Rites of Passage

Rites of Passage are used to mark the socially recognized transition into maturity. They are a part of every society but mean completely different things to different people. Mothers consider it a first haircut, girls consider it a sweet sixteen party, and fraternities consider it hazing. Rites of passage welcome someone into a new phase of life and give them a tangible sense of growing up. It is a way to test their maturity and if they succeed, to show their social growth and success. Rites of passage give someone a place in society, and bring people together. Whether it's pledge brothers bonding together during their humiliating tasks, or a Jewish community coming together to bar mitzvah a boy and welcome him into mature life, Rites of Passage form social communities. Rites of passage are one of the few thing's that have remained consistent in our fast moving culture and that makes them special. When I graduated from high school I felt the same feeling of accomplishment that my parents and grandparents had felt at my age. and based on the tears I know they saw me really start to grow up. Rites of Passage need to be continued as a way to bring people together and as a tradition.

Sharpie

One of my classes posed the question of what kind of office supply I would be. This question took some thought give the fact that I have never though of myself in terms of office supplies before but I decided that a Sharpie would represent me best. They are bold and permanent. I speak my mind and have opinions as well as take action to defend them. If I make a mistake in the process, I don't try to erase it, it becomes a part of me. I use my mistakes to create new things. People use sharpie because it doesn't come off and I leave a lasting impression on those that know me. Sharpies are reliable and effective, two attributes I would like to consider myself as well.

The Decline of Horror Movies

I am one of the few who actually enjoy horror movies. However, when I was watching saw yesterday and it was literally scene after scene of people just getting killed. There was zero story line or suspense and I realized this is becoming a trend. Our culture is so over exposed that the only way production companies think they can surprise people anymore is to literally make it all gore. The best scare movies are ones like The Exorcist, Scream, and Seven where there is a thrilling story with a twist to go along with all of the blood and gore. In Seven the murder has a clever agenda that makes you more enthralled by the movie as you try to figure it out and become more attached to the characters. People in my generation are so over exposed to aspects of society like sex, drugs, and murder that literally nothing is a surprise anymore. Everything has been done or seen somewhere else and to avoid being unoriginal the movies that come out are either all killing or just stupid and it's a shame.

Music as Culture

When I was in Cannes this summer I noticed that the music playing in their clubs was switched with the music in the United States. The rap and hip-hop was something I had heard years before but the techno/house music was so much newer then ours. I wonder why it would work that way. I guess the obvious answer would seem to be that most of the techno/house music is from Europe and most of the rap music is from the U.S. and this made me realize how much music is part of the culture. I would never wonder why people dress differently, but for some reason music to me seemed more universal than it is. Music is something unique to a certain place and when thinking about the lyrics and moods of the music show a lot about where they are from. It expresses issues and aspects of the culture that they are from.

The Downside of Famous

Every little girl grows up wanting to be a star. Whether its an actress, a model, or a singer the idea of being in the spot light and having everyone know your name seems incredible. However, what you don't realize when you're five modeling off your beauty in the beast underwear in the mirror (so not me) is that you don't just get positive attention, you get negative attention. Your life is a show to everyone whether it's your divorce, being too fat or too thin, or being in rehab it's for everyone to know. Your personal space and privacy are stripped away from you, leaving you naked to the rest of the world. You would miss out on the simple joys of life like going to the grocery store, playing with your daughter at the park, or going shopping because people would be following you and pointing at you. Normal starts to look a lot better when your life becomes every one else's business. Now, the exception to this is if you're doing something you love. Paris Hilton does absolutely nothing to make it to the tabloids, and frankly i think she's too dumb to feel shame, but if you're Meryl Streep and you wouldn't have it any other way then to be an actress the rest is worth it. Growing up in Los Angeles and getting over being star struck has allowed me to look past the fame and realize these people are real with real problems. I know that despite the success and the fact that my five year old self would slap me across the face, I wouldn't want that for my own life.

Boys Night vs. Girls Night

On occasion, men and women feel the need to have nights where they exclude the opposite sex. Whether its to cheer a best friend up after being dumped, to play hard to get, or there just being nothing else to do they happen. However, genders have very different ideas of a good time when they are alone. When I think of Girls Night I think of ordering in dinner and watching a soppy movie although some would argue that pillow fights and hair braiding are a girls night. Boys on the other hand, amuse themselves for hours with video games and weed. However, the main thing I notice is that at the end of the night girls always end up wanting to turn girls night co-ed and the guys would rather hang out by themselves and I don't completely understand why. Maybe it's because boys act so differently when they're just around boys or maybe it's because they have a more sexual track of mind that doesn't understand why they would just hang out with girls. I'd like to think the first idea but the second definitely holds some truth: Girls are more emotional, Boys are more sexual.

