I read the article, "Manhood on the Mat" by Jackson Katz and Sut Jhally. This article describes how wrestling has increased in popularity in the past decades. The theory is that men and boys are drawn to it because they feel that they are being threatened by the continuing empowerment of women. Furthermore, the lack of "manly" jobs due to the increase in technological use has caused men to no longer have the feeling that they are doing a hard days work. WWE has helped men and boys redefine masculinity to fit in to today's understanding of society. In WWE wrestling, the men are looked to as manly beasts who are muscular, tall, and full of testosterone. The mens role in the show is to fight each other, often to avenge a "girlfriend" or a woman that is associated with the act. This helps young men and boys to fantisize about being that masculine person who's sole job is to save the weak and helpless woman.
UFC differs in that the men are actually fighters. Women do not have a big showing in UFC either. They have separate gender roles. The men are the fighters and the women hold up signs and cheer.
http://www.sutjhally.com/articles/manhoodonthemat/
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
The State and Embodiment on Campus
The first example of the state and embodiment on campus would be the signs that say "Drug Free Zone" and "Gun Free Zone". These signs on the campus tell us that it is illegal for us as students to both use drugs and bring guns to the Bellevue College Campus. Failing to follow the posted signs will result in arrest and probable termination of your enrollment at the school.
The second example of the state and embodiment on campus is the institutional learning that we endure while at Bellevue College. The state and school make a list of objectives that a student must meet in order to graduate with an Associates Degree from Bellevue College. If the objectives are not met, a student cannot expect to leave Bellevue College with a degree.
The third example of the state and embodiment on campus is the smoke shacks. One may not smoke cigarettes anywhere, you must stay within a glassed in building while doing the deed. There are signs all over campus reminding students of this fact as well as signs on the outside of the smoking buildings letting students know that this is the place to smoke.
The fourth example of the state and embodiment on campus is the parking lot. A student must pay to park on campus if they wish to attend school before 3:00 PM. There are different levels of parking as well. If you want to pay 50 dollars for the quarter, you may only park in three parking lots. If you pay more to park for the quarter, you may park in any student lot, many of them closer to the buildings. Student parking is segregated from the teacher parking and students may never park in teacher lots. If a student is parking improperly, they are issued a citation which must be paid for the student to graduate with a degree.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Who rules America?
The website used to find this information was "Who Rules America?" The link below is the article I am speaking of: http://www2.ucsc.edu/whorulesamerica/power/corporate_community.html
I read an article about interlocking directories which is the act of two companies sharing a common link through a director of their board also sitting on the board of a another company. Some of these directors sit on four or five boards, creating even more links from their company to another. If a company has ten members on their board of directors, each with four or five links, they could have an interlocking directory of 40-50 companies. Tying theses corporations together gives owners an economic advantage because it brings together a group of individuals that can bring a very specific set of skills to the table.
While in the past, most of the major corporations with interlocking directories have been banks like JP Morgan or Citigroup, or insurance companies, that has changed with the addition of Sara Lee (a food company) and 3M (an office supply company). Both of these corporations have links to at least 31 other companies.
Another major change in banking boards is the addition of women and people of color to help "diversify" the company. This has led to a change in the interlocking of banks because corporations are having to recruit people outside of their corporate grouping.
I read an article about interlocking directories which is the act of two companies sharing a common link through a director of their board also sitting on the board of a another company. Some of these directors sit on four or five boards, creating even more links from their company to another. If a company has ten members on their board of directors, each with four or five links, they could have an interlocking directory of 40-50 companies. Tying theses corporations together gives owners an economic advantage because it brings together a group of individuals that can bring a very specific set of skills to the table.
While in the past, most of the major corporations with interlocking directories have been banks like JP Morgan or Citigroup, or insurance companies, that has changed with the addition of Sara Lee (a food company) and 3M (an office supply company). Both of these corporations have links to at least 31 other companies.
Another major change in banking boards is the addition of women and people of color to help "diversify" the company. This has led to a change in the interlocking of banks because corporations are having to recruit people outside of their corporate grouping.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Education
Higher Education and Society:
Classroom sessions as ritual-like events:
1.
In this ritual of a lecture, the lecturer, or teacher, speaks in front of the class about a specific topic. The teacher usually stands while the other people (the ones raising their hands in this picture) sit in a chair. The people in the chair are the students and their job is to sit in the seats and listen to the teacher and what the teacher says. If a student has a question of the teacher, or needs clarification, they may not just speak, but instead must raise their hands and wait for the teacher to call out their name before they speak. This is a very common ritual in a class.
2.
Another common ritual in classrooms is for the student to have a piece of paper and a utensil with which to write. When the teacher speaks, the student will write down key points that the teacher says to refer to at a later time.
