Little green army men

Topic: Violence

Source: Ch.8 of our ANTHRO textbook and my little brother’s toys when he was little.

Relation: The classic little green army men toys are a means of promoting collective violence, as described in the textbook.

Description:  As I started to think about violence and how it is so embedded in our culture, I can’t help but think of the toys that children are given and how those may promote violence.  Most people talk about this subject in terms of video games or violent television programs, but I think about classic male toys, in particular those little green army men.  The reason these stick out in my memory is because my little brother insisted on having them and my father insisted on taking every single one and cutting off all the guns with scissors.  My father did not want any sort of toy gun in our house, even tiny plastic ones.  I was still in elementary school at the time, so my friends would see these toys and ask why most of the men were missing parts of arms or their hands.  Of course it seemed unnecessary to us children that the guns had to be removed.  But I respect my dad’s decision, because I think it did change the way that we played with the army men.  Neither me nor my little brother played with them as army men, but rather as just little green men who hung out with their little green friends or drove hot wheels cars.  

Commentary/Analysis:  In the text Robbins states that, “Acts of collective violence are rationalized as purposeful, noble, or inevitable” (Robbins 180).  I think having toys that promote or even just represent collective violence, such as army men toys, make it seem like a normal occurrence in the world.  It makes war into a game for children and in this way desensitizes them against the horrors of war.  Like the Yanomamö socialized male children to be hostile, I think toys do the same, in a slightly more subtle way.  Although young males may not always be encouraged to fight each other, the toys they play with still encourage violence. 

The griot of P.S. 118

Topic: Rites of passage

Sources: Hey Arnold! (the television show) and information acquired from my African Storytelling class here at HSU.

Relation: In our ANTHRO textbook, the incorporation phase of rites of passage is described by Arnold van Gennep as the transfer of a person from one social group to another (Robbins, 139).  There are a lot of rites of passage for American children that are supposed to incorporate them into society.  These rites serve to introduce them to the values and norms of the culture and society.  Hey Arnold! is a cartoon show that shows various rites of passage in its episodes and the character of Gerald is the one who initiates these rites.

 

Description: One day last week while I was feeling nostalgic, I decided to watch some Hey Arnold! on netflix.  I watched an episode called The List and I suddenly realized that the character of Gerald is very similar to a traditional west African griot.  The reason this is important is because the griot is the one who initiates people into the society through the sharing of sacred knowledge in the form of stories.  Listening to these stories is a rite of passage.  The list in the episode is the list of things for a kid to do in order to have the perfect Saturday.  When Arnold wants to attempt the list, it is Gerald who stands up and reads the list for the other children around.  Other times during the show, Gerald is referred to as a keeper of this or another tale and he is always the one who holds the sacred knowledge that will incorporate the various children in the neighborhood into society as they know it.   Many typical childhood rites of passage are depicted in Hey Arnold! such as sleepovers, camping, playing hookie, school plays, etc.  All of these are used to teach something about culture whether it is camaraderie, survival, or teamwork.

Commentary/Analysis: The griot is a very important character in west African history and spreads his knowledge of the culture through traditional storytelling.  As such, the griot is also the person who often initiates people into the society through different rites of passage.  In the tv show Hey Arnold!, Gerald acts as a griot and guides his fellow classmates into their rites of passage to become part of the larger society.  Because the rites of passage in the show are similar to those found in our culture, Hey Arnold! is a source of cultural knowledge and I might say that watching it was a sort of rite of passage for any 90s kid. 

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors 

Topic : *Magic*

Source : The character of Gob in Arrested Development and other experiences with magicians.

Relation : On page 92 of the ANTHRO text, rituals and magic are described as, « special events set aside from everyday existence, drawing participants into an emotional involvement with the metaphors. Rituals produce special feelings ; people are carried away with symbolism, music, and social communion with others. » Magicians always create an environment, with their attire, music, etc, to attract and involve crowds. This image and experience is what sticks with us.

Description : When I sat down to think about magic for this blog, I immediately thought of Gob, played by Will Arnett, in the tv show Arrested Development. Gob is a magician and takes his work very seriously. He was part of the Magician's Alliance (although he was later kicked out), a group of magicians dedicated to keeping all the tricks to their illusions secret. Gob always employs a host of different things to excite the crowd : pyrotechnics, music ( always « The Final Countdown » by Europe), smoke machines, dancing, etc. Although, his tricks never seem to work, he believes that all the hype is worthwhile.

