Belgian Coca-Cola Hysteria - Book Report/Review Example

Belgian Coca-Cola Hysteria 10 May 2008 Belgian Coca-Cola Hysteria the purpose and main idea. Then examine the essay for completeness and relevance of support. In a paragraph or two, discuss your evaluation of the essay according to these standards. Defend your position and use examples. The purpose of the writer is to inform the readers that the Belgian Coca-Cola scare was not so much an outbreak of food poisoning but an outbreak of mass hysteria. Apparently, the following statements reveal the author's purpose starting from the second paragraph of the essay up to the last paragraph: The author cited the scientific study made by Coca-Cola showing that in the contaminated bottles of Coke there were present sulfur compound residues at between five and seventeen parts per billion. The author then stated the concluding study that food poisoning was not the cause of the outbreak as: These sulfides can cause illness, however, only at levels about a thousand times greater than that. At seventeen parts per billion, they simply leave a bad smell--like rotten eggs--which means that Belgium should have experienced nothing more than a minor epidemic of nose-wrinkling. The most persuasive support to the writers purpose is the account of sick kids that have not even drunk the allegedly contaminated Coke at all, writing thus: More puzzling is the fact that, in four of the five schools were the bad Coke allegedly struck, half of the kids who got sick hadn't drunk any Coke that day. Whatever went on Belgium, in other words, probably wasn't Coca-Cola poisoning. So what was it Maybe nothing at all. To further strengthen the author's purpose, he went on to cite case histories and the patterns of mass hysteria made by a noted psychiatrist -- Simon Wessely - who had collected hundreds of reports of the phenomenon. Some of these cases and patterns were: In 1787, when millworkers in Lancashire suddenly took ill after they became persuaded that they were being poisoned by tainted cotton; Someone sees a neighbor fall ill and becomes convinced that he is being contaminated by some unseen evil His anxiety makes him dizzy and nauseous. He begins to hyperventilate. He collapses. Other people hear the same allegation, see the "victim" faint, and they begin to get anxious themselves. They feel nauseous. They hyperventilate. They collapse, and before you know it everyone in the room is hyperventilating and collapsing These symptoms, Wessely stresses, are perfectly genuine. It's just that they are manifestations of a threat that is wholly imagined. "This kind of thing is extremely common," he says, "and it's almost normal. The author also cited the studies of the sociologist Robert Bartholomew on mass motor hysteria to explain the Belgian Coca-Cola incident: What happened in Belgium, he says, is a fairly typical example of a more standard form of contagious anxiety, possibly heightened by the recent Belgian scare over dioxin-contaminated animal feed. The students' alarm over the rotten-egg odor of their Cokes, for example, is straight out of the hysteria textbooks. The author then summed up the observations made by Simon Wessely and Robert Bartholomew to inform without a doubt the author's position that the Belgian Coca-Cola outbreak is simply a case of mass hysteria: The fact that the outbreaks occurred in schools is also typical of hysteria cases. "The classic ones always involve schoolchildren," Wessely continued. "There is a famous British case involving hundreds of schoolgirls who collapsed during a 1980 Nottinghamshire jazz festival. They blamed it on a local farmer spraying pesticides." Bartholomew has just published a paper on a hundred and fifteen documented hysteria cases in schools over the past three hundred years. As anyone who has ever been to a rock concert knows, large numbers of adolescents in confined spaces seem to be particularly susceptible to mass hysteria. Finally, the author quoted Coca-Cola's chairman, Douglas Ivester, and left a hanging question but which clearly supported his position that the Belgian Coca-Cola scare is nothing but a case of mass hysteria, thus: Those intent on pointing the finger at Coca-Cola in this sorry business ought to remember that. "We let the people of Belgium down," Douglas Ivester, the company's chairman, said in the midst of the crisis. Or perhaps it was the other way around. I agree with the author's position that the Belgian Coca-Cola scare was nothing but mass hysteria. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of recorded cases of these phenomena. Suffice it to cite an example of a case in Japan that was clearly a hysteria outbreak. In modern times, widespread outbreaks of hysteria in Japan have taken a different appearance to reveal changing anxieties that epitomizes the industrial age - that is, environmental poisons. Outbreaks in the 20th century generally involve the sudden demonstrations of mass fear of a short-lived, benevolent nature. These have happened in reaction to the awareness of an imaginary or overstated injurious agent believed to be in the close environment. The one recognized exception to this craze happened in Japan in 1960, when the staff in a hospital in Japan, mostly women, was brushed by an epidemic depicted by digestive disorders and liability in mood that had been construed as an epidemic hysteria outbreak. The modern development in Japan of widespread hysteria showing in reaction to concerns to the environment went on into the middle of 1990s, as many occurrences of unexpected anxiety hysteria characterized by fainting and problems in breathing were described in detail in the subway system in Japan. These were elicited by a few greatly publicized actual assaults concerning sarin nerve gas perpetrated by the Aum Shinrikyo sect. 2. Select a quotation from the essay that reveals the author's research or use of sources. In a paragraph or two, discuss the nature of the information in the quote and whether the informaion has been properly documented. Are you able to judge the accuracy and reasonableness of the quotation as used by the author Why or Why not Is this important Why or why not There are actually three research sources that the author used in this essay: the scientific study made by Coca-Cola, Simon Wessely, and Robert Bartholomew. The most convincing source, however, for this particular essay was that of the study by Coca-Cola. The cited references made by the author of Simon Wessely and Robert Bartholomew are information and explanations of patterns of mass hysteria cases but the reader, I believe would look for a compelling study that directly relates to the Belgian Coca-Cola incident. The reader will immediately be drawn by the statement in the Coca-Cola study, thus: "More puzzling is the fact that, in four of the five schools were the bad Coke allegedly struck, half of the kids who got sick hadn't drunk any Coke that day. Whatever went on Belgium, in other words, probably wasn't Coca-Cola poisoning." This is a statement of fact directly related to the case, that's why it presents to the reader a very convincing essay that it was simply a case of mass hysteria and not mass poisoning. Although, in my opinion it was not properly documented in the essay because the author did not gave information as to the specifics of the scientific Coca-Cola study. The reader might wish to know where the detailed study can be obtained or accessed. I cannot ascertain absolutely the accuracy of the author's statement in this regard, since again, no information was given as to how or where I can obtain or access the detailed report of the Coca-Cola study. I can only agree for the reasonableness of the author's statement. The specific information is very important because it will give credence and authenticity to the mass hysteria position taken by the author. Otherwise, the reader might think the author is only writing for the interest of Coca-Cola Company. 