3.
A common ritual for students of all ages is to put all of their belongings into a bag called a backpack, or a bookbag. This backpack has many different pockets to hold tools that students would need throughout the day. The contents of the bag vary from young student to older student, but the most common instruments are pencils, pens, books, and paper.
4.
One of the most common and interesting rituals among students is called daydreaming. This is a time when, during a lecture by the teacher, the student completely tunes out the world and stares off into space. This is a good tactic when the words coming out of the teachers mouth are boring and useless.
Sources:
1. http://www.pacificav.com/graphics/classroom.jpg
2. http://www.bcnn4youth.com/college.classroom.jpg
3. http://www.rumson.k12.nj.us/rumson/Forrestdale/Health%20Services/Forrestdale%20Nurse/___zumuhead.html_files/backpack-books2_.jpg
4. http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/wavebreakmediamicro/wavebreakmediamicro1111/wavebreakmediamicro111109402/11183585-students-taking-notes-while-their-classmate-is-raising-her-hand-in-an-amphitheater.jpg
Monday, March 4, 2013
Valentine's Day
1.
These products above are all props that one can use when performing the act of love on Valentine's Day. These products are called gifts and they can range from food or a stuffed animal. A stuffed animal is a product that is made to look like and animal but it is actually a fake fur, stuffing filled thing with plastic eyes. Girls are supposed to like crap like this. Other gifts include perfume- a liquid that you spray upon yourself to make yourself smell a certain way, sweethearts- a type of sugary candy shaped like a heart that has sayings like "Love You" and "You're Sweet" written on them, and cards- folded up paper with poems written on them.
2.
On the ritual known as Valentine's Day, one will see people walking around with their hands entertwined. This is known as "holding hands" and it signifies that two people are in a relationship or that they love one another. This is an act that people do to show the rest of the world that they are in love, it does not make the relationship stronger or hold any special significance to those not involved in the relationship.
Sometimes, when a person is so in love, they feel the need to put that love into song. In this video from the movie 10 Things I Hate About You, we see a gentleman singing his heart out to his lady love to attempt to woo her into his arms.
Sources:
2. http://www.writerscafe.org/uploads/stories/3a74ac57cac954d93fb36c3e706a850e.jpg
Monday, February 25, 2013
Performing Gender on Campus
1.
Women often show their gender by wearing their hair a certain way or decorating their face with makeup. Makeup is a type of paint made specifically for the face. It can be applied to the eyes, cheeks, lips, and skin to recreate a more desirable appearance. Men also have been known to wear their hair in the style shown above, but they generally put a lot less effort into creating the hairstyle. Hairstyles have been a big business in the United States and they have changed immensely through the years. One hairstyle from the 1980's would no longer be popular these days as new hairstyles have been invented.
2.
This is a device that you would never find in an area where just men are present. This is a device that provides women with certain protections during certain times of the month. The ritual of buying this is very private and women do not share this information with men. These devices are often located within the room where women use the lavatory.
3.
A man will often show his gender role by holding his bag on just one shoulder. Why would one do this? The assumption is that the man is always ready to fight. If both of the straps of the bag are over the shoulder, it would take more time for the man to ready himself for combat. The one shoulder technique makes it easier for the man to throw down his bag and ready himself for action or he may even use it as a weapon, swinging it around to hit his attacker. These types of bags have been around for quite some time, they come in a variety of colors and sizes.
Although this is not a picture of a student, these people do represent an interesting sitting pattern among men and women. When a women sits down, she generally sits as you see above, with one leg crossed over another. The idea behind this is a bit antiquated as the reasoning was to prevent someone from looking up specific types of clothing. As you can see in this picture, both of the females are crossing their legs because the bottom they are wearing (a skirt) is short enough to show their private regions. At one time, a skirt was the only form of clothing bottom that a woman was really allowed to wear. At some point, though, women began to wear the bottom that you see the man wearing, pants. Pants have a lot more versatility and provide more warmth in colder weather. It is very common now to see women wearing pants. The interesting thing though is that women still will generally sit in the same fashion, with one leg crossed over the other- even when they are wearing pants. As you can see, the men in this picture sit differently with one leg bent and the ankle resting on the knee. Another, more common way for men to sit is just with their legs spread open, both feet on the floor.
