Regarding "Against School" and design and typography

Our class readings for week three in Critical Writing II were "Against School" by John Taylor Gatto and Colter's Way by Sebastian Junger but for this entry, I'm just going to be focusing on "Against School."

I could tell immediately that this essay had some potential because it's title sounded more like a Ramones song than an academic essay. Intriguing, isn't it? However, my hope was soon disappointed when I found that the first Google search result for "Against School Gatto" is the full text of the essay written in Comic Sans font on a salmon colored background (as viewable by the link above). I'm under the impression that nothing great can be written in Comic Sans on a Salmon colored background. It just doesn't happen. It's a strange, unexplained law of the universe.

Hmm. I was going to use this paragraph to dive right into the essay. I would have provided a brief summary and then gave my own thoughts and response to it. However, now I'm suddenly more interested in the presentation of this essay that I just described.

I really did not like the essay that much. Though I primarily agree with the author's thoughts and I very much agree that out school system has some problems, I though the essay was rather poorly written and quite boring. However, now that I think about it, I also REALLY hated the presentation. I hated that poorly used salmon color and I absolutely detest Comic Sans. Seriously, just think of all the utter CRAP you have read in that font in the last decade or so. That has to leave an imprint on your mind.
So now I'm left wondering what I would have thought of Gatto's "Against School" had it been presented in the clean Times New Roman on white of the NYtimes website or perhaps under that slightly flamboyant heading font of the New Yorker website, all nicely formatted, surrounded by links to other interesting sounding essays. Surely it would have at least SLIGHTLY changed my perception of the essay.

Perhaps, in general, I would have felt the same way about it. Or maybe, I would not have gotten that feeling that it was somehow poorly written, even though I can't quite explain why. Perhaps, in a setting like NYtimes or the New Yorker, I would have though it was silly and pretentious and I would wonder where they get these people.

I guess what I'm saying is that I have absolutely no ability to take things out of context and view them for what they are. I'm also a sucker for good design and if people are able to manipulate me because of that, good for them! I deserve to be manipulated!