Included below are a selection of writing samples by Brandon Farrington. These may be classified as “special interest” and “social issues,” and are intended to focus on Brandon’s content writing experience.
- Sample #1 – Opinion: FOMO is counter to independence and a strong sense of self
- Sample #2 – Opinion: UNC Charlotte’s “Self-Made Man” statue is not representative of its community
- Sample #3 – ‘Console Wars’ novel to be adapted into TV series
Sample #1 – Opinion: FOMO is counter to independence and a strong sense of self
Students miss out on opportunities to have fun, enjoy life or get away from stressors daily. Even worse, sometimes missing out can cause more stress. There are ways to accept missing out on these kinds of events and use them as opportunities to take care of yourself instead.
It could be anything from missing a movie or TV show near release or missing a night out with friends. At some point, everyone struggles with the fear of missing out (FOMO).
There are two causes of FOMO to consider. One is financial, and the other is social. An example that makes use of both might be a TV show that friends like or even a dinner invitation. Not everyone’s financial priorities are the same, and that is natural.
You may want to keep up with your friends but may not be able to afford the service to watch the show or may not feel okay asking for someone’s login information. And yet there are worse, more harmful situations to find one’s self in with FOMO.
The Cleveland Clinic suggests the ‘joy of missing out,’ or JOMO, as a solution to FOMO. Their recommendations for playing out this idea include taking time away from technology and setting boundaries socially. Although it may work for some, is breaking from technology not excessive?
Technology like cell phones is a core part of modern life and of one’s productivity. Why should anyone cut out digital technology to make other people or other factors stop making them feel bad?
Perhaps it is not the technology we use but how and why we use it. A key part of the discussion of JOMO missing from the previous article is a strong sense of self—a conviction.
Sample #2 – Opinion: UNC Charlotte’s “Self-Made Man” statue is not representative of its community
The “Self-Made Man” statue is a focal point for many students on the lawn between Fretwell and Cato Hall, yet it does not represent the community-based culture at UNC Charlotte.
The statue assumes that people can only rely on themselves to be successful, which diminishes Charlotte’s community-based support for students.
According to the Columbus Area Arts Council, the sculpture is a “Bronze sculpture by a Colorado-based artist depicting a man carving himself out of stone… carving his character, carving his future.”
Walking from East Deck or Lots 5 and 5A can make this piece a daily visual for many UNC Charlotte students.
The “Self-Made Man,” first carved by Bobbie Carlyle around 1987, is only one of many copies offered for sale to universities and individuals worldwide.
Carlyle originally kept the “Self-Made Man” incomplete in her studio and completed it while recovering from whiplash and a broken pelvis. Amazon and her website offer copies of the statue to purchase.
While the statue may have embodied the solitude she felt from her time spent in recovery, it may also come from her lived experiences that were not described on her website around the statue.
People, like art, should not be seen as snapshots of the moment they live in, like the message that the statue represents. Instead, they should be viewed as part of the complete process, including both the good and the bad parts of those processes and what their future may hold.
The best outcome for the statue is to be an inspiration, someone who needs to be empowered by the idea the statue represents. But this can lead to a much more extreme rejection of critical social aspects of building oneself.
“Like with most things though, the statue cannot be understood on this interpretation alone, for it also fits into a long American tradition of thinking that we can all just pull ourselves up by our bootstraps, go from nothing to the American dream,” said Martin Shuster, professor of philosophy.
Sample #3 – ‘Console Wars’ novel to be adapted into TV series
Tom Kalinske’s claim to SEGA fame portrayed on the digital screen
Have you ever been curious about the inner workings of marketing for SEGA in the early 90’s without having to read the “Console Wars” book?
The novel, written by Blake J. Harris, was initially announced in February 2014 to receive a film adaptation directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. LEGENDARY Pictures has just announced it will back a dramatization for TV instead, directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, who previously directed “Kong: Skull Island.”
Rogen and Goldberg have both moved into executive producer roles to include Vogt-Roberts, Mike Rosolio (who will be writing the pilot episode), James Weaver of Point Grey Pictures, Scott Rudin and Eli Bush, along with Julian Rosenberg, then Harris and Jonah Tulis’ Flying Penguin Pictures.
“Console Wars” chronicles SEGA’s battle against Nintendo in the early ’80s and ’90s to gain market share in the video game industry with the SEGA Genesis. SEGA of America’s former President Tom Kalinske and Marketing Director Al Nilsen are prominent figures in the book, and I personally am interested in seeing who’s cast to play them.
Any guesses as to who they might be?
Brandon Farrington 