Tow #24- Slate Magazine Article/ "In the Name of Love"/ Miya Tokumitsu

Reading Goal: Identify the type of writing as well as strategies used.
Writing Goal: Write a well-developed TOW essay, but keep it more concise than recent TOWs.

The statement, "Do what you love, love what you do" is a common American saying, so common that it inspires many to go off and live their dreams, including college students with no idea of their future career. Some criticize this statement because it is based on personal preference, and not economic, political, or social benefit. Some say that this philosophy only really works out for the rich, educated, privileged American, and not the majority of the population. Whether  it works or not, Ph.D. and author Miya Tokumitsu argues through exemplification and counter-argument that people should consider the economic, political, and/or social consequences that could arise from working because of the passion they have for that job or art.

Tokumitsu is very thorough when refuting others' claims about "Doing what you love..." (DWYL) to make her own points about the hazards of DWYL. She starts her article with some history on the statement and the application it had in Steve Jobs' life. The example she makes of him, a successful man who did what he loved passionately and benefited from it by convincing others to work for him doing the same thing, seems to counter her own claims at first, but actually makes her argument stronger. Jobs' is a prime example that the DWYL philosophy is somewhat "self-centered" and works best for people who have the means to be successful if it doesn't work out, and using someone so widely known as a counter-argument creates both appeals to logos and pathos in a way that helps readers understand her interesting perspective. She also dives into the weaknesses of the DWYL philosophy in detail with more examples. Perhaps going from personal experience, she explains how many academic minds, such as Ph.D.s, and artists of different sorts are resigned to low incomes due to the idea that they are "doing what they love". DWYL can be used as an excuse for poor salary, poor recognition, and other consequences of certain jobs. Tokumitsu claims that the worst jobs are either jobs no one wants, or jobs with lots of passion, and provides quotes from many sources. Overall, she paints the DWYL philosophy in a bad light and backs up this claim with connectable examples readers will understand.

Author Miya Tokumitsu uses counter-arguments and examples to debate that "doing what you love" is not beneficial in today's society. She thinks that it can be used as an excuse and self-centered inspiration for a job. But though a job is important to others, is it really the work THEY will have to do for the rest of their careers?

Tokumitsu, Miya. "Stop Saying “Do What You Love, Love What You Do.” It Devalues Actual Work." Slate Magazine. Jacobin Magazine, n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.