The Expectations of Genre

I was watching "The Break Up" the other day starring Jennifer Anniston and Vince Vaughn hoping to watch a feel good romantic comedy. Little did I know they wouldn't be together at the end! The romantic comedy genre made me expect a happy ending and when it wasn't one I was upset. People watch romantic-comedies to feel happy and good, not to watch the couple break up and stay apart!! Now I guess taking a step back the title should have forewarned me but because the genre was romantic comedy I expected everything to work out in the end. Genres have very specific plot structures, often making them predictable, but also making the viewer comfortable and attached. When you're rooting for a couple in a movie you're enjoying it-when they never get together and it's left unresolved you feel let down. This is true of most genres. When you watch a horror movie when someone opens a mirror and then closes it someone is going to be standing behind them and when you watch an action there is always a huge explosion and a sex scene. While predictable sounds like a negative attribute for a movie to have it's not. Genres are a necessity, they are there to help people decide what kind of movie they want to watch.

Hidden Sexual Messages in Disney?!

I was recently told about the sexual messages hidden in Disney movies, specifically Aladdin, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid. The first one heard was In the scene where Aladdin and Jasmine are to take a magic carpet ride, Aladdin calls on Jasmine to come with him, and continues to speak under his breath “teenagers take off your clothes”. I am deeming that a myth right off the bat. The second one I heard was that in the Lion King about midway through the movie when Simba, the hero, plops down and a cloud of dust rises above him. As the dust begins to trail off, it forms the letters S-E-X, with each letter fading as the next becomes clear...still not very convinced. However, in the third movie, The Little Mermaid, supposedly King Titan has an erection in one of the scenes and there is a phallus shaped tower on his castle. That I looked into and saw was true but I still can't believe it was on purpose. Would the makers of these disney movies really do that intentionally? You can't even tell without someone pointing them out so was it just for fun? This personally ruined my seven year old view of these movies because its all I see when I watch them. I don't understand the point!!

The Pound Mentality

My roommate was recently nervous because our sorority big/little was coming up when the pledge class above picks a little sister in the new pledge class. She rushed as a sophomore and was nervous that no one would want her because everyone wants a puppy, not a dog. While this example is a little ridiculous I feel like this mentality isn't just seen in sororities and pounds. When families go to adopt a baby, they want the youngest possible child. Whether its makes it more their own because they have no memory of life before that or they just think they are cuter is a mystery but it does happen. This mentality can be seen in a professional environment as well in professions that are "young" like fashion magazines. There was celebrity drama recently because Megan Fox got a role over Angelina Jolie because of her age. Youth is something that people desire whether it's in themselves or in another person. People, women especially, will pay thousands of dollars just to look like the puppy that everyone wants again.

Can You Re Experience Pain?

There are two kinds of pain: physical and emotional. Both happen to everyone, both hurt like crazy, and both can be healed. What I wonder is can you re-experience pain when you think about the memory? If I think about when I broke my wrist no matter how hard I try I can't re-experience the pain in my wrist that I had that day. I know that it hurt a lot, but there is no way for me to feel the pain when I think about. On the other hand, when I think about my high school boyfriend breaking up with me and remember the different things that happened and the things that were said I can feel sadness and tears and remember the pint of ice cream that followed. Not to the same extent, but I can channel and re-experience those same emotions just by thinking about it. It is interesting to me that you can feel a broken heart but you can't feel a broken bone after it has happened.

Can Lying Be Right?

I always wonder if telling the truth is always the right thing to do or if leaving out certain parts of the truth is still lying. For instance, if a girl cheated on her boyfriend once and it meant nothing and would never happen again, is it worth it to ruin a really good thing for a one time mistake? Would the guilt ruin the relationship anyways? The obvious answer to this is she shouldn't have cheated on him period but when you're the one emotionally involved your priorities are different. If someone close to me asked me for advice I would tell them to tell the truth because its the "right" thing to do but if I was the one who in that position I don't know if I would follow my own advice. If the only thing that comes out of the truth is pain and suffering how can it be right? It's comforting to think of right and wrong as black and white but there are so many grey areas in between that I'm starting to believe the only thing you can do is what FEELS right. No one ever got what they wanted by following their head and living by the book.