TOW #27: What is the Monkeysphere? By David Wang (written, non-fiction text)

Just think about it. “Which would hit you harder, your Mom dying, or seeing on the news that 15,000 people died in an earthquake in Iran?” (Wang 24). Just like this rhetorical question, Wang asks numerous rhetorical questions that makes people think and reflect about their natural selfishness. We tend to care more about the people who are actually related to us, and the number seldomly matters. Wang makes use of analogy as he compares monkeys to humans and explores the made-up term monkeysphere. He talks about how it is easier to memorize a few monkey names but very difficult to remember one hundred monkey names. Wang partitions his paragraphs by asking a rhetorical question and answering them in the paragraph. For example, to address the possible counter argument he answers the question’ “Why should I feel bad for them? I don’t even know those people!” (Wang 22). He also makes use of hypothetical situations and easier analogies to make people understand. He explains that the things people do and say to strangers just because they are strangers and people do not care for them tend to act selfishly and carelessly. He explains that people often yell outside the window while driving and curse at them just because there are thousands of other people on the road who they encounter even without noticing each other. However, he explains the hypocrisy that people would not yell and curse at their friends in an elevator with three people in it just for pushing the wrong button. He explains that strangers are outside our monkeysphere, but we are outside of stranger’s monkeysphere too. He goes on to explain that there are no “Super monkeys”, meaning no one, including yourself is not special. He does a good job in explaining every possible counter argument he would have to deal with by answering an over-exaggerated rhetorical question like “So I’m supposed to start worrying about six billion strangers?” (31). Of course you do not, and you cannot. He just wants people to be more aware of the things going on around the world and acknowledge the fact that other people do not care about you too.