Nothing more than a few silly names is a written as an attack on an opposing basketball team (The Wombats) reacting to racial slurs by writer Ted Blake’s favoured side. The article, published in The Zeus in April 2003, is an aggressive expression of Blake’s opinion and written in such a way that it demands the reader’s agreement of the situation.
Blake, in his use of rhetorical questions such as “What's all the fuss about?” and “Are they men or wimpy wombats?”, assumes the reader reflects the same opinion as he does – a technique useful in manipulating our natural desire to fit in and be accepted. Thus, a reader may agree with Blake due to the underlying scorn for those who sympathise with the Wombats. He uses a mocking, borderline sarcastic tone to downgrade and dismiss the racial slurs as a minuscule issue and all a “part and parcel of sport”, as well as evoking harsh dismissal of the team itself. Readers are urged to…show more content… Phrases such as “go off sulking for being called a few silly names”, “anyone with half a brain and a bit of experience”, “are they men or wimpy wombats?”, and “so-called men” brings their masculinity into doubt. Blake makes sure to reiterate that name calling is “just a joke”, “all a part and parcel of the sport”, and that “the words are irrelevant, they don't mean anything”. He encourages the idea that name calling is normal, and that the Wombats “should be used to being called much worse”. Blake then suggest that the Wombats have an ulterior motive to their reaction, giving us the impression that he doubts they took offence in the first place. He implies that the Wombats are trying to “whip up sympathy” and they “played badly and should cop it, not make excuses.” Blake is adamant that the Wombats deserve no sympathy and were simply overreacting, or reacting in a way calculated to garner them a
