"National Colors"

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/garden/article/0,2777,DRMN_23954_5743633,00.html

The subject of color is synonymous with the topic of diversity, and the article “Colors pack a punch” is no exception. The article ran Saturday in the Spotlight section of The Rocky Mountain News, and was written by Rosemary Sadez Friedmann, author of “Mystery of Color.”

Friedmann begins her article with the obvious statement, “Most of us will agree that red, yellow and orange are warm colors while blue, green and violet are cool colors,” and then goes into a little bit of psychological background information on what kind of responses are triggered by different colors. At this point the article is slightly intriguing, especially to an audience interested in the inner workings of the human mind.

It isn’t until the fourth paragraph that the article blatantly tries to address diversity, asking the reader to, “consider the psychology behind some national flags.” Instantly the story becomes less about psychology, and more and more horribly obvious that they are trying to appeal to the topic of diversity.

She begins by talking about the flag of the United States, and what the good ol’ red, white, and blue, and what each hue represents. Friendmann’s article sounds like a fourth grader’s report on the meaning of national flags in different countries; taking the time to describe the Mexican, Argentinian, Greek, Egyptian, and French flags and what every color symbolizes.

The entire article is, for lack of a better word, juvenile. There is no rhyme or reason for the article or its structure. It would have been more beneficial for the author and readers sake to just leave the entire diversity element out. Let’s be honest, no one cares about the symbolic meaning behind the colors of national flags. The psychological effects colors and their intensity have on the human mind is interesting, while talking about the national flags is worthless to the audience. In this instance, Friedmann’s effort to add a diverse element to her story was poorly executed and entirely irrelevant.