Why Looks Are The Last Bastion Of Discrimination

Words: 671
Pages: 3
Open Document
Deborah L. Rhode is a law professor at Stanford University and an author, writing or co-writing over twenty-seven books in the genera of “professional responsibility, leadership, and gender,” and publishing editorials in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, and Slate. On May 23, 2010, an editorial by Rhode titled, “Why Looks are the Last Bastion of Discrimination,” was published in the Washington Post. This article argues for the need of stricter anti-discrimination laws after proving that the United States’ bias towards more attractive people severely impacts one’s ability to qualify for jobs and other opportunities. “Why Looks are the Last Bastion of Discrimination” effectively makes Rhode’s argument by utilizing Aristotle’s …show more content…
In “Why Looks are the Last Bastion of Discrimination,” ethos and data are widely used. Rhode integrates data from known sources to strength her claim that there needs to be more stringent anti-discrimination laws. For example, she uses statistics from the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance to prove that “62 percent of overweight females” and “42 percent of overweight males” have been turned down for a job due to their weight. She uses a national poll by the Employment Law Alliance to demonstrate that in “2005, 16 percent of workers” were reported victims “of appearance discrimination.” Rhode also uses people’s personal experiences to further uphold her argument. She uses the personal story of the Nikki Youngblood, who, in 2001, was “denied a photo in her Tampa high schools yearbook” due to the fact that she refused to “pose in a scoop-necked …show more content…
Rhode includes these appeals to emotion to further prove that prejudice based on looks in this country has a serious impact. This can be seen when Rhodes makes the statement that “unattractive people are less likely to be hired and promoted.” Evident also when Rhodes declares that “not even justice is blind” or when she talks about how “discrimination based on irrelevant physical characteristics reinforce invidious stereotypes” which can “restrict personal freedom.” Logos is an appeal to logic, this appeal persuades the audience by reason. Similarly, the Toulmin model requires that an argument employ warrants, which are logical statements that connect the claim the author is making and the data they provide. Shown when Rhode writes that “conventional wisdom holds that beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” however, “beholders tend to agree on what is beautiful.” Logos is also exemplified when Rhodes states that “As the history of civil rights legislations suggests, customer preferences should not be a defense for
Show More

Related Documents: Why Looks Are The Last Bastion Of Discrimination

Appearance-Based Discrimination In David Kirby's 'Inked Well'

appearance or stereotypes attached to your appearance? Appearance-based discrimination has a vast influence on many aspects of life and can impede the lives of countless people. Appearance-based discrimination can be based on countless factors such as race, ethnicity, social standing, beliefs, and experiences. These topics are discussed in Sherman Alexie’s “Superman and, me” as he talks about his experience with appearance-based discrimination and how he overcame it and tries to help others overcome it as…

Words 1653 - Pages 7

Discrimination In David Kirby's Inked Well

appearance or stereotypes attached to their appearance? Appearance-based discrimination has a vast influence on many aspects of life and can impede the lives of countless people. Appearance-based discrimination can be based on numerous factors such as race, ethnicity, social standing, beliefs, and experiences. These topics are discussed in Sherman Alexie's "Superman and Me" as he talks about his experience with appearance-based discrimination and how he overcame it and tried to help others overcome it. In…

Words 1655 - Pages 7

Ronald Reagan Inaugural Address 1981 Essay

convenience of the present. To continue this long trend is to guarantee tremendous social, cultural, political, and economic upheavals. 5 You and I, as individuals, can, by borrowing, live beyond our means, but for only a limited period of time. Why, then, should we think that collectively, as a nation, we are not bound by that same limitation? 6 We must act today in order to preserve tomorrow. And let there be no misunderstanding—we are going to begin to act, beginning today. 7 The economic…

Words 2464 - Pages 10

The Results of Children in Fatherless Homes Essay

Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbearing are now epidemic in American society. Both forms of disrupted families are harmful to children and to society. The children of single parents are more likely to do poorly in school, commit crimes, and become single parents themselves. In addition, the increase in single-parent families contributes to such social problems as poverty, crime, and a decline in the quality of public education. Divorce and out-of-wedlock childbirth are transforming the lives of…

Words 16072 - Pages 65