Sources:
1. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4oSLcypqbk-VKfj8j42Jk_ocK51qiSRyXiDqKNqsr33Lg4yJC0Q2QD-vqn1exNJy6oKP6simt20r56lT-XNRLIBHJaqz184jnUu318YeQJnZMgx5vBVXnJ1iLUo-SHhaiu_05jaAEVc/s1600/Latest-Stylish-Ponytail-Hair-Cut.jpg
2. http://www.parish-supply.com/images/photos/0230011-01-large.jpg
3. http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_615/1309370336VE73p9.jpg
4. http://image.shutterstock.com/display_pic_with_logo/185902/99760151/stock-photo-row-of-four-business-people-team-standing-on-chairs-with-legs-crossed-and-waiting-isolated-on-white-99760151.jpg
American Ethnic Group
The Irish Americans had a tough life when they immigrated to the United States in the mid- 1840's. There was a very large anti-Catholic, anti-Irish sentiment in those days and it made it very difficult for people of Irish descent to become employed. Although there was heavy discrimination against this ethnic group, it did not stop these people from having a strong ethnic solidarity.
As early as the mid- 1840's and as late as today, Irish Catholics have had the cultural bias against them that they were alcoholics. As far as some people are concerned, if you are Irish, you are also Catholic and drunk as often as possible. While this may have been true of some people that identified with being Irish Catholic, it did not mean that everyone was and it also didn't take into account that there are also alcoholics in other ethnic groups.
A positive representation for the Irish Catholic community is this guy, the Notre Dame Leprechaun. Notre Dame is a very good Catholic University in the United States. It was founded by Father Edward Sorin of the Congregation of Holy Cross is the year 1844. The first degrees handed out in 1849 helped to establish the school as a university.
Source: http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/historyonline/irish_am_solidarity.cfm
1. http://stupid-tees.co.uk/image/cache/data/product-images/C/CIA-CATHOLIC_IRISH_ALCOHOLIC_close-472x472.jpg
2. http://www.catholicleague.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/fightingirish.jpg
Without Sanctuary
Race- a classification system used to categorize humans into large and distinct populations or groups by anatomical, cultural, ethnic, genetic, geographical, historical, linguistic, religious, or social affiliation -1
Ethnicity- a socially defined category based on common culture or nationality and is constantly reinforced through common characteristics which set the group apart from other groups
Nationalism- The term “nationalism” is generally used to describe two phenomena: (1) the attitude that the members of a nation have when they care about their national identity, and (2) the actions that the members of a nation take when seeking to achieve (or sustain) self-determination. (1) raises questions about the concept of a nation (or national identity), which is often defined in terms of common origin, ethnicity, or cultural ties, and while an individual's membership in a nation is often regarded as involuntary, it is sometimes regarded as voluntary. (2) raises questions about whether self-determination must be understood as involving having full statehood with complete authority over domestic and international affairs, or whether something less is required.
Violence - the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against a person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. This definition associates intentionality with the committing of the act itself, irrespective of the outcome it produces
Lynching- an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. Lynchings have been more frequent in times of social and economic tension, and have often been the means used by the politically dominant population to oppress social challengers.
This is how I would write about a lynching event for my audience. I think this covers a wide variety of topics:
If one were to witness a lynching event, they may see it begin with a huge group of people coming with various forms of torturous instruments in hand. They would see this group pick a person or two, that probably had no way of defending themselves from the group. The group would then start to use extreme physical violence against this person. The person would be beaten severely with the different torturous instruments. When the person thought that his or her torture was over, they would then be made to sit down. A rope tied to a tree would have a circle tied into it and that circle would then be put over the persons head. This rope would be tightened and then the group would pull the rope over the tree to life the person off of the ground. The person would no longer be able to breathe and would slowly suffocate to death while the group of people began to beat and torture the person again. This is how the person would die. Fucked up.
Works cited-
1. "Definition of race - ethnic group, anthropology, personal attribute". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/race--2. Retrieved 25 February 2013. "a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc."
Ethnicity- a socially defined category based on common culture or nationality and is constantly reinforced through common characteristics which set the group apart from other groups
Nationalism- The term “nationalism” is generally used to describe two phenomena: (1) the attitude that the members of a nation have when they care about their national identity, and (2) the actions that the members of a nation take when seeking to achieve (or sustain) self-determination. (1) raises questions about the concept of a nation (or national identity), which is often defined in terms of common origin, ethnicity, or cultural ties, and while an individual's membership in a nation is often regarded as involuntary, it is sometimes regarded as voluntary. (2) raises questions about whether self-determination must be understood as involving having full statehood with complete authority over domestic and international affairs, or whether something less is required.
Violence - the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against a person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation. This definition associates intentionality with the committing of the act itself, irrespective of the outcome it produces
Lynching- an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. Lynchings have been more frequent in times of social and economic tension, and have often been the means used by the politically dominant population to oppress social challengers.
