Parsons School of Design
BFA Communication Design
Thesis 2014

A False Dilemma
Mallory Brennan

A False Dilemma occurs when two opposing views are presented in such a way that they appear to be the only possibilities, ignoring a potential spectrum of alternatives that most likely exist between the two extremes. Black- and-white thinking, either-or reasoning, no middle ground, polarization; however you call it, these binary constructs are pervasive in our world and lead to harmful stereotypes, hierarchies, bias, and privilege. The belief that constructs such as race, gender, and sex are fixed traits is at the root of oppression. In this belief lies binary opposition where for each trait there are two ways of “being” that are in opposition to each other: Male/female, black/white, straight/ gay. This way of thinking privileges the trait that begot power first, and disregards the full range of human experience. As I begin to take stock of the privilege in my life the knots and crossroads between issues become apparent, where my existence as a white person is intertwined with my class status. The oppression that I may experience as a queer identified woman must take into account the privilege I experience as a cis-gendered, able-bodied person. Nothing is black and white. A False Dilemma is a series of printed zines and an online collage of images, drawings, and quotes exposing binary thinking and the subtle ways it shapes our world. Through satire and a lo-res aesthetic, this ephemera tackles challenging subject matter in an accessible way, exposing the spectrum of human experience that lies between two extremes.

Sarah Alfulaij

Michael Anderson

Darwin Andrango

Leonardo Araujo

Atif Azam

Kyle Barber

Rachel Bernstein

Jillian Black

Matthew Boblet

Mallory Brennan

Joel Califa

Rosaurora Cardenas

Flora Chan

Hanna Chang

Julie Hanna Chea

Abby Wanyu Chen

Justin Cheung

Sherylene Chew

YunHee Choi

Mehr Chopra

Lu Chuang

YooMin Chun

Key Peum Chung

Haesoo Chung

Tyler Cohen

Vernicia Colon

Samantha Cooper

Gabriela d'Amato

Roderic David

Ambar Del Moral

Taryn Dooley

Anthony Duong

Patricia Encarnaciòn

Evelee Estevez

Virginia Leigh Farrell

Kean Ferin

Adam Fernandez

Enrique Ferreyros

Férvido Frías

Jane Gardner

Stephanie Gonzalez

Danielle Gorodenzik

Omar Greene

Gabrielle Guglielmelli

Elda Hadajian

Joy Han

Emma Hanson

Julio Hernandez

Jacob Hernandez

Chris Hong

Ann Yung Chu Hsieh

Xinle Jill Huang

Thanh Cong Huynh

Anthony Iciano

Wesley Johnson

Polina Kadkina

Byoungok Kim

Gena Kim

Lindsey Kim

Lucia Ji Won Kim

Tiffany Kim

Hyo Taek Kim

Esther Kim

Ga Hyun Kim

Jane Kim

Jae Young Kim

Daniella Krihely

Andrea Latimer

Seulbi Lee

Jina Lee

Yongmin Lee

JiYun Lee

Julie Lee

Jae Yong Lee

Iris Li

Joanne Chai Wen Lim

Octavio Llano

Rebecca Low

Andrea Fiorella Martinez

Odile Martínez-Santamari

Gerald Morin

Nadine Muhtadi

Phuong Nguyen

Brandon Nicolas

Seema Nisar

Grant Noel

Neal Oh

Solgil Oh

Valentina Pherson

Elli Pohl

Cody Pumper

Regina Puno

Shem Rajoon

Fabian Rastorfer

Bryan Ribeiro

Konstantinos Riginos

Sarah Rim

YoungHee Ryu

Sylvia Saborio

Joamir Salcedo

Camille Sacha Salvador

Emilio Sanchez

Katherine Santos

Joely Saravia

Amber Rose Seppi

Pauline Shin

Jennifer Shin

Anjana Singhwi

Renee Sluzhevsky

Meghan Smart

Noelle Smith

Chrystal Soegandhi

Wannina Somboonvechakarn

Albert Son

Suho Song

Charmaine Kwan Tung Sum

Natasha Sumant

Aija Suuta

Rachal Tai

Lisa Thieffry

Natashia Tjandra

Natasha Villarraga

Robert Vinluan

Francisco Vivar

Simone Wagner

Robert Waluszko

Kathleen Wang

Ashley Wayne

Boyun Yang

Kanny Yeung

Taylor Zanke

Frankie Zek

Sharon Zhang

Jody Zhou

Tiffany Zhu

Or Zubalsky