‘—

Karla Flores, ass.06

In Hook’s essay, “Eating the Other”, she uses the phrase ‘the other’ to symbolize something. In this case the usage of this word by her meant, ‘something different’. She describes differences as the other because, everything considered as the other is somehow taboo or something unknown that everyone is scared to get to know. The way she utilized the phrase, made it more obvious for the readers to really understand how everyone really looks at differences in the world, which is in a very degrading way. But she was also able to point out how people were staring to considerate a new side to everything that would be different and new. She describes how the relationship to “the other” was something productive. it opened people’s choices to new things and allowed them to use it to better themselves as people too. In most cases, society has started to use the other to their advantage, where they are starting to get some type of personal or professional benefit from it. Like many advertisements do today. These companies have taken the acknowledgment of difference, to make their brand more appealing to everyone in the public. They would collect data that would inform them who is more likely to buy certain brands of soda, as they found that black people are more likely to buy Pepsi, so they include more people of color to their commercials which would attract even more people to their brand. The recognition of the other allows for a more positive relationship to develop in our society. Whether it is about sexuality or race, “the other” will always be that side of the spectrum that most people are afraid to address because they don’t really know much about it. But once we acknowledge it, change will occur for the better.