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Showing posts from February, 2020

Contemporary Satire (ft. Food Dudes)

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Telling the truth is easy to say, but hard to complete. For this reason, "white lies" happen almost every day. As de Botton states, the goal of humorists is to convey messages that can't normally be stated. Humorists play a much larger role than simply to entertain; humorists provide underlying messages behind taboo topics. From satires to parodies, humorists provide an entry for the public to understand societal issues in a lighthearted manner. Journalists display information concretely, allowing for much debate. Humorists portray information more abstractly and subconsciously, allowing for open interpretation. In contemporary society, satire is often used by humorists. For example, FOX's Family Guy  includes much satire to ridicule politics and other relevant topics. With its high popularity, it reaches a broad spectrum of viewers, leading it to satirize topics from high school peer pressure to President Trump. At the same time, high popularity means that many are

Eating Ritual among the Nacriema

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Upon reading Body Ritual among the Nacirema , I decided to undertake my own study on the Nacriema. Today, I bring to light more "magical beliefs and practices" that the group presents. I present to you:  Eating Ritual among the Nacriema. Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy. While much of their time is devoted to economic pursuits through long, intensive hours of obligations, a portion is spent in ritual activity. The rituals are multi-faceted, for they are alert of the brains of their peers. One focus of this activity is eating, attempting to balance the needs of the body and the reputation upheld, which continues as a dominant concern for the people. While the habit of eating is certainly not unusual, the proposed dilemmas within and its impatience are unique. The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the hands of a clock fail to cease. Ingrained in the minds of the Nacirema is the golden crown of work. The r

I Don't Care If You Pop a Waffle

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When a wife walks into the kitchen, is it expected that she will start eating her husband's meal or grab the pots and start cooking? Judy Brady satirizes the characterization of women extremely well, she says, "I want a wife who cooks the meals, a wife who is a good cook. I want a wife to go along when our family takes a vacation so that someone can continue to care for me and my children when I need a rest and change of scene." In Brady's "I Want a Wife" and SNL's Superbowl parody, the immoral issues within traditional gender expectations still held to this day are brought to attention. It leads us to wonder: has the expectation of a wife stooped so low that your wife is your servant? So what if your wife can't cook and only knows how to place Eggo waffles in a toaster? (while maintaining a nutritious diet) I delved deeper by considering the gender roles of couples in various cultures. In general, domestic gender roles are not as prevalent as