Humor

Topic:  Humor- How it can be misinterpreted over the internet and what things symbolize it

Source:  Observing the Facebook statuses and comments of my peers.  3/11/2012 at 8:00 pm.

Relation:  An activity that was done during class that involved stating if a speaking tone was possible, inappropriate, or appropriate for a variety of communication technology devices (Texting, YouTube, Facebook, etc.).

Description:  When things are said over the internet, they can be taken in ways that the writer did not mean.  In order to lighten up the mood, or hint at the tone, people add "hints" to let the reader know that they are joking.  These hints include the following:  lol, rofl, lmao, lmfao, wtf, ftw, haha, and emoticons.  I believe that statuses that use sarcasm as their form of humor need these humor hints in order for people to know they aren't being serious.

Analysis:  My experience taught me that, if someone does not know you very well, they perceive things differently than someone who does.  When talking to people that I do not normally talk to, I noticed that I use a lot of tone hints in order to lighten up the mood.  Without them, people could get offended; however, people could get offended with them too.  I have noticed a lot of people making jokingly offensive comments to their friends but they always add some time of hint that they are just being silly.  For example, one person said  "Madi, you're a bitch! lol ;) " (name is made up).  The person replied with another insult and another humor hint as though their insults were playful and somewhat flirty.  In class, we had to list if things were possible, inappropriate, or appropriate.  Anything is possible to say on the internet but it depends on what your humor hints are to determine if it is appropriate.

http://files.sharenator.com/cup_of_LOL_LOL-s448x394-48055-580.gif

Localization: Fresh to Convenient

Topic:  My topic is really about how the localization of fresh foods has resulted in the localization of myself.

Source:  Shopping for groceries at Safeway in McKinleyville around midnight on Thursday night.  (no long lines at midnight!)

Relation:  As said by our teacher "Anthropology is literally everywhere!"  I have noticed that it really is... it just takes some time to really think about things culturally and view how they differ from things in other areas.

Description:  As I walk through the grocery store, I walk past the pre-made pastas and soups.  The smell reminds me of cooking in the kitchen with my grandmother when I was younger; however, there is a huge difference when it comes to cooking with grandma and buying food at Safeway.  My grandma always used fresh ingredients and made sure you got  the food straight from the stove and not from the microwave.  She would make fresh Portuguese bread and it would be completely devoured while it was still warm.  She would make potato and bread soup from the potatoes that she grew in her garden and the bread that she baked herself.  She would make fried kale and linguisa from the kale that she grew and the linguisa she would order straight from Portugual.  When I was younger, I use to eat all of these fresh foods and I wouldn't even think about eating a TV dinner.  Being a college student has changed me dramatically.  Now when I walk into safeway, I head for the frozen isle.  Why do I head there?  The answer is simple... it is more convenient.  Instead of eating fresh foods, which were a lot better for me, I now eat mainly frozen foods, "just add water" foods, and foods that are prepared already.  I have changed in order to fit in with the schedule of a college and working life.

Analysis:  I had orignally intended to talk about the localization of fresh foods but then realized that my changed environment has caused me to be localized.  I have lived here my whole life but I was very close to my family when I was younger and we all use to cook fresh foods together.  Now I face time limits that I did not have to face before college or a job and I have "adapted" to this new setting.  When Rebecca first explained localization, I thought of it as being mainly product oriented and came to the realization that I have changed in order to fit the environment in which I live.

Balinese Cock Fight v.s. American Status

Source:  Robbins, Richard H. "Deciphering the Balinese Cockfight." Cultural Anthro. Student ed. Belmont, Calif: Wadsworth, 2012. 21-22. Print.

Relation:  An example of a culture text that is presented in the class reading, "Cultural Anthro" by Robbins.