This is how I would write about a lynching event for my audience. I think this covers a wide variety of topics:
If one were to witness a lynching event, they may see it begin with a huge group of people coming with various forms of torturous instruments in hand. They would see this group pick a person or two, that probably had no way of defending themselves from the group. The group would then start to use extreme physical violence against this person. The person would be beaten severely with the different torturous instruments. When the person thought that his or her torture was over, they would then be made to sit down. A rope tied to a tree would have a circle tied into it and that circle would then be put over the persons head. This rope would be tightened and then the group would pull the rope over the tree to life the person off of the ground. The person would no longer be able to breathe and would slowly suffocate to death while the group of people began to beat and torture the person again. This is how the person would die. Fucked up.
Works cited-
1. "Definition of race - ethnic group, anthropology, personal attribute". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/race--2. Retrieved 25 February 2013. "a group of people sharing the same culture, history, language, etc."
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Child Sex in Atlanta
Atlanta is experiencing two problems with their children, sex for popularity and prostitution. These two problems are very similar but very different. Each problem is happening in different neighborhoods and there are different results to each of them.
1.
In this picture parents and siblings are protesting the purchase of young girls for prostitution. Girls of all ages have been purchased for sexual exploitation.
2.
One of the only ways that has been found to work to keep girls off of the street is to arrest them. Officials can take the girls off of the street and place them in shelters but eventually they will end up back on the streets. This is a battle that was not expected when our laws were made.
In another neighborhood child sex has a whole new problem and ways of solving it.
3.
Teens have been engaging in sexual behaviors to gain popularity and to rid themselves of peer pressure. Not all kids have been taught to practice sex safely. The rise of STDs in Atlanta is becoming an epidemic in one neighborhood.
4.
In this instance of child sex the parents and community have come together to educate the kids about sex and how to safely practice it. Education is a good way to reduce the epidemic of STDs and prevent teen pregnancy.
Source:
1. http://cjaye57.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/stop-child-trafficking-now-organizers-walk-through-las-vegas-on-saturday-night-to-bring-attention-to-child-prostitution-in-the-valley-and-around-the-country1.jpg?w=470
2. http://www.constantinereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Arrest.jpg
3.http://files.dosomething.org/files/styles/blog_landscape/public/pictures/137338796%20%281%29.jpg
4. http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sex-ed-e1358527074276.jpg
1.In this picture parents and siblings are protesting the purchase of young girls for prostitution. Girls of all ages have been purchased for sexual exploitation.
2. One of the only ways that has been found to work to keep girls off of the street is to arrest them. Officials can take the girls off of the street and place them in shelters but eventually they will end up back on the streets. This is a battle that was not expected when our laws were made.
In another neighborhood child sex has a whole new problem and ways of solving it.
3.Teens have been engaging in sexual behaviors to gain popularity and to rid themselves of peer pressure. Not all kids have been taught to practice sex safely. The rise of STDs in Atlanta is becoming an epidemic in one neighborhood.
In this instance of child sex the parents and community have come together to educate the kids about sex and how to safely practice it. Education is a good way to reduce the epidemic of STDs and prevent teen pregnancy.
Source:
1. http://cjaye57.files.wordpress.com/2009/09/stop-child-trafficking-now-organizers-walk-through-las-vegas-on-saturday-night-to-bring-attention-to-child-prostitution-in-the-valley-and-around-the-country1.jpg?w=470
2. http://www.constantinereport.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/Arrest.jpg
3.http://files.dosomething.org/files/styles/blog_landscape/public/pictures/137338796%20%281%29.jpg
4. http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/sex-ed-e1358527074276.jpg
Monday, February 18, 2013
Ethnographic Notes C
From 1957 until 1963, families would sit down weekly to
watch the show “Leave it to Beaver”.
This was a show about the Cleaver family, the father was Ward, mother
June, oldest son, Wally, and youngest son Theodore, or Beaver (as he was
affectionately called). “Leave it to Beaver” showed adolescents that
“honesty is the best policy” through different lessons learned by Wally and the
Beav. If the children lied, they were
subject to discipline by their fathers, who were considered the head of the
household. Although the show did portray
the fathers as the head of the household, a value that was placed on open
communication among parents was an integral part of the weekly series. When deciding was punishment to instill on
the boys for their wrongdoing, both Ward and June would have a discussionand
come to a consensus about how to handle the situation. Another value taught to the children was that
they should listen to their parents.
Ward Cleaver (the father) was full of wisdom to instill upon his
children. Wally and Beaver were often
tempted to stray from the moral path from the instigator Eddie Haskill. Eddie would tempt the Cleaver boys with his
conniving ways which always resulted in some sort of trouble. When Wally and Beaver would get into trouble,
after having a talk with his father, he would apologize for his behavior- a way
to return to his righteous path after straying.
