The Sell Out was a two part short story in The New York Times written by Simon Rich. In the story a man named Hershel is pickled at a factory he works in in the early 1900s and brought back to life in modern day New York. He lives with his great great grandson, Simon, who is lazy, narcissistic, and edits movies scripts for a living. His girlfriend, Claire, who Hershel thinks is on the brink of death because of her thinness, also frequently visits.

http://mixedmindsalad.wordpress.com/2010/08/14/a-critical-view-on-modern-society/

The story shows an interesting parallel between common practices in America at the turn of the century versus common practices in modern day America. For example, Simon often complains about minor inconveniences he experiences from his job, such as the internet being temporarily out of service, while Hershel experienced people dying at his job from getting caught in machines (something Hershel treated rather nonchalantly).
The story also really emphasizes the leap in technological advances between these two time periods. The food is much more bountiful, and the quality of life is much higher. I feel as as Hershel has a hard time dealing with the fact that despite these breakthroughs, there seems to be much less moral integrity. These is clear in the situation where Claire is hit on in a bar and Simon does nothing to help her get rid of the unwanted suitor.

http://obrag.org/?p=60

It's sort of interesting how someone with such an outdated mindset has a much more level headed way of dealing with the world in general. I also find it interesting how Hershel is many times the voice of moral righteousness, but is often alone in his stance, which is relatable to many instances in modern society.

The Storm

In The Storm, a woman  commits adultery while her husband and son are stuck at a grocery store during a storm. This was an interesting story considering the time period it was written and the fact that the author was a woman. The story affirms that women often times share the same approach to sexuality that men often, a notion that was unheard of in the 1800s. It seems as though the intimacy shared between Calixta and Alcee is full of passion, which seemed absent in their marriages, despite the fact that they both have children with their spouses.

http://www.katechopin.org/

Presently, society holds a much more forgiving attitude when it comes to extra-marital affairs. Movies such as American Beauty, Damage, and Chloe display elaborate stories centered around being unfaithful to one's partner. Even more current forms of entertainment, such as the hit The Walking Dead, showcase two people caught in a juicy affair. It seems as though we have always been enthralled with the idea of affairs, but have only recently began to openly display it without remorse
.

http://www.sheknows.com/holidays-and-seasons/articles/1020529/controversial-halloween-costumes-for-couples

On Sale at Old Navy

In his article “On Sale at Old Navy: Cool Clothes for Identical Zombies” Damien Cave discusses the negative effect big store chains such as Old Navy can have on a society. He argues that established companies that make profit off of pushing identical, cheaply made products sold at “reasonable” prices convince consumers that they are getting a bargain when, in fact, they are contributing to the growth of a company dead set on making millions while failing to ensure quality. According to Naomi Klein, an author who collaborates with Cave, “Consumers are being scammed. Stores like Old Navy and Ikea are duping millions, inspiring mass conformity whole pretending to deliver high high culture to the masses”. Customers are made to think, at first, that they are getting a great deal, when in reality, the article of clothing (or furniture) is made so that it will disintegrate in a short amount of time, securing the replacement of the original purchase, thus contributing to the dependency of the customer to the place of business time and time again. In the long run, the higher quality, more expensive item would probably have been cheaper.

http://freshome.com/2014/03/06/broken-furniture-functionality-kills-fun-lennart-van-uffelen/

 In addition to these companies cheating the consumer out of their money, they are also aiding to the death of individuality. Cave states “What's really happening...is that clever marketers are turning us into automatons who equate being cool with buying cheap stuff that everyone else has”. Klein adds to this idea by making such statements as, “It's mass cloning that's being masked in a carnival of diversity. You don't notice that you're conforming because everything is so colorful”. When you look at the number of large retail stores selling practically the same item to a multitude of people around the country, or even the globe, it's hard to deny the duplicate effect it has on the way we present ourselves. In a way, does it not seem that we are becoming more like the infamous Old Navy mannequins standing windows of the store. We hail from different races and backgrounds, but all stand in storefronts clad in the same cheap, nondescript attire, oblivious to the underlying intentions of the business occurring behind our own backs.

http://erinfitzgerald2.wordpress.com/