At the same time however, Bill McGuire, the CEO of United Health group was granted $1.6 billion in stock options at the end of 2005. (SEC Investigates UnitedHealth Over Stock-Options Practices," Bloomberg News, December 27, 2006; Michael Regan, "Business 2006: Who Won, Who Lost," Associated Press,December 26, 2006.) This practice, under any circumstance, is wrong. Everyday, people are denied care for life-threatening diseases by the health insurance companies they pay for a false sense of security. Profiting off of the denial of medical treatment of people is wrong on every level. This problem must be addressed. The people of the United States must utilize their political efficacy to overcome the power healthcare lobbyists have over our congressional representatives. We must find a solution, be it universal health care, nationalized health insurance, or strict regulations over the practices of health insurance companies.