I don’t watch much television these days, but when I was
younger I used to watch “Leave it to Beaver”.
I always thought I would live a life very similar, a stay at home mom
who cooks and cleans for the family. Having a husband who worked to support our
way of life. It was a dream that most people don’t get to realize anymore.
After growing up and becoming a mom myself I realize that people are lucky if
they can live on a single source of income.
Another thing I learned is to respect and value family at all costs.
Families are very precious. If you don’t have a family you really don’t have
anything. Living life alone is not something that most people can bear. If you disrespect your family it will be very
hard to gain respect back. The members of your family will have to learn to
trust you again, if they are willing to do so.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Commodities, Class, and Sustainibility on Campus
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of capital goods and the means of production, with the creation of goods and services for profit. 1, 2
Commodity:
A commodity is a product that satisfies the wants a needs of a demanding public.
Water, soda, and other types of drinks are a commodity bought on campus. The price for these products has risen in price over the years due to the demand for drinks on campus. People can easily just drink FREE water from a fountain, but they instead choose to buy it. Companies such as Dasani (as seen here) spend a lot of money and time convincing people that they need bottled water or soda instead of regular tap water.
The main commodity on campus is the tuition that a student would pay to attend Bellevue College. Associated with tuition costs are assessments to find out where you will place in a math or English class, fees for your initial application to join the school, fees to pay for a bus pass (if you cannot afford to pay to park- see below), fees for a student ID card. If a student is unable to pay for most of these products, then he or she may not be able to attend school.
Students pay to park their vehicles on campus. If a student cannot afford to pay to park on campus, then they will have to walk, or take a bus.
Books are very expensive to buy on campus. Students pay a lot of money to use these books during school.
Social Class:
Social class, as in a class society, is a set of concepts in the social sciences and political theory centered on models of social stratification in which people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories, the most common being the upper, middle, and lower classes. 3.
If a person cannot afford to pay for tuition completely, there are different options. A student can get financial aid, which consists of grants, loans, or scholarships. Grants and scholarships are not a commodity, as no one makes a profit off of them. Loans, however, are.
A student loan gives a student money to pay for school. A student, however, does have to pay this money back upon leaving school. Often times, students will end up paying off these loans for decades after graduating school. Companies such as ACS financial, make a lot of profit from the interest earned on these loans.
Sustainibility:
This means the ability to endure over long periods of time. When applying this to a college campus, we look at ways we reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Near all drains on the campus, we see these plates that inform a student just wear exactly his or her liquid waste will drain to- in this case East Creek. This may make a student stop to contemplate his or her choice before dumping used motor oil in the drain.
As you can see here we have two waste receptacles. The blue one is for a special type of waste called recycling. Paper, plastic, glass, and cardboard go into the blue bin and are sent of to sorting facilities where people put them into their proper group. At this point the products are melted down, mushed up, or shredded and then reconstituted to create a new product, or a similar product to what they were initially.
Sources:
- Chris Jenks. Core Sociological Dichotomies. London, England, UK; Thousand Oaks, California, USA; New Delhi, India: SAGE. p. 383.
- Capitalism Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
- ^ Grant, J. Andrew (2001). "class, definition of". In Jones, R.J. Barry. Routledge Encyclopedia of International Political Economy: Entries A-F. Taylor & Francis. p. 161.
Las Vegas as a Sacred Place
1.
Welcome to fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada- a place that is worshipped by many citizens of the United States. This sign you see above gives a newcomer a good indication that Las Vegas is fabulous, colorful, and that there are many lights. This sign is just on the outside of the city, as you would drive in from elsewhere. It alerts the pilgrim that they are close to their destination, where the fun will soon begin.
2.
If you were to turn the other way of the sign, this is what you would see. As you may see, Las Vegas is an oasis in a desert. For many this oasis not only symbolizes being fabulous and colorful, but a deeper sense of the self. Las Vegas, to some, is a way to feel free from the everyday hum-drum lifestyle of the average American. Las Vegas is a way to live out your wildest fantasies, to live in excess and splendor. At the end of your stay, you are the same person you were when you arrived, but during your stay, you often turn into someone else.
3.
Upon entering Las Vegas, one can see great monuments all over the city. These monuments are a testament to man's great achievements and they are meant to hold great secrets. Secrets that should stay within the walls of the monuments. A guest to Las Vegas has many monuments, or casinos, as they are called by the travelers, to choose from. Each casino has a different theme associated with it, which gives the guest a different experience while staying. In this picture we see several of these casinos lining one side of the road. On this road alone, there are close to forty casinos. This gives people a lot of choice when it comes to deciding where to begin your fun. While the outside is full of color, lights, and moving parts, the inside is even more of a sight.
