Cat's Cradle Reflection

Everything that glitters is not always gold. One theme in Cat's Cradle that captured my attention was that not everything is at it seems. San Lorenzo was portrayed to be "A healthy, happy, progressive, freedom-loving, beautiful nation [that] makes itself extremely attractive to American-investors and tourists alike." These words were taken at face value, and ended being a load of bullocks. This directly correlates to several aspects of society, just because a person says they are this or that does not necessarily mean they really are. Words are one thing, but seeing truly is believing. San Lorenzo ended up being the complete opposite of what it claimed to be. Instead San Lorenzo was a bland, depressing city. Even the people, for "[t]he islanders were oatmeal colored. The people were thin. There wasn't a fat person to be seen. Every person had teeth missing. Many legs were bowed or swollen. Not one pair of eyes was clear." Society is quite gullible, believing almost every little "Fact" they see on the internet without thoroughly doing research and understanding why or how that fact is actually fact. Too many things are taken at face value, and this could be due to a lack of curiosity to learn why or how things work they way they do. Another aspect is how celebrities and women are portrayed through media: perfect little dolls with no flaws. This creates an illusion that being perfect is normal, as if you have to be perfect to be considered "beautiful" be the majority. It's important to do your best in deciphering facts from lies, especially in a society where persuasive techniques are used constantly.