An Existing Obesity Crisis: A Sugar Tax?

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Table of Contents

Audience/ Purpose
Logos and Pathos
CRAAP Test Results
Conclusion
Reference

Linda Tirado, in her article titled “A Sugar Tax? Let’s Stop Nannying Poor People and Find a Proper Solution,” describes the existing obesity crisis and argues that the politicians’ proposals to tackle it are ineffective. Tirado agrees that the problem of obesity and, particularly, the issue of excessive sugar consumption, exists but the current measures and methods do not address the root of it. The author uses the government’s call to put a 20% tax on sugar-containing drinks as an example of a useless and harmful policy that will negatively affect the poor by lowering their quality of life. Tirado states that often people are aware of their sugar addiction but, since they do not have any healthy alternatives, continue to follow their usual dietary habits. The author believes that the government disrespects and insults the citizens’ intelligence by deciding on what is right and wrong for them, instead, Tirado insists that there should be a systemic approach. This article is effective since the author implements the argumentative rhetorical strategy of using logos and pathos in a balanced manner, providing factual information, personal opinions, and following the CRAAP test criteria.

Audience/ Purpose

The primary audience of the article is liberal middle-class Britons since they are the general public of The Guardian, the newspaper where this article was published. Liberals espouse socialist views and believe that the state should interfere in the economic and social life of the country in order to benefit the citizens, namely the most vulnerable ones. Therefore, Tirado specifically refers to the “working-class” people as the main victims of the measure since the liberal audience is particularly concerned about this population group’s livelihood. Taxing sugary foods may seem like a reasonable measure to many members of the target audience who do not wonder about the implications of such a policy. Thus, the article’s purpose lies in educating the readers on the subject of the negative consequences of the measure’s implementation. The author’s tone can be characterized as critical, which corresponds to the general attitude of the liberal readers, who always try to analyze all the aspects and factors of issues they explore. The text follows the standard article format, including the title, body, and conclusion, which is appropriate for the goals which the author tries to achieve with it.

Logos and Pathos

Arranging the logos of the article, the author uses a variety of logical arguments, while the text’s pathos element manifests itself in the form of emphatic words. Tirado references a recent poll showing that a considerable number of citizens do not approve the tax discussed in the article, thus supporting her argument concerning the negative effect on the poor members of society. She also mentions studies that consider sugar as a source of addiction, which serves as the foundation of her argument that sugar is a public health concern. She carefully chooses facts and arranges her reasoning in a logical manner, which is expected by the audience from any author that publishes articles in a well-respected newspaper such as The Guardian. Tirado also appeals to the emotions of the liberal public, when writing about the government’s measures to address the sugar consumption problem, she describes it as “nannying,” stressing the state’s urge to control citizens’ lives. The balanced use of both logos and pathos in the article makes a positive impression on me as a reader, allows to understand the author’s perspective, and persuades to agree with it.

CRAAP Test Results

Even though the article was published in 2015, the topic of the discussion, namely, the problem of obesity and excessive sugar consumption, still remains topical to this day. Thus, despite the fact that the text has not been revised or updated, the information it contains, including the author’s opinion, is still current, and the links listed in the article are active even today. The author admits that the topic she is writing about is recurrent, “It’s that time of year again, around the Christmas period, when we all notice that there’s an obesity crisis” (Tirado, 2015). The accuracy aspect is also properly maintained in the article, the author references real events and states reliable facts that can be easily verified by anyone who has access to the Internet resources. For example, speaking of the tax proposal, the writer links the source of the information, “The health select committee’s call for a 20% tax on sugary drinks” (Tirado, 2015). Nevertheless, since this is an opinion article, the author occasionally uses emotional speech, yet not to the extent that could negatively impact the text’s credibility. There are also no grammar mistakes present.

Conclusion

Tirado managed to write an article that relies on a well-balanced argumentative strategy that implies presenting both sufficient factual information and the author’s own point of view and complies with the CRAAP test criteria. The author addresses the liberal audience of The Guardian, aiming at explaining to the readers the consequences of the government measures against sugar consumption. She presents factual information, such as the poll results, to support her arguments, and uses emphatic speech to appeal to the readers’ emotions. Despite being published in 2015, the text still contains valuable information and Tirado’s opinion on an issue that is still topical today, thus the article can be considered current. It is also accurate since the author cites credible sources, states verifiable facts, and references real events. Yet, to make the article more effective, Tirado could employ some elements of the expository rhetorical strategy, for example, by presenting more facts and statistics addressing the negative outcomes of the government interference in society. She could also add more ethos to the article, providing opinions of different professionals on the topics of obesity, excessive sugar consumption, and the effects of taxes.

Reference

Tirado, L. (2015). A sugar tax? Let’s stop nannying poor people and find a proper solution. The Guardian. Web.

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An Existing Obesity Crisis: A Sugar Tax?

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