4.
This is a picture of inside a Las Vegas casino. The people that are standing around at these tables are here to worship the power of money. They do this through a process called gambling. Gambling appears to make a person feel free from the constraints of society. They no longer have to worry about their life outside of the Las Vegas atmosphere- all they need to worry about is the now. Gambling is a type of game where a person bets valuable things such as money or possessions for a chance to be right. There are various types of games associated with gambling such as poker, roulette, craps, keno, and slots. All of these games have much different rules associated with them but the main similarity is they all involved "a bet", where the owner of the possession assumes they know something more about the state of the game than another. These other people can also be players in the game, also making "a bet" that they know something more than the others at the same game. The players play against "odds" or the ratio of the probability that an event will happen to the probability that it will not happen. If the players beat the odds, then they will win money or possessions of the other players or money or possessions from the casino in which they gamble. This ritual makes the players feel very powerful, as though they have some sort of control over how the game is played or have a way to "beat the odds". The funny thing is though, a major saying in among the people who gamble in Las Vegas, "the house always wins" is a major phrase used often. This means that the casino will generally win a game more than any other player inside of the casino. People who gamble choose to believe that this statement applies to everybody else but themselves- which generally causes them to lose a lot of money. Las Vegas makes most of it's money from the people who gamble.
Sources:
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Thanksgiving in the United States
Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in many countries around the world. In the United States, this holiday is celebrated at a certain time every year- the third Thursday of every November. In today's United States society, Thanksgiving is viewed as a day to give thanks for what you have, celebrate traditional family rituals, and eat A LOT OF FOOOOOOODDD!!!!!
1.
This is an example of a typical United States Thanksgiving dinner. The main dish is usually a meat product, in this case we see turkey. Turkey is the most common meat to eat during the Thanksgiving holiday but there are other options for those who don't eat Turkey, such as Tofurky (a log of meat made of soy product), ham, chicken, or turdunkin (a chicken within a duck within a turkey). While the turkey is the common denominator in most Thanksgiving dinners, side dishes may vary by family. Examples of side dishes could be cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy, yams, stuffing, corn, green peas, pickles, olives, deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, and bread rolls. People usually experience regional or ethnic identities by the side dishes.
4.
5.
These above pictures depict what most United States citizens consider as gender roles during the holiday. The top picture shows a group of the female gender wearing clothing covers called "aprons". These are used to keep the clothes underneath clean. What we can surmise from this picture is that these women are in the kitchen (the place where food preparation and cooking happens in a dwelling of the United States), all cooking the Thanksgiving meal together. There are young and older women. The cooking of the Thanksgiving dinner is a wonderful ritual in which the elders hand down very specific cooking knowledge to the youngers. The hope, of course, is that one day the youngers will host their own Thanksgiving dinner with their own friends and family.
As you can see in the other picture, the men are sitting around a device called a television. A television is a device that receives data that has been transmitted from one specific spot in the world. This football game (a sport game played with an inflated skin of a pig with eleven members to a "team") the men are watching is obviously not happening right in front of them. What does this have to do with Thanksgiving... you ask? Well, nothing really. This is just generally what men do during Thanksgiving. Men like to think and say that they stay out of the kitchen on this highly food-centered holiday because, "It's not manly" or they "want to watch football". The real reason men generally stay out of the kitchen is because they are terrified to make a mistake when it comes to making the food. Women have very high standards when it comes to making holiday meals and adding a man into the equation of cooking often ruins the desired effect. Therefore, men are in fact banished to another room where a complimentary football game is played to entertain the men for the proper amount of time (about four hours) it takes to cook the Thanksgiving dinner.
2.
History is imagined and represented differently in the Thanksgiving ritual. Young children are taught the tale of the first Thanksgiving feast at a very early age. To aid in the learning process, the children will often re-enact the "first thanksgiving" by separating into two groups: the "pilgrims" and the "Indians" or "Native Americans". The "pilgrims" wear black hats or white bonnets and white collars while the "Indians" wear feather headbands and colorful vests. Most of the "clothes" are made out of paper bags and are put in the recycling after the reenactment is done.
3.
The story goes something like this: A group of people called "The Pilgrims" came over to the United States on a ship. When they arrived, they encountered harsh, cold winters. Many of "The Pilgrims" died after the first winter. The "Indians", a group of people that already lived in the United States, helped "The Pilgrims" learn how to grow and harvest food and catch animals in their land. To celebrate the first harvest, "The Pilgrims" and "The Indians" came together for a huge celebration and ate and ate for three days straight and prayed to gods in the sky to thank them for the bountiful harvest- essentially "giving thanks" for their lives.
6.
