Thursday, November 1, 2012
Week 4 with Tiffany
Today, we talked a lot about Tiffany and her dorm life. Tiffany had a funny, but sad story. All she wanted was to get an American roommate, but they stuck her with 2 Chinese girls and an American girl in Colby. Obviously, the Chinese girls talked in Chinese all of the time, and I'm sure it was too much for the American girl. One day she simply left, and they never saw her again. She didn't even say goodbye. It shocks me how a girl could do that to these Chinese girls that just wanted to get to know her and relate with her. It angers me how housing and residence life obviously put them together and didn't put them with Americans to try and foster diversity. Another funny quip was that Tiffany got an email from the girl this summer asking, "are you Rushing?" Tiffany had absolutely no idea what that meant, and I'm sure if further added to her anxiousness about coming to TCU.
Now, they finally got what they wanted. An American girl that talks with them a lot and wants to be friends with them. A girl got put in their room, and Tiffany says she has good intentions, but that she is not a good roommate. She snores so loudly that it wakes them up every night. I can't help but feel bad for them, especially since she got an American roommate but it just shows that rooming with someone will hardly ever be perfect.
We also got into the topic about the prices of things in China vs America. Tiffany said that everything in the United States is so much cheaper than in China. She specifically noted how clothing is much higher quality here, and cheaper. An iPhone 5, which may cost $500 here, would cost 1300 American dollars in China. The irony in this, however, is that much of what we buy here is made in China. So why is it cheaper here? She lead me to believe that the prices were so much cheaper here, because American companies get taxed more and also sell things for much more to the Chinese than to Americans. I don't fully understand how this, or even their economy works, but it is interesting how this is true.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Week 3 Conversation Partner Meeting
This week, it was harder to get conversation flowing with my partner, Tiffany. We were missing Leo, the other person that usually comes with Tiffany. He is usually the one who talks the most as he is inquisitive about everything. After not talking about much of anything, we got on the topic of Halloween and I told her everything about it and she was very intrigued. She knew the concept of it but wasn't aware of everything that went along with it.
After that, we someone got into every major holiday for our respective countries. She told me about the harvest festival which just happened in China, where moon cakes are made and they celebrate Autumn (relatively similar to Thanksgiving). The most important holiday however, is Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year. Spring Festival is most comparable to Christmas, as the whole family meets up and they celebrate the New Year and exchange gifts. I found it interesting that the festival takes place in the winter months but is called the spring festival. After looking it up, I found that this is the start of spring on the Chinese calendar.
Tiffany and I continue to find something interesting to talk about. We are both fascinated by each others respective countries, and it is great to get a look inside another culture by having conversation with her.
After that, we someone got into every major holiday for our respective countries. She told me about the harvest festival which just happened in China, where moon cakes are made and they celebrate Autumn (relatively similar to Thanksgiving). The most important holiday however, is Spring Festival, or Chinese New Year. Spring Festival is most comparable to Christmas, as the whole family meets up and they celebrate the New Year and exchange gifts. I found it interesting that the festival takes place in the winter months but is called the spring festival. After looking it up, I found that this is the start of spring on the Chinese calendar.
Tiffany and I continue to find something interesting to talk about. We are both fascinated by each others respective countries, and it is great to get a look inside another culture by having conversation with her.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Thoughts about Cat's Cradle
Vonnegut has such a way to make someone think, and Cat's Cradle did just that. He masterfully satirizes both science and religion in a way that is not easy to disagree with.
The fact that this book was written in 1963 and what was capable then, just makes me think about how far science has progressed and what we could be capable of now. An ice-nine of today wouldn't too implausible, and Cat's Cradle really made me think about the state of where we are now and what the future could hold. Sure, we made it past the Cold War and tensions seem to be much better now than they have been in the past, and there are more worries about social uprisings than science, but I can't help but think that science is even more common place now. We all rely on the internet, etc. to function and what would happen if there were an ice-nine, but for something such as the internet? I believe that this would be almost as catastrophic as a physical weapon.
The other facet of Cat's Cradle was the religion. Bokononism is such an ingenious thing that Vonnegut came up with. The religion is created to counterbalance the fear incurred by the government, which actually puts the people in a perpetual state of uncertainty and fear. It is a perfect system, and it is crazy how Vonnegut was able to come up with it. I don't see there being a Bokononism in our current day, but I can see how easy it would be for people to fall into such a religious system.
