Sunday, February 27, 2011

Read and Respond: Opinion Pieces

Reviews of Reviews: Books

When I first read the title; The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear. I thought, Oh God. I have to read a paper about this? But Seth Mnookin made this boring title into a wonderful review. Based around the fear that parents have about vaccines. Claiming that they can cause autism and other developmental disorders, based completely on falsified research. When Mnookin says; "The like- minded find each other and form communities online, reinforcing their biases and their certitude." it reminds me so much of bloggers. Even if you said "slavery should still be legal in the United States" you would be able to find someone in the blog world you agrees with you and who will go on crusades with you. The review was well researched and cited without being annoying. Mnookin has an elegance when it comes to siting his research. It was also written very 'to the point' Mnookin did not beat around the bush when he stated his opinions. 

Smokers: Now banned everywhere

The fact that I live in a country that is about to take the right away to smoke a cigarette, after the age of 18, makes me sick to my stomach. Yes. It's gross and it smells bad. I know all of this but to ban it is unnecessary.  It is a choice to smoke, I fully support the need to ban it in certain areas like bars, restaurants, and the office, But definitely not banning it. And the firing of employees who wont quit smoking is ridiculous. And I'm not even a smoker. I have never smoked a day in my life. The review of this book feels generally the same way about these incidences. The review is primarily an opinion piece with few sources. Although I loved the review with the many sources I enjoyed this one just the same. I enjoyed getting a sense of how this author felt. And didn't hurt that he agreed with me!

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