Response to Sarah's Lead Blog Post

I thought the video Sarah put on her blog was super interesting. I always associate this kind of thing with being at the nail salon. I have always said that it would be so cool to know what they are saying, and if they are talking about how gross my feet are while they are doing my nails. I like this topic because its something I don't really understand. It would be so beneficial to know two languages, and am always impressed when people do because learning a language isn't an easy task, I can barely form comprehensive sentences in English half the time.

The jokes they made in the video made me laugh. I liked how the guy was talking about how attracted he was to the girl and she knew what he was saying. The events in the video would definitely relate to people who know several languages. That's an awesome concept to me because they captured so many different situations in one short clip. It can also relate to people who aren't bilingual. I always hate when someone says something that I can't understand and then they refuse to repeat themselves. It is frustrating because everyone around me knows what they said so I feel left out of the conversation.

The clip was well made and it seemed like they put a lot of time into it and I appreciate that. I agree with Sarah when she says that America is super racially diverse, and while there are a lot of people here that speak different languages it is expected that people speak English therefore it is not as linguistically diverse. This is significant because it is important that people respect the different cultures that are represented in America because that is such an important part of our country's foundation.

Katty's Blog - Whole Foods

The Whole Foods fad is something people like me are known for buying into. I've always been opinionated about the different health trends out there. When I see a new trend, like a new superfood or a new brand of granola bar I can't help but want to try it out and see if I like it. In some ways, I think this whole health food fad is ridiculous. I am so strongly against juice cleanses and fad diets because of the mental implications associated with them. I have seen so many friends attempt a juice cleanse after a Whole Foods run and not be able to function because of it. On the other hand, I am open to the concept of improving yourself through healthy lifestyle choices. I see the humor in people making crazy decisions based on what one article says is the cure all for unhealthy skin and nails, but I also see the benefits of trying new things. While I'm not ignorant to the fact that most of these "healthy" options are insignificant, I still say why not go ahead and try it if you are interested. It couldn't hurt.

I always say, "sometimes your mental health is more important than your physical health," and I mean that. Whole Foods, and the culture surrounding it is a breeding ground for mental illness and disease. I have a passion in my life for bettering the lives of young girls. I see so many of them struggle with this kind of phenomenon. Why are Whole Foods type lifestyles such an important part of our culture? It really is about the expense and cultural acceptance. We see things that are more expensive as better options, in general. Especially when it comes to food. This contributes to Whole Foods price jumps. You could buy similar products in a Publix, but because it is specialized and has a few less ingredients the Whole Food option is the better choice. This is false, but I see that struggle in our society. Also the cultural acceptance, like we talk about in class all the time, people want to relate to other people (especially celebrities) Doing so makes people feel more in the loop. Celebrities and "healthy" people are seen all over media doing these fad diet type things.

Whole Foods, while it has it's benefits, is generally a waste of time. I get it, but I try not to buy into it.

Lead Blog - Mean Girls: Using Humor to Teach a Lesson

"You're like really pretty.."
"Thank you"
"So you agree, you think you're really pretty?"

Mean Girls is a classic high school comedy that I hope everyone in our class has seen, or at least heard about. I think the following clip from Mean Girls highlights the most memorable parts of the film:

There is significance in Mean Girls that goes beyond crude, smart humor and brings an important point to light. This film teaches the negative effects of high school mean girls (something I think everyone deals with at some point or another) effectively solely because it is comedic. No one wants to listen to a basic, boring lecture on why we should all get along and what can happen when we don't. Mean Girls presents these scenarios in an exaggerated and comical way making people want to listen without getting defensive. People so easily can find some kind of negative thing they did in high school in this film, and see how the other person felt. 

The reason I wanted to blog about Mean Girls, aside from thinking it's hilarious and being able to quote almost the entire movie, is that I think it is an inventive and important form of comedy. The actual jokes and situations presented are pretty basic. The boys are crude, the girls are dumb, and everyone is stumbling through high school, like in every other high school movie. The difference here is how they use this comedy to make people think about friendships and how they are treating people. Comedy is so important when you are trying to teach someone a lesson like that because the lesson doesn't soak in until they can find an emotional connection to it. The easiest, and most enjoyable emotional connection is laughter. When you're making someone laugh at a certain folly they have, they can recognize their faults without being defensive about their mistakes. For example, if your feet always smell bad, to the point where I can't help but say something, I might make a joke about stinky feet and hint at you instead of bluntly saying, "Hey you smell like a gym sock." This is what Mean Girls does. It's target audience is exactly who are portrayed in the film, and hopefully it gets these viewers talking about actual issues in a meaningful way. I think this is significant because it opens the floor to make a change happen. Maybe a "mean girl" watches this movie, relates, and decides not to bully that "weird" girl in her math class anymore. I might be taking this kind of far, but that's an awesome end goal for a comedy to have. 

Mean Girls has aspects relating to all three of the theories we discuss in class. Relief theory is the important, because while you watch the film you get to have the feeling of hitting the bully with a bus. You don't have to actually do it, but you can feel the release near the end of the movie when all the tension has built up and everything finally breaks down. Lots of movies employ this technique, and its super effective. Superiority theory is an obvious one with Mean Girls. You get the see their insecurities from the inside, and therefore we, as viewers, feel superior to the most popular girls in school. Pretty great feeling, huh? Lastly, we have incongruity throughout. This film is always surprising you with a new and odd situation that is totally laughable. 

If you haven't, I suggest you add Mean Girls to your Netflix queue. You'll laugh lots, and maybe learn a little about yourself in the process.

Grool. 

Response to Kirsten's Blog Post

I thought this video was so cute! I've seen videos that these guys have made before and I think it's such a clever idea. I failed the challenge, mostly because the videos were funny, but also because the reactions the people had made me laugh. I disagree with Kirsten that this video in itself isn't funny, as i think watching other people and feeling that sense of community makes things funnier. People have a nature to want to feel justified and know that what they are laughing at is funny to someone else fulfills that, and I think that is why this type of entertainment works. There is also definitely an inherent nature for us to laugh when we know we can't as Kirsten points out in her post.

I thought the different reactions to the baby and the mail slot clip were worth pointing out. Lloyd's reaction of saying "stupid kid" contrasted Jeordy's reaction of laughing as the baby fell. I was with Jeordy during this clip, and I giggled. Even the other older lady said she almost lost it on that one. It's important to look at how different people react to certain things. Is Lloyd just trying to keep himself from laughing, or is he cynical about this kid looking for his father for some reason?

I really enjoyed this clip and the subsequent one!