3. Examine the essay from statements of fact and statements of opinion. Discuss in a paragraph or tow whether the author has used facts and opinions to appropriately support the purpose. Cite at least one example of opinon and evaluate these according to appropriate standards. As to the essay's statements of fact, I would again refer to the Coca-Cola study particularly the statement "more puzzling is the fact that, in four of the five schools were the bad Coke allegedly struck, half of the kids who got sick hadn't drunk any Coke that day." Although, there are no specific information as to how or where to obtain and access the report to verify the statement, the reader can always obtain the study report from Coca-Cola or a published report of it from other sources such as the internet. I am pretty sure that Coca-Cola had published it somewhere for public consumption because it will redound to their benefit. As to the essay's statements of opinions, the references to the Simon Wessely and Robert Bartholomew's observations and explanations of mass hysteria cases and patterns accomplished the author's purpose. Simon Wessely's opinion on the common occurrence of mass hysteria presents a clear instance that mass hysteria is prevalent and, therefore, can be directly paralleled to the Belgian Coca-Cola scare. Such opinion was stated in the essay: "This kind of thing is extremely common," he says, "and it's almost normal. It doesn't mean that you are mentally ill or crazy." 4. Examine the essay for evidence of underlying assumptions and for bias or prejudice. In a paragraph or two, discuss your findings and defend your position. Some statements of assumptions in this essay are those of: Simon Wessely"The fact that the outbreaks occurred in schools is also typical of hysteria cases. "The classic ones always involve schoolchildren;" Robert Bartholomew: What happened in Belgium, he says, is a fairly typical example of a more standard form of contagious anxiety, possibly heightened by the recent Belgian scare over dioxin-contaminated animal feed. The students' alarm over the rotten-egg odor of their Cokes, for example, is straight out of the hysteria textbooks. These are statements of assumptions because it cannot be absolutely pointed out that typical hysteria cases occur in schools or involve schoolchildren (Simon Wessely). This is debatable. Recorded case histories and documentary observations may have been done in such environments. But mass hysteria cases all over the world have different settings and environments. This alone will defy the assumption of Simon Wessely. The other cited assumption of Robert Bartholomew that the Belgian scare was heightened by the dioxin-contaminated animal feed is debatable. It can be argued that the Belgian scare was actually amplified by widespread reports of children getting sick by the contaminated Coke bottles that were readily available anywhere in Belgium with no reference to the contaminated animal feed. As to statements of bias and prejudice, the statement of Robert Bartholomew referring to motor hysteria that is common and now seen occurring in Islamic cultures may be misinterpreted as a prejudiced statement. This can be a statement of prejudice because it directly named the Islamic culture. It can be stated otherwise as common and occurring in all cultures, be it Islamic, Asian or European. 5. Is the author guilty of fallacious reasoning Is so, write a paragraph or two in which you identify fallacies you have located and explain how they are used in the essay and what impact they have on the position being presented. If you can find no evidence of fallacies, write a paragraph explaining why you believe the reasoning in the essay is sound and well founded. I cannot find any evidence of fallacious reasoning in this essay. The proper references are included in the essay although there are no specific information as to how or where such information can be obtained or accessed such as what book, journal, or report studies that the author have drawn pertaining to the statements, observations, or studies of Simon Wessely, Robert Bartholomew, and Coca-Cola. Generally, though the essay may not have presented an exhaustive discourse of Belgian Coca-Cola scare, it presents a persuasive light discussion on the subject. 6. In a paragraph or two, discuss two inferences or conclusions that you have drawn from the essay. Explain what statements or conclusions in the essay led you to these conclusions. Then explain why you believe your conclusions are important; that is, what do they teach you or add to your former knowledge Finally, relate your conclusions to some experience you have had. How does this insight you have gained from the essay relate to your life. This essay is short of facts maybe because it is not exhaustively written and was intended to be written in a light and amusing manner. Statements in the essay as those of Wessely: "You know, when this business started I bet two of my friends a bottle of champagne each that I knew the cause;" "It's quite simple. It's just mass hysteria. These things usually are." And the hanging sentence to wrap up the essay: "We let the people of Belgium down," Douglas Ivester, the company's chairman, said in the midst of the crisis. Or perhaps it was the other way around. Not to mention such statements as: More puzzling is the fact that; So what was it Maybe nothing at all; The fact that the outbreaks occurred in schools is also typical of hysteria cases; it is seen today in some Islamic cultures. I can only relate these findings to writing an essay or any discourse for that matter. First, when stating facts, they must be supported with proper references and information as to those facts so that it will leave no doubt to the reader if those facts you have written have basis in fact. Second, prejudicial statements and biases must be avoided in order not to call attention to sensitive issues such as national cultures or peculiarities. Work Cited Gladwell, Malcolm (1999). Is the Belgian Coca-Cola hysteria the real thing http://www.gladwell.com/pdf/coke.pdf (Accessed 05 May 2008). Read More