Overall, this class has made me appreciate humorous literature a lot more. I find it odd how the best selling movies and TV shows are comedies (and sometimes satires), while the most common books are completely the opposite. I've always loved reading the Onion, as the premises are so absurd but make me really think about a deeper issue, and that is what Cat's Cradle has done. It is such an extreme thing but really made me think about what could happen in this world.
The fact that this book was written in 1963 and what was capable then, just makes me think about how far science has progressed and what we could be capable of now. An ice-nine of today wouldn't too implausible, and Cat's Cradle really made me think about the state of where we are now and what the future could hold. Sure, we made it past the Cold War and tensions seem to be much better now than they have been in the past, and there are more worries about social uprisings than science, but I can't help but think that science is even more common place now. We all rely on the internet, etc. to function and what would happen if there were an ice-nine, but for something such as the internet? I believe that this would be almost as catastrophic as a physical weapon.
The other facet of Cat's Cradle was the religion. Bokononism is such an ingenious thing that Vonnegut came up with. The religion is created to counterbalance the fear incurred by the government, which actually puts the people in a perpetual state of uncertainty and fear. It is a perfect system, and it is crazy how Vonnegut was able to come up with it. I don't see there being a Bokononism in our current day, but I can see how easy it would be for people to fall into such a religious system.
Overall, this class has made me appreciate humorous literature a lot more. I find it odd how the best selling movies and TV shows are comedies (and sometimes satires), while the most common books are completely the opposite. I've always loved reading the Onion, as the premises are so absurd but make me really think about a deeper issue, and that is what Cat's Cradle has done. It is such an extreme thing but really made me think about what could happen in this world.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
3 Things I Took Away From Comic Relief
There was not much comic relief to be had in John Morreall's nearly 200 page assault upon other's ideas for his proprietary blend of humor theory, however I did take away a few things from the book.
1. Humor was not always desired
Never have I ever really heard that humor was not only hated, but a punishable offense in many cultures before modern times. Personally, I thought that aside from the technical terms and theories that Morreall elaborated on, that the merits of humor are a common sense kind of thing. I knew that humor made people happy, etc, but learning that humor was once considered a barbaric and unintelligent action made me think about humor deeper.
2. The Evolutionary View of Humor
I'm not sure why, but one of the most memorable parts of the book was Morreall's discussion of the beginnings of humor in society and cognitive development of humor. This kind of topic always piques my interest, it fascinates me to learn about human development and evolution. The way that the tribesmen are described in coming up with humor was very vivid to me, and it really made me think about other things that were possibly created in a similar fashion. Another interesting part of that section of the book was the description of humor in child development. I had never thought about humor in that sense and it will make me be more alert and analyze children's humor.
3. Dangers of Humor
I said that the merits of humor are more commonplace and apparent, but I believe that the dangers of humor are definitely not. The book made me evaluate how far is too far in humor and the dangers that humor can cause. It is easy to be offensive in humor without trying, but not only that, it is easy to lose sight of your values when you are distracted by humor. Humor creates a cognitive shift that can slip past the part of the mind that relegates such negativity and discrimination.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and thought it was a worthwhile read. Many of my critiques of the book are in jest, but the book could have been more concise for Morreall's objective. I expected to laugh a little bit in a book that was about the philosophy of humor, but Morreall fell short in that aspect.
1. Humor was not always desired
Never have I ever really heard that humor was not only hated, but a punishable offense in many cultures before modern times. Personally, I thought that aside from the technical terms and theories that Morreall elaborated on, that the merits of humor are a common sense kind of thing. I knew that humor made people happy, etc, but learning that humor was once considered a barbaric and unintelligent action made me think about humor deeper.
2. The Evolutionary View of Humor
I'm not sure why, but one of the most memorable parts of the book was Morreall's discussion of the beginnings of humor in society and cognitive development of humor. This kind of topic always piques my interest, it fascinates me to learn about human development and evolution. The way that the tribesmen are described in coming up with humor was very vivid to me, and it really made me think about other things that were possibly created in a similar fashion. Another interesting part of that section of the book was the description of humor in child development. I had never thought about humor in that sense and it will make me be more alert and analyze children's humor.