Of all the rituals of Thanksgiving, the "Presidential Pardoning of the Turkey" is perhaps one of the most bizarre. In this ritual, the leader of our country, who we call the President, brings a turkey onstage, waves his hand, and grants the turkey a long life. The turkey is then sent to live out the rest of it's (very, very short) life on a farm (a place where people raise animals for pets or for food).
Sources:
1. http://www.savvyhousekeeping.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/thanksgiving-dinner.jpg
Makah Whaling Tribe
1.
Prior to entering into negotiations with the Makah, the United States government was well aware that their people had lived around Cape Flattery for several thousand years and that they subsisted primarily on whale, seal, and fish. When the United States territorial Governor, Isaac Stevens arrived at Neah Bay in December of 1855, he entered into three days of negotiations with our leaders. They made it clear to him that while they were prepared to cede their lands to the United States, they wanted guarantees of their traditional rights on the ocean and specifically of the right to take whale. The Treaty minutes record Governor Stevens as saying to the Makahs: "The Great Father knows what whalers you are—how you go far to sea to take whale. Far from wanting to stop you, he will help you—sending implements and barrels to try the oil."
Whaling has been one of the Makah's traditions for over 1,500 years and is a right secured to them by a treaty with the United States. The Makah tribe agreed to give up its rights to hundreds of thousands of acres of land on the Olympic Peninsula. In return, the United States promised to secure to the Makah the right to engage in whaling.The Makah's had to stop whaling in the 1920's due to the scarcity of gray whales. Their full recovery to pre-commercial whaling levels and 1994 removal from the Endangered Species List made it possible to resume the hunt. There has been an intensification of interest in our own history and culture since the archeological dig at our village of Ozette in 1970, which uncovered thousands of artifacts bearing witness to our whaling tradition. Many Makah feel that our health problems result, in some degree, to the loss of our traditional diet of seafood and marine mammal meat.
2.
In 1999 the Makah's successfully hunted their first grey whale since 1926. In keeping with tradition they used hand thrown harpoons and traditional canoes for this hunt. Conservationists where present in motor boats as well as the coast guard. There were news crews in helicopters photographing the hunt. The Makah's have said that all the hype was like having your Sunday mass interrupted. Since this hunt there hasn't been another legal successful hunt of grey whales. In 2007 five tribal members shot a grey whale but the coast guard cut it loose and arrested the five members for illegal whaling. The tribe is still waiting for approval to hunt grey whales.
4.
This short video talks about to the desire of the Makah tribe to return to their traditions and whaling. Many tribes gathered on the day of their successful hunt to celebrate the return of the Makah tribe to their culture.
Sources:
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Coming to Bellevue College
As students of Bellevue College, we have decided to make a blog detailing certain aspects of our schools culture and practices. People who are not familiar with institutionalized education may find some of our daily practices odd. We hope that explaining our reasoning behind these certain rituals may lead a person from a non-institutionalized school background to a better understanding of our culture.
Welcome to Bellevue College, a beautiful campus located in the heart of
Bellevue, Washington. Bellevue College has an annual enrollment of 37,000 students, and has the highest transfer rate to four year colleges in Washington State at nearly 10%. Bellevue College was founded as Bellevue Community
College in 1966. In 2009, the people of Bellevue changed the name to Bellevue
College. Bellevue College teaches lessons inside different buildings that are
differentiated between by letters (see below).
Within this building are different "classrooms" where instruction from a teacher
takes place at a certain time on specific days. Timeliness is of utmost
importance to Bellevue College. Located within each classroom is a clock to
ensure that lessons run along on a timely schedule (See below).
Clocks are located in every room of every building with the exception of the
bathrooms. It is considered to be very important to your success as a student
to arrive on time to classes or other appointments. To ensure that one arrives
in the correct place at the correct time, maps are located throughout the campus
to help guide students.
As you can see, there are many different buildings on the campus. Each building
holds different classrooms that teach different subjects of study. Most of the
time, a student will have classes in more than one building in a day. When a
student has to move from one building to another, they generally walk.
Here we see real Bellevue College students walking from one building to another
as they change classes!
There is much diversity at Bellevue College, we have people from many different countries with differing cultural backgrounds. BC enrolls nearly 1,700 International students annually from over 65 countries. Classes are taught in English most of the time but people can also choose to take classes that teach them other languages such as Spanish, French, Japanese, and many more!
An up close picture of a "desk" a Bellevue College student will sit it for
class. The desks are not made specifically for each student, but have more of a
"one size fits all" type of design.
While most lessons are taught in class, teachers choose to supplement the curriculum with "homework". This additional class work is designed to be done at home. Students, however, can choose to do this work at home by themselves, or they can join a study group.