As I was thinking more about magic, I asked my fiancé if he had ever been to a magic show. He said he remembered going to one in kindergarten. The magician, an old man dressed in the typical cape and top-hat, said that he would pick the kid with the biggest smile to come up on stage. My fiancé apparently had the biggest smile, so he was allowed to be the assistant. He doesn't even remember the trick though, just that he pulled in a string and a box fell apart.

Analysis/Commentary : In both of these cases, the actual magic didn't seem to matter much at all. Only the environment and feelings of the crowd were important. Gob doesn't care if his magic works, as long as he looks « cool » doing it. My boyfriend doesn't remember the tricks performed in the magic show, but he remembers being a part of it. Luhrmann explains in the book that many times people are so overwhelmed by the feelings that they experience in during rituals that they are heavily inclined to attribute those feelings to magic. The environment that magicians create can be pretty impressive, even if their tricks aren't.    

(see video below)

Humor

Topic: Humor

Source: The comedy routines of Steven Wright.

Relation: In our ANTHRO reading, the absurdity of humor is given as the main reason we find it funny.  The content and delivery of Steven Wright's comedy is very absurd and as such I find it very amusing.

Description: When I first saw a comedy routine by Steven Wright, I was not sure what to think.  He does not deliver jokes in the usual manner but instead speaks in a monotone voice and almost never smiles.  His jokes are equally bizarre and usually deal with using everyday life or familiar objects to make absurd scenarios.  On page 102 Robbins states that, “often people create humor out of everyday problems or events.”  This is true of Steven Wright but he makes those everyday problems or events into strange jokes.  For example, we are all familiar with how powdered milk works: you add water to it.  But in one of his jokes, Wright states that he doesn't know what to add to some powdered water he bought.  At first, it might not seem particularly funny, but there is humor to it. 

Analysis/Commentary:  Steven Wright's comedy takes some getting used to, but once you accept it as sheer nonsensical absurdity it becomes very comical.  Instead of just making a few plays on words, he has taken the whole comedy act and made it absurd.  I think it's kind of genius because although most people can make a joke, many people deliver it the same way and don't bother to think about the delivery itself as a source of humor.    

The Price of Progress

Topic : Cultural change, Modernity

Source : FREN 312 and the lectures on 19^th century France and the Industrial Revolution's effect on society during the time period.

Relation : On page 68 and 69 of our ANTHRO textbook an example is given about the industrialization of agriculture in the U.S. and its negative effects. This made me think back to how industrialization first started affecting societies. I have taken many classes which talk about this subject in relation to the Industrial Revolution in France, but the same effects can easily be applied to the U.S.

Description : During the 19^th century French societies were in transition. With the technological advances, many jobs were moving from farms in the country to factories in the city. This resulted in a rural exodus : mass amounts of people following jobs into the cities. Many technological advances were made during this time period. The so-called progress of the Industrial Revolution brought about great cultural change as well. While people living on farms in small villages tended to be more community-minded, those working in factories in the cities started to become more interested in individualism. While those living in the traditional countryside often lived in self-sufficient villages, it was every man for himself in the city.

Commentary/Analysis : I think the question of what constitutes progress is one that is not easy to answer. I can easily say, however, that modernity or progress always has a cost. In this case I think it is the loss of community in the name of a more convenient, although much more impersonal era of modernism. Although this all happened in France in the 19^th century, it happened all over and our society is still changing in this way.   

Valentine's Day

Topic : Cultural Texts

Source : Valentine's Day

Plus, an article I read online :

The Fashioning of a Modern Holiday: St. Valentine's Day, 1840-1870

Leigh Eric Schmidt Winterthur Portfolio , Vol. 28, No. 4 (Winter, 1993), pp. 209-245

Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of the 

Henry Francis du Pont Winterthur Museum, Inc.

Article Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1181508

Relation : On page 20 of our ANTHRO textbook, the author describes a cultural text as anything that carries meaning.  The author also states that we both read and maintain cultural texts in our everyday life.  I find that particularly true with Valentine's Day because I can read into what the holiday is all about and start to hate it but I just can't resist cutting out a red paper heart or giving a gift !