3. Dangers of Humor
I said that the merits of humor are more commonplace and apparent, but I believe that the dangers of humor are definitely not. The book made me evaluate how far is too far in humor and the dangers that humor can cause. It is easy to be offensive in humor without trying, but not only that, it is easy to lose sight of your values when you are distracted by humor. Humor creates a cognitive shift that can slip past the part of the mind that relegates such negativity and discrimination.
Overall, I did enjoy the book and thought it was a worthwhile read. Many of my critiques of the book are in jest, but the book could have been more concise for Morreall's objective. I expected to laugh a little bit in a book that was about the philosophy of humor, but Morreall fell short in that aspect.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Week 2 Conversation
This week went just as well as last week, we had more than enough to talk about. They were both very interested in ways of getting involved at TCU, as well as educational topics which we discussed last week.
They had both seen the petting zoo organized by the Crew, and were understandably confused and excited by the concept. I spent a lot of time going through different organizations on the TCU website and showing them ways that they could be involved. They were disappointed in TCU's lack of arts and music organizations, but I showed them some that they might be interested in getting involved in.
Another thing that comes up in our conversations are certain words and the way we say things. For example, after a lengthy questioning process I told Leo the what the word fire alarm was, because he had witnessed one at his dorm and wanted to know the word for it. Another word that they loved was procrastination. Leo is especially fascinated in learning more vocabulary and kept asking me where he could find a book for him to read about it.
They were both still interested in learning about how the schooling works here and how they will be able to maintain the work if they don't speak English well enough. I explained to them how the business school works and how they have to take prerequisites and all of the associated classes. They seem daunted by TCU so far in some ways, but I think that they are doing a great job after only being here for a few weeks. I just can't imagine going somewhere and having a complete change of culture, language, and environment with no real support to fall back on. These conversations are giving me an insight and perspective of some of the people's backgrounds here and where they come from.
They had both seen the petting zoo organized by the Crew, and were understandably confused and excited by the concept. I spent a lot of time going through different organizations on the TCU website and showing them ways that they could be involved. They were disappointed in TCU's lack of arts and music organizations, but I showed them some that they might be interested in getting involved in.
Another thing that comes up in our conversations are certain words and the way we say things. For example, after a lengthy questioning process I told Leo the what the word fire alarm was, because he had witnessed one at his dorm and wanted to know the word for it. Another word that they loved was procrastination. Leo is especially fascinated in learning more vocabulary and kept asking me where he could find a book for him to read about it.
They were both still interested in learning about how the schooling works here and how they will be able to maintain the work if they don't speak English well enough. I explained to them how the business school works and how they have to take prerequisites and all of the associated classes. They seem daunted by TCU so far in some ways, but I think that they are doing a great job after only being here for a few weeks. I just can't imagine going somewhere and having a complete change of culture, language, and environment with no real support to fall back on. These conversations are giving me an insight and perspective of some of the people's backgrounds here and where they come from.
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Laughter
I have sporadically been reading Borrowitz, and I left the last excerpt for tonight. Me and my roommate were just relaxing, doing some mundane task, when I spontaneously decided to start reading it aloud. What first started out as a joke, turned into a humorous journey that we both enjoyed thoroughly. Barry is one of those comics that you can't help but love. He states things that everyone knows is true, proposes it in a way that makes the user think it wasn't already established, and runs with it.
The other stories were good (I was especially entertained by Henry) but Barry's piece was better the same way that watching a contemporary comedy is often more pleasing than a WWII era classic. His perfect internal commentary captures how men and women think (to some degree of course), and left me completely agreeing with him, even if I don't particularly believe that it was all completely accurate. That is how a good comic works.
His subtle alluding to popular phenomena creates a validity with the writing, and establishes an authority of the domain, which lets him have free rein of the domain. He is able to take liberties, such as referring to men as never being able to commit or comprehend what a woman is saying or thinking. Although these are obviously not fully true his exaggeration is what helps make the piece humorous.
I'm not sure why stories such at Barry's are so universally adored and accepted. I guess it has something to do with how relatable it is. No man nor woman can absolutely deny that he doesn't propose a good point in his writing, and I believe that is what makes it good.