Students at Bellevue College often form groups with similar study interests called "Study Groups". In this "study group", students will go over a common subject such as Science or Math and work together to create a better understanding of that subject. Below is an example of a Spanish study group.
Everyone in the group may bring a different skill set to the group which can
help bring a better understanding to the group as a whole. There are many
different types of groups at Bellevue College besides the "study groups". Some
of these groups do not even learn about their classes while in these groups.
One type of group that does not learn about their classes while at Bellevue
College is called a "sports team" (pictured below).
Students at Bellevue College join "teams" to participate in "sports" for other students and members of the community to watch. Every individual on this "team" is assigned a number and a position to play on a "field" or some other type of sports arena.
Bellevue College has a "mascot", which is an animal or a person that represents a school and usually is the "team" name. The mascot for Bellevue College is a bulldog named Brutus (pictured below).
As you can see, Brutus is not a real dog. Brutus is a person in a dog suit. The person inside the dog suit goes to the sporting events for the school and runs around making a spectacle of him or herself to the enjoyment of the crowd. This then makes the crowd in higher spirits and more excited for their team.
Students do not usually live near the Bellevue College campus so it is necessary to take different forms of transportation to school. Students often come to class by driving a car, where they then store their car in a "parking lot" for the duration of their time at Bellevue College. The parking lots are vast fields full of concrete. The white lines help students to park their car in a proper space to ensure that as many cars as possible can be stored in the "parking lot".
If a student does not possess a car, a bus may be used for transportation to and
from the Bellevue College Campus. The bus has different "stops" throughout the
campus. This is where the bus stops it self and people walk off and proceed to
walk the rest of the way to their class.
If students cannot afford to drive to school or ride a bus, and they live close to the campus, they will walk or ride a bike. Bikes have their own storage space (picture below).
As you can see, the bikes have locks placed around the storage space and the bike itself to deter theft. As you will see, bikes are not the only thing kept safe by locks at Bellevue College.
Often times students will purchase drinks from a vending machine. This can include water as well. Many students also choose to bring water or other drinks from home or drink from other water sources. You can pay for the water with cash, or you can use a credit card (below).
This particular device is called an "ePort" it's purpose is to extract money from a distant "bank account" and to trade it for a beverage. The people at the college use the money, ePort, and bank accounts to trade for things.
Many years ago tools like this pencil sharpener were used every day. Today people choose to use computers to type out their notes instead using pencils and paper. If a student doesn't have a computer they will typically use a mechanical pencil instead that doesn't require sharpening.
Most students on campus will carry a laptop computer with them to do work in class. This is a portable electronic device that stores information.
Rather than carrying around all your belongings you can store them in these lockers. The lockers use devices called "padlocks" on the outside to help keep the items safe from being stolen. People at Bellevue College do not really trust one another. Even the closets in the class are locked!
.jpg)
A way that teachers convey information to students is to "project" it onto a wall. This makes faster for the teacher to give more information. They do not have to write something over and over again. Instead, the information can be used time and time again. The above picture shows two types of projectors. The top projector is an antiquated system that is generally not used by Bellevue College instructors anymore. Instead, the projector below is hooked up with a series of cables to a computer and the information on the computer can be conveyed to all of the students in the class at one time.
This device is called a telephone. To use it, you must deposit a certain amount of money into a change slot. If the amount of money is correct, you may then press a series of numbers to reach a person or building on another phone somewhere else. Every person or building has a unique set of numbers that represents them. The funny thing is, most people do not use this type of telephone anymore. This is considered an antiquated system because you are required to stay in one spot while speaking to the other person or building. Below, you will see what we call a cell phone.
Why is this woman so happy, you ask? Because she can move about freely on her cellular phone! Cellular phones work the same way as the telephone above except that instead of paying per use, you usually pay a monthly fee to a company that allows you to connect to other people or buildings using the unique number sets whenever you like. Most students at Bellevue College use this type of phone when attempting to communicate with other people or buildings.
This is an elevator. It is a steel box on various suspension cables that rises and falls according to the push of a button. The conundrum lies in that, next to this very box, there were stairs. People at the campus seem to insist on having this elevator even where stairs are available. One can only assume they use it for those who cannot walk.
The Library is a curious place. Everywhere on this campus, one must trade money for whatever one wants, yet at this Library, students can just borrow books. The friendly library assistance helps locate and catalogue the books that are borrowed.
This device is a portal for the passing of heated air. The need for heated areas and comfort stem from the technology that surrounds this culture. Everywhere you look there are computers, cell phones, music devices, electronic books and pads, portable computers, calculators and all sorts of gizmos. Maintaining the rooms at certain temperatures helps these devices work correctly.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)