Assignment 4

"It was the lawyers of ancient Rome who came up with the modern definition of fatherhood: Mater semper certa est; pater est quem nuptiae demonstrant (rough translation: The mother is obvious; the father is the one she was married to when the child was born)" (Time Magazine).

This lede sparked my curiosity. I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be sarcastic or completely serious. Either way, I laughed to myself when I read the first few lines of the article. I was certainly intrigued by the author’s historical and Latin references, but I was sold when I found out the subject matter of the article. It addresses the question: should a father who finds out that he has been supporting a child that is not biologically his be able to decline his once obligatory financial responsibilities? It was pretty interesting.

"Neatness is overrated" (Time Magazine).

Enough said. Sold. I could have put down the magazine right then if I didn’t have the suspicious feeling that it was too good to be true. That, and I had no where on my desk to put it. As a moderate mess myself, I was curious to learn the empirical data in support of the growing mound of dirty and clean laundry on my floor, as well as my personal "non-organization" organization system. It’s complex.
What I found, though, was a very interesting piece that backed up its lede with very reliable sources, attribution and background. I also put the article on my refrigerator, should my roommates happen to glance at it.

"It’s O.K. to be teary and sincere if you’re new, like Jennifer Hudson of "Dreamgirls," but at the Golden Globe awards, it’s better to be fast and mean" (New York Times).

I actually had to register myself with the New York Times in order to read the rest of the article. They trick you with a nonsensical lede and then lure you to receive junk mail and give up your personal information just to find out what it means. I fell for it. But even though I read the entire piece, I still have no idea what the author is trying to get at. It actually never again referred to why it is better to be "fast and mean" or what that even means. I gave up minutes of my time and likely any chance of computer privacy– if that even still exists.