Malls: Worlds Best Money Maker

Scott Trembly

English 250 FD

Reading Journal #4

Malls: Worlds Best Money Maker

In the article It’s a Mall World After All by Mac Margolis, the author talks about the booming enterprise that is shopping centers. He shows how competitive and money making the shopping center and mall businesses can be all over the world. How the world is competing with each other, supplying jobs, even making it safe for youths in cities where gang violence reigns supreme. Parents feel way more comfortable knowing their kids are at the mall, playing around where there even sometimes can be 1,000 patrolmen working.

Mac Margolis’ article really interested me, being a guy that prides himself on how he looks and spends most of his money in a mall. I didn’t realize there were other malls in the world that have the same kind of thing going on as the Mall of America. I thought that it was an original thing up there in Minnesota. But apparently there are malls in Dubai and China with floor sizes outdoing the Pentagon, or taking the outdoor element out of skiing by putting one in the middle of the mall. So you can go buy your ski outfit for winter vacation and test it out right there next to the food court. I think that this business could actually be a booming success if the United States got more involved in it, because if you think about our society is partly based on appearance, both physically and morally. Physically in the sense that people are totally obsessed with image, and they would do anything even spend thousands of dollars to improve their wardrobe. Morally in the sense that people look down on others if they can’t afford “designer” clothing, when in all actuality, all clothing is designed by someone. Whether it be by the wonderful crew at Target or by Ralph Lauren. The cost of the clothing is what people really look at, not what it looks like on that person.

This article is a good example of how the world is consumed by image and supply and demand. Image in the sense that companies spend billions of dollars on malls to bring in more people to by their clothing. Supply and demand in the sense that in order to bring people into the mall to buy more things, they have to bring outrageous attractions into it.

Nike: Wal-Mart's Polar Opposite

Scott Trembly

English 250 FD

Reading Journal #3

Nike: Wal-Mart’s Polar Opposite

The article The Noble Feat of Nike by Johan Norberg, is an article displaying the great ethics issued by Nike. He describes the lifestyles of Vietnamese Nike workers in Ho Chi Minh. Compared to most “sweatshops” Nike’s Vietnamese locations seem like a Holiday Inn, with a health plan. Nike pays each of its workers 54 dollars a month, which almost three times the minimum wage of a state-owned enterprise in Vietnam. He talks about how workers who were there when Nike first arrived had to walk to work, then 3 years later could afford bikes, and 3 years after that could afford scooters, and that the first workers from way back then actually can afford cars now. In 10 years Nike’s presence in Vietnam has sent 2.2 million children from labor to education. Goes to show you that not everyone derived from America’s economy is completely clueless.

When I was first skimming through the New World Reader trying to find an interesting topic to write about, the word Nike just popped out. It always pops out to me because Nike is one the most popular things besides Coca-Cola in this country. It also pops out to me because, admittedly I am a golf enthusiast/addict. So, since I am a golf lover, I kind of follow the most popular in any sport let alone golf, Tiger Woods. Tiger is the highest paid person in sports, due in large part to his endorsement with Nike. You can barely see a Nike add in this country anymore without seeing a picture of Tiger. It takes something with that much popularity to start an economic overhaul like our country needs. Look what Nike did for Vietnam. They turned a famously communist country into a prime example of a capitalistic society. That is the kind of turn around we need in this time dire need in this country.

I really enjoyed the article by Norberg. It brought to light the importance of turning our economy around, and that Vietnam and Nike together are a model of how we should and could do it.

Family Values

Scott Trembly

English 250 FD

Reading Journal #2

Family Values: Important or Not?

In the article Family Values by Richard Rodriguez, the author discusses the impact of family on today’s society. In the article he tells how he grew up a confused Latin-American child, struggling to cope with the realization that he may in fact be homosexual. This was almost twice as hard for him, because not only was he Latin-American and homosexual, but he was also a Catholic. Now as everyone in today’s society knows, the Catholic church has a very strong opinion on homosexuality. They do not accept it what so ever, and they basically shun people who have done the brave thing of coming out. He also goes into depth about how America is founded on immigrants, how our country is so diverse and so cultured that people lose their sense of family values and try to go on through life alone and be their “own” person.

When I first read this article I thought the entire thing would be about Richard Rodriguez coming out to his parents. But my first interpretation was way off. He actually began to discuss more about how the American society today no longer relies on family ties to keep them together. Growing up in a border line dysfunctional family, having two half sisters, one from my mother’s first marriage and one from my father’s first marriage, and then having to go through the divorce of my parents when I was 16, I know the importance of family ties backwards and forwards. In the article he discusses how he sees mothers losing their children to the world, eventually losing their husbands, and generally ending up alone. I have some sort of common ground with this, after my parents were divorced my mom kind of had nothing to come home too. I was of age to live with who I wanted to and chose to live with my dad. My sisters were both over the age of thirty so they were long since moved out and had actually started families. But after reading this article I see how important is to keep in touch, and be close to your parents when you are away. Your parents are the ones in the world you can always rely on and they, no matter how much they deny it, would rather you stay at home and go to school then pack up and leave. I speak with my dad every day because I know that he misses our relationship and having me live with him.

I believe the main message in this article is to show youngsters all over, whether they be in high-school or college, to keep tabs on their family. Because let’s face it, your family will always be your family. No matter what.