Description : With all the Valentine's Day hype lately, I find myself wondering « why ? » and I inevitably start deconstructing it as a cultural text. It's easy to be cynical about Valentine's Day but it's also pretty easy to fall into the ritual gift-giving, chocolate-eating, and heart-shaped fun.  The article I found online was a very thorough (albeit long...) description of how Valentine's Day came to be what it is in it's current form.  According to the article, gift-giving originated from the « courtly model of consumption » in which the noble court-goers would give elaborate gifts to their valentines, often a person chosen by drawing lots.  The rejuvenation of the holiday in the mid-19th century in the United States comes closer to how it is celebrated nowadays ; that is with mass-produced trinkets of affection.  Every store that you walk into during the month of February has something related to Valentine's Day.  And they would be stupid not to, it is a huge area for profit.  But is it really meaningful to pick someone up a mass-produced gift just because you are obligated to do so according to a cultural holiday ?    

Commentary/Analysis :  The tradition of gift-giving on Valentine's Day is truly indicative of our capitalist consumer culture.  I think that giving a gift when it is unexpected (not on a holiday) is more meaningful to the person receiving the gift.  As humans, we do like unexpected circumstances, as long as they are positive.  I think Valentine's Day says a lot about our culture and how we like to attach meaning to an abstract day of the year, or how we like to hold onto old traditions.  It also makes us seem kind of lazy.  Why do we buy something cheap and not at all unique to express our love and deep sentimental feelings ?  Valentine's Day also says a lot about gender roles in our culture.  It is typically the male's duty to bring presents (candy, roses, etc.) to the female on Valentine's Day.  This is a manifestation of typical gender roles with the male being the main breadwinner and the female being the one prone and won over by sentimental gifts.  All of these things tied together make Valentine's Day an interesting cultural text that is hard to ignore.  

S'mores

Topic: Food


Source: In France, myself and a few other American students trying to explain s'mores to a group of our international classmates. 


Relation: This past week, we had a discussion about food and what kinds we were inclined to eat based on our cultural background.  I began to think of times I found a food strange or even times when a food familiar to me was found strange by others. 


Description:  Ah s'mores, what an odd creation of our American culture.  But who doesn't love 'em? Crunchy graham crackers, gooey marshmallows, and delicious chocolate smashed together into a sandwich.  I participated in a study abroad program this summer when I lived in Montpellier, France for a month.  I went to language classes 5 days a week and in my class were students from all around the world, each with a different culture.  For an activity one night, the professors asked the students to bring a dish that represented their country for a potluck at the school.  One of my friends from HSU had the great idea to bring s'mores.  The first issue we had was finding the ingredients for s'mores.  Graham crackers don't really exist over in France, so some buttery cracker/cookies were substituted.  Hershey's chocolate could not be found either, but chocolate is chocolate so no problem. Marshmallows were easy to find.  Once we got to the school, it was a matter of finding sticks to roast the marshmallows.  We found some on the ground near a tree and thought they would be suitable.  Luckily, there was at least a barbeque for us to roast the marshmallows over.  Many of the other students did find it strange though that we would pick something up off the ground and use it as a cooking utensil, but understandably so; why aren't we phased by this anyway?  Needless to say, they were also shocked by why we would put these three foods together in a seemingly overfattening, super unhealthy snack.  One of the professors even teased us saying, "So this is part of your regime? This is how you stay so svelte? I hope you go running after this."  Although many were reluctant to try a s'more, they certainly did enjoy them, but in moderation of course.


 Commentary/Analysis:  I think it is funny how we never stop to think about how bad s'mores are for us; all we know is that they are delicious and part of a fun tradition.  What harm can a few s'mores be anyway? We don't eat them everyday.  When I start to think about how the tradition of s'more even came about in our culture, I immediately think back to days of sitting around a campfire with my family.  It seems to me that s'mores are inextricably tied to the camping experience and that may represent a strong outdoorsy tradition among Americans.  We were taught in schools that people like Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone were great adventurers who defined the spirit of the founding of our country.  Of course, we conveniently leave out how they stole that land from the Native Americans, in a bloody and shameful manner.  But, I think a lot of countries have a great romanticized myth about their proud creation and that myth is something built into the culture. Back to food though.  I find it very interesting how something so simple as a s'more can tell us so much more about our culture and history.