Description:  The Balinese like cockfighting just as much as Americans like football.  They fight their prized roosters until one dies and many may see this is a disgrace.  "Rarely do cocks owned by members of the same family or village fight each other" (Robbins 21).  The people who fight cocks are usually the leader of the communities.  "A man will never bet against a cock that is owned by someone of his family group or villiage or a friend's family group or village, but he will place large bets against a cock owned by an enemy or the friend of an enemy"(Robbins 21).  The owners of the cocks are usually among the leaders of the communities and the winner takes home the loser's rooster for dinner.  One may view cockfighting as disturbing, but the Balinese do not do it for violence.

Commentary:  The Balinese use cockfighting as a cultural text to represent status in society.  If one is known to be successful in cockfighting, they have a higher status in their community.  I think it is important to try an understand the reasons behind what people do, rather than fall into ethnocentric fallacy and say that their belief is wrong.  The Balinese use cockfighting to represent status and the United States uses money.  The more money you have the more "success" and "progress" you have made in your life.  Balinese cockfighting is similar to the way American's determine status because most successfull Americans (political leaders and large companies) are willing to eliminate their competitors now matter how many people it hurts.  There is always one winner and one loser, one made richer and one made poorer.  Once I compared American status and Balinese status, cockfighting didn't seem so bad.  Is the way Americans get status really any better?

To the readers:  I am not sure if my commentary makes sense.  It does to me but I'm not sure if my comparison is understandable.  Was trying to compare how Americans and the Balinese get status and how they are similar.  If it doesn't make sense to you, please email you so I can explain and so you can help me fix it. :) Thanks!

Leftovers: What they say about my family and our combined culture

Source:  The leftovers in my refrigerator on January 28, 2012.  I observed the leftovers in my refrigerator to show what kind of foods my family eats, the amount of food that is saved, and present, culturally, why it is saved.

Relation:  In Cultural ANTHRO, Robbins includes a chart titled "Would You Eat?" and a list of foods that a culture would eat that you might not (pg. 6).  This reminds me of my family because there are foods that we have in our fridge that some people might not even think about eating.  I also thought about how the quantity of food would show the culture of my family.

Description:  I opened my fridge and saw a jar of picked pigs feet, homemade pickled eggs, artichoke hearts, and leftover homemade enchiladas (made from random ingredients in the fridge).  Usually we have every kind of salad dressing known to man kind, even if it is expired, but my sister felt it necessary to clean out the fridge.  A lot of the items in the fridge are expired but my dad likes to use everything until it is finished.  Expired items included mustard, ketchup, jelly, sodas, and horseradish.  When my grandmother was alive, we would always have kale and linguica in the fridge and a loaf of Portuguese sweet bread on the table.  At the moment, our freezer is stocked full with toaster waffles, leftover frozen lasagna, pita bread, a ton of chicken, and TV dinners.  Our freezer is usually crammed so full with food that everything must be arranged carefully in order to close the door.

Analysis:  One thing you should know about my family is that both sides were very poor.  My father is from the Azores in Portugal and his family was very poor.  They did not have a refrigerator so they stored their food in lard, which meant their food didn't last long.  My mom's side of the family is from Humboldt County but they were also very poor.  My mom said that she never had food in the fridge and that if they missed the call for dinner, they did not get dinner.  I think that the reason we have so many leftovers in the fridge is because my parents are grateful that they can keep them.  The enchiladas in the fridge are made from random ingredients that we had because they did not want to waste anything.   Eating pig's feet is normal in my family and most of my friends are disgusted it because it is not a "normal" food to them.  The linguica we had was from Portugal and was brought over by family and friends or ordered.  Many of the foods we have take a long time to perish because we plan on keeping them there for a while.  I do think that my parents overstock on food but I understand that it is only because they weren't able to save anything when they were younger.  My mom's side of the family ate whatever they could find and my dad's side ate mainly things that they grew and preserved themselves.  I believe that their two cultures combined to create the refrigerator that is in my kitchen.  There are items that seem strange and items that are familiar to most and I am grateful to have a fridge that reflects the past of my parents.