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The Topoi and Cracked Titles

The Topoi and Cracked Titles. English 104 – 12 & 19 Friday, Sept. 23, 2011. The Topoi. Aristotle “basic categories of relationships among ideas, each of which can serve as a template or heuristic for discovering things to say about a subject” ( Silva Rhetoricae )

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The Topoi and Cracked Titles

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  1. The Topoi and Cracked Titles English 104 – 12 & 19 Friday, Sept. 23, 2011

  2. The Topoi • Aristotle • “basic categories of relationships among ideas, each of which can serve as a template or heuristic for discovering things to say about a subject” (Silva Rhetoricae) • Think of it as a way to frame or spin information so that it makes sense to people in the way you want it to.

  3. The Topoi: An example • From Honor/Dignity • From hypocritical deception • From the more or the less

  4. The Topoi of Cracked • Survey of Cracked.com 109 articles titles • 13% Superlatives, e.g. • “The 5 Most Horrible Things Nobody Tells You About Babies” • “The 5 Most Horrifying Things Corporations Are Taking Over” • “The 5 Weirdest Things That Control the Global Economy” • 11% Metaphors for Everyday Life, e.g. • “6 Mind-Blowing Ways Zombies and Vampires Explain America” • “5 Baffling 80s Trends (Explained by Rare Mental Disorders)” • “7 Scientific Ways Coffee Gives You Super Powers” • 10% The Explainer, e.g. • “5 Surprising Upsides to Getting Married” • “Why 'Psychics' Need to Stop Pretending They Can Solve Crimes” • “5 Pro-Marijuana Arguments That Aren't Helping”

  5. The Topoi of Cracked • 9% Ironic Consumer Goods • 7% Calling BS, e.g. • “6 Famous Firsts You Learned in History Class (Are Total BS)” • “6 Lies About the Human Body You Learned in Kindergarten” • “7 'Ancient' Forms of Mysticism That Are Recent Inventions” • 6% Advice, e.g. • “How To Reinvent Yourself During Your First Week at College” • “5 Reasons We Need Classes on How to Talk to People” • “4 Ways To Shirk Responsibility And Deceive Your Way to Trust” • 6% You Won’t Believe…, e.g. • “5 Projects You Won't Believe the US Government Is Working On” • “6 Things You Won't Believe Animals Do Just Like Us” • “8 Things You Won't Believe Can Be Hacked”

  6. The Topoi of Cracked • 5% Ironic Predictions, e.g. • “5 Things Our Kids Won't Have In School” • “If Nature Decided To Screw With Us” • “5 Visions of the Future From Experts (Who Should Be Fired)” • 5% Remarkable/Ironic People, e.g. • “7 Ruthless Criminals Who Turned Good When Nobody Was Looking” • “6 People Who Single Handedly Screwed Entire Economies” • “5 Villains That Were Thinly-Veiled Versions of Real People” • 4% Ironic/Bad Behavior, e.g. • “5 Common Responses to Awkwardness (That Make Things Worse)” • “The Worst Possible Thing to Be Wearing at That Moment” • “6 Reasons The Guy Who's Fixing Your Computer Hates You”

  7. The Topoi of Cracked • 4% Trendy Things that Actually Suck, e.g. • “6 Real Diseases That Have Somehow Become Trendy” • “4 Inexplicably Huge Internet Trends” • “6 Scientific Reasons Social Networks Are Bad for Society” • 4% Mind-Blowers, e.g. • “The 6 Most Mind-Blowing Ways Your Brain Can Malfunction” • “6 Mind-Blowing Discoveries Made Using Google Earth” • “6 Mind Blowing Ways 'Starship Troopers' Predicted the Future” • 3% Unintentional Failures/Successes …, e.g. • “The 7 Most Unintentionally Hilarious Propaganda Campaigns” • “The 16 Most Hilariously Dishonest Old School Advertisements” • “5 Famous Ad Campaigns That Actually Hurt Sales”

  8. The Topoi of Cracked • 2% Easier/Harder , e.g. • “6 Silly Sounding Jobs That Are Way Harder Than You Think” • “5 Things That Are Way Easier Than They Look in Movies” • “6 Reasons Professional Poker Is Way Harder Than It Looks” • 2% Word Irony, e.g. • “5 Innocent Words That Need to Be Banned from English” • “4 Words That Take On New Meanings When You Get Older” • “8 Words You're Confusing With Other Words” • 2% Wishful Thinking, e.g. • “6 Insane Holidays You'll Wish You Celebrated” • “7 Creepy Video Game Easter Eggs You'll Wish Were Never Found”

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