TOW 5- The 38-Year-Old Frat Boy

            Alex Stone recently completed a nine-month fellowship for midcareer journalists at the University of Michigan. He describes the experiences he endured as he rushed a fraternity at 38-years-old. Stone is the author of the book Fooling Houdini: Magicians, Mentalists, Math Geeks and the Hidden Powers of the Mind and attended Harvard for his undergraduate degree. Obviously a well-educated man, Stone’s article published on the front page of the Sunday Review of the New York Times targets adults who have already had their own college experience. In the article The 38-Year-Old Frat Boy, Stone’s humorous tone specific to his audience and obvious establishment of ethos successfully leaves the reader with message to “not judge a book by its cover.”

            Stone’s humor is evident from the start. He asserts that he is surprised no one accuses him of being an “undercover cop posing as an undergrad.” He alludes to “Animal House” in a humorous way, which is a phrase I have often heard adults use when referring to Greek Life. Stone’s humorous tone contributes to his control over the attention of his audience and often sheds light on the deeper meaning he is trying to convey. For example, he describes the members of the Fraternity that he pledges into as “desperate” and “a motley band of misfits who get high together and played video games,” but then ends up describing them as his brothers. His humorous tone throughout the article allows the reader to enjoy the information conveyed while simultaneously absorbing the message communicated. Stone’s continued establishment of ethos throughout the essay contributes to the credibility of the message being conveyed and allows the reader to believe and rely on his opinion. While sharing an anecdote of a time when he was brought to a hospital covered in vomit, he recalls that the members of the Fraternity could only say that he had attended Harvard for undergrad. This sly slip-in shows that he is clearly very intelligent but does not make him seem pompous because he did not blatantly say that he attended Harvard. Stone also slips in little facts about his previous accomplishes, experiences and education that contribute to his concrete credibility. In this essay, Stone’s employment of a humorous tone and establishment of his credibility assists in conveying the message that it is important that when making a decision, we don’t judge something by our preconceptions about its appearance.