The other stories were good (I was especially entertained by Henry) but Barry's piece was better the same way that watching a contemporary comedy is often more pleasing than a WWII era classic. His perfect internal commentary captures how men and women think (to some degree of course), and left me completely agreeing with him, even if I don't particularly believe that it was all completely accurate. That is how a good comic works.
His subtle alluding to popular phenomena creates a validity with the writing, and establishes an authority of the domain, which lets him have free rein of the domain. He is able to take liberties, such as referring to men as never being able to commit or comprehend what a woman is saying or thinking. Although these are obviously not fully true his exaggeration is what helps make the piece humorous.
I'm not sure why stories such at Barry's are so universally adored and accepted. I guess it has something to do with how relatable it is. No man nor woman can absolutely deny that he doesn't propose a good point in his writing, and I believe that is what makes it good.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
First meeting with my conversation partner!
I had no clue what to expect when I scheduled to meet with my conversation partner, Tiffany. I got her number and decided to meet with her at the BLUU, which was easy enough. Immediately after meeting her she mentioned a friend of hers that wanted to join, whom I easily let do so. His name is Leo, and he ended up talking more than her. They are both from China, and it astounded me that this was their first month ever in the United States. They were both a little confused at my motives, which was funny, as I mentioned me doing a project over Japanese humor and they thought that I thought they were Japanese on at least a few occasions. We started out talking about where I was from, and vice versa, but then Leo dove right into some real conversation. He really wanted to know what classes were like. I had a hard time explaining what exactly this class was as he didn't understand how it had any pertinence to me being a business major, but I think I accurately conveyed what core and honors classes are. They had a lot of fun asking me about school, and the difficulty of it, and how well they will be able to do. They were both extremely modest and thankful when I assured them that they would do fine, as their English will get exponentially better in the coming year or so.
I did get to the topic of humor a little bit, just to see what they found funny in China. Tiffany immediately said "Drinking. It is funny sometimes when people drink. My father comes home after drinking and dances sometimes, so funny. That happens a lot, drinking." Leo very candidly affirmed this by saying, "Same thing. My father comes home and is the same way. It is funny." He also spoke a lot about how homophones in the Chinese language are used a lot in humor. I didn't really get many examples, but he said that many words have the same pronunciation and so jokes are often made with them. I mentioned sarcasm, and after explaining it they said that it was also widely used in China, which wasn't a surprise to me. Another form of humor he said they used a lot was what he called quotation, or what I assume is allusion. He mentioned "to be or not to be" and how he used that in some joking manner.
I had a genuinely amazing time with my now two partners and an hour and a half blew by in no time. Neither of us really wanted to go, at least in my mind, because I can talk with someone forever, especially when it is such an interesting conversation. It was not hard at all to talk to them, because I understood how hard it can be to communicate sometimes, as it happens when I speak Spanish to others. I let them speak Chinese to each other when necessary, even though they were opposed at first. I really look forward to meeting with both of them again, and seeing what else they have in store for me.
I did get to the topic of humor a little bit, just to see what they found funny in China. Tiffany immediately said "Drinking. It is funny sometimes when people drink. My father comes home after drinking and dances sometimes, so funny. That happens a lot, drinking." Leo very candidly affirmed this by saying, "Same thing. My father comes home and is the same way. It is funny." He also spoke a lot about how homophones in the Chinese language are used a lot in humor. I didn't really get many examples, but he said that many words have the same pronunciation and so jokes are often made with them. I mentioned sarcasm, and after explaining it they said that it was also widely used in China, which wasn't a surprise to me. Another form of humor he said they used a lot was what he called quotation, or what I assume is allusion. He mentioned "to be or not to be" and how he used that in some joking manner.
I had a genuinely amazing time with my now two partners and an hour and a half blew by in no time. Neither of us really wanted to go, at least in my mind, because I can talk with someone forever, especially when it is such an interesting conversation. It was not hard at all to talk to them, because I understood how hard it can be to communicate sometimes, as it happens when I speak Spanish to others. I let them speak Chinese to each other when necessary, even though they were opposed at first. I really look forward to meeting with both of them again, and seeing what else they have in store for me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)