Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail 821772 :: Essays Papers

Fear and Loathing On the Campaign Trail 821772 I knew I was in for something different before even opening the book. On the cover of the book was a skull colored by the American flag, with swastikas in its eye sockets. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, as I had no idea who Hunter S. Thompson was. I opened the book and began to read through the author’s preface. Throughout were numerous references to drugs, sex, and politics. I began to get a picture of who HST was and about his style of writing. HTS revolutionized modern journalism with a style all his own. He evolved a new style of journalism called â€Å"Gonzo† journalism. This bold and brazen style of journalism is the telling of the blatant truth with no thought of consequence. According to Thompson "The true Gonzo reporter needs the talent of a master journalist, the eye of an artist/photographer and the heavy balls of an actor.† A gonzo journalist does not proofread his work, because that would take away from the spontaneous of the event. A Gonzo journalist will witness an event, and either at the time of it, or shortly thereafter completely write about it. When written at an event, "The reporter works his fingers to bloody nubs trying to capture all that is happening around him, and then sends it off to the editor without a second look.† Bill Cardoso a close friend of HTS’ coined the term "gonzo" in a letter regarding an article written about the Kentucky Derby in which he wrote: "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved", and was more about white trash than horses. Cardoso wrote, "I don't know what the f*** you're doing, but you've changed everything. It's totally gonzo". Cardoso, himself a journalist, claims that "gonzo" is actually a corruption of a French Canadian word, "gonzeaux", meaning, "shining path". Gonzo journalism is also highly subjective. When a Gonzo style article is written, it is clearly known where the writer stands on the topic of the article. You become immersed in the writer’s feelings, thoughts, and views on whatever is being written about. HST is constantly extremely critical and scrutinizes every situation he ends up in with a sarcastic, humorous and/or vulgar twist. I enjoy this part of his writing because it makes everything more interesting to read.

Gaddafi Essay

The person that I chose to represent Machiavelli’s ideas is Muammar Gaddafi. He is the longest serving head of state in the world next to Queen Elizabeth II. He is known for his controversial political strategy and his very unusual personality. Gaddafi is easily spotted in animal skins and colorful clothing. His name regularly pops up on lists of the worst dressed world leaders. Ronald Regan named him the â€Å"Mad Dog of the Middle East. † Muammar Gaddafi’s reputation ranges from a popular revolutionary to an international reject. Gaddafi graduated from the University of Libya then continued to pursue a British military education. While in Great Britain he began to devise a plan to overthrow the Libyan monarchy. In 1969, Libyan King Idris was overthrown by a small group of Gaddafi’s Junior military leaders. A year later, being inspired by Egyptian President Gamal Nasser, he decided to close US and British military bases and expel all Italians and Jews. While trying to enforce Islamic socialism, he banned alcoholic beverages and gambling and failed at trying to unite Libya with other countries. By the mid-1980s, he was widely regarded in the West as the principal financier of international terrorism. He was also accused by the United States of being responsible for direct control of the 1986 Berlin discotheque that killed three people and wounded more than 200, of whom a substantial number were U. S. servicemen. Gaddafi’s adopted daughter was killed in a bombing of Libya that was retaliation for the U. S. After that two Libyans were accused of placing a bomb on Pan Am Flight 103, which exploded and killed 270 people, Gaddafi refused to give up the suspects to America or Britain. Gaddafi finally admitted responsibility for the attack in 2003 and paid more than $2. 7 billion to the families of the victims, initiating the end of Libya’s international isolation. Now in Machiavelli’s â€Å"The Qualities ofa Prince† the very first paragraph talks about how everything dealing with the government is viewed through a military lens. Machiavelli doesn’t believe that the prince is a man who is skilled in many disciplines, but he believes that the prince should own a responsibility to make sure that whatever he governs is stable. Gaddafi took responsibility for Libya by creating his own form of government called Jamahiriya, in which the nation is governed by the masses or local councils and he defended his government by saying, â€Å"There is no state with a democracy except Libya n the whole planet. Machiavelli also raises the question whether it is better to be loved than to be feared. In the twelfth paragraph he states â€Å"†¦ l say that every prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel; nevertheless, he must take care not to misuse this mercy. † It is said that Gaddafi’s examples and though ts inspire the struggling troubled masses and haunts the ones doing the trouble. This is why he is loved by people of the world, but feared by the ruling cliques who know that his words and actions expose them for what they are.

Henry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience And Machiavelli

On March 13, 1964, Kitty Genovese was on her way back to her home in Queens, New York. Sometime before her home, she was attacked and stabbed by a serial killer. Despite thirty eight witnesses supposedly on scene, no one attempted to contact the police until the attacker was gone. This situation is a great example of a phenomenon called the bystander effect, which basically states that the more witnesses to a crime or major event, the less likely somebody will help. Basically, everyone believes someone else will be the first to provide assistance. The same applies to society, especially in the institution of politics. United States, a democratic society, allows all their citizens to vote. However, despite a system which enables the citizen to be independent, ironically it may sometimes encourage conformity. Both Henry David Thoreau, famous for his discussions on a subject that is a title of his essay Civil Disobedience and Machiavelli, author of The Qualities of the Prince, notice a pattern of conformity in society. When a major voting decision is not supported by a majority, people will often wait rather than advertise and fruitfully support their cause. Believing that their cause can only succeed if the majority is supportive, they wait until their chance is best to propose change. Machiavelli takes note of this behavior and writes a â€Å"manifesto† for a would-be prince to remain in charge and popular within the society. Thoreau’s speech about the factors leading to anShow MoreRelatedHenry Thoreau And Niccolo Machiavelli1049 Words   |  5 Pagesthem and develop them in others is the foundation for reaching goals and being successful in a leadership position. Henry David Thoreau and Niccolo Machiavelli are two men who have influenced some of the most influential people in the world, as the two were writing to different audiences, it s easy to see why their ideologies might clash or unite; Henry Thoreau and Niccolo Machiavelli both use an abun dant amount of rhetorical strategies in both of their stories, including ethos, pathos, and logos;Read MoreHenry David Thoreau s Civil Disobedience1124 Words   |  5 Pageseveryone s rights safe, our government is a democracy since we were once under a tyrannical government, and it keeps order. Three famous writers known as Henry David Thoreau with Civil Disobedience, Niccolo Machiavelli with The Qualities of a Prince, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau with The Origin of Civil Society wrote about a civilized society versus a tyrannical government. Sometimes their views agreed with mine and other times they did not. Henry David Thoreau s writing, Civil Disobedience, he explainsRead MoreCivil Disobedience : An Important Part Of Society1712 Words   |  7 PagesCivil Disobedience in Democratic Society On December 1st, 1955 a 42 year old African American woman named Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery and refused to give up her seat to a white passenger after the whites-only section was filled. This is one of the most prominent examples of civil disobedience in history, as Rosa Parks’ refusal and arrest for her actions were in her own best interest as well as the interests of other people and against the segregation laws at the time; however, the black