After doing the last blog entry I did some research and found an interesting article that some people may find beneficial. It talks about the benefits of eating dessert before dinner in order to maintain healthy teeth.
Here it is go take a look!
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,873629,00.html
Let me know what you think!
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Breaking A Social Norm
This assignment was very intriguing to me. I have always been a person to try and break or bend cultural stereotypes and norms. But one of the examples hit home to me on a personal level. The activity I chose to do was "eat dessert before dinner." Now I understand this is not a very extreme experiment, but this choice was sure to give me feedback from my friends.
I called some friends to go out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. After looking at the menu and analyzing each food choice the waitress approached the table and proceeded to ask me, "What would you like to eat?." I analyzed the menu one last time and flipped it over to the dessert section and said, "Ill take some of the chocolate cake please, and eight boneless wings. But could you please bring me the cake first?" She (the waitress) looked confused but nodded her head in agreement and continued to take everyone else's orders. After gathering the menus from our table she looked at me and asked, "Are you sure you do not want your entree first sir?" I shook my head and said, "No thank you."
After dinner was over I asked my friends and the waitress what they thought about me breaking the social norm of having to eat your entree before considering order or eating dessert and these were the reactions:
"I thought it was quite odd and assumed you have already eaten a meal until you asked for wings too. But its not my job to tell a customer how to order or what to eat so I had to comply even with confusion."- BWW waitress
"I thought it was supposed to be a sarcastic joke of some sorts, but when you did it I just laughed."- Joe (friend)
"I was positive that you just ate something before and only wanted dessert first, but I was just confused and thought you were weird for ordering backwards. It just didn't seem normal." - Corey (friend)
So just as I suspected I had mixed reactions but the statement that stood out to me was from my friend Corey stating, "It just didn't seem normal." This goes to show how an average person perceives nonmaterial culture. For those who are confused, nonmaterial culture refers to all nonphysical products of society that are created over time and shared: knowledge, beliefs, customs, values, morals, symbols, and so on (Newman 100). As you can see breaking a "normal" custom such as eating your main course before dessert brings mixed reactions from bystanders.
I enjoyed this assignment and it made me realize how stuck in our ways we really are as a society. Doing something differently ultimately creates some change in society or it is ridiculed until the idea is wiped away. I like to think of breaking social norms is a way of expressing yourself and being able to fight for your personal beliefs, but don't be surprised if people do not accept your idea.
Referring to my opening paragraph I said this hit home to me, but you may ask why? Well after more than forty years of running our family business, we lost someone close. He was our accountant for the longest time and was a great friend to my father, Bill Van Wychen. But what is the correlation? Whenever my dad would go to lunch with Bill, my dad said he would do something strange... He would ALWAYS order dessert before his meal. But what his reasoning? He said, "You never know when it could be your last day so you might as well enjoy the good things in life while you are still here." And Bill did just that. He did that for every meal until he ultimately passed away from cancer. Rest in peace Bill, you are missed.
I called some friends to go out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. After looking at the menu and analyzing each food choice the waitress approached the table and proceeded to ask me, "What would you like to eat?." I analyzed the menu one last time and flipped it over to the dessert section and said, "Ill take some of the chocolate cake please, and eight boneless wings. But could you please bring me the cake first?" She (the waitress) looked confused but nodded her head in agreement and continued to take everyone else's orders. After gathering the menus from our table she looked at me and asked, "Are you sure you do not want your entree first sir?" I shook my head and said, "No thank you."
After dinner was over I asked my friends and the waitress what they thought about me breaking the social norm of having to eat your entree before considering order or eating dessert and these were the reactions:
"I thought it was quite odd and assumed you have already eaten a meal until you asked for wings too. But its not my job to tell a customer how to order or what to eat so I had to comply even with confusion."- BWW waitress
"I thought it was supposed to be a sarcastic joke of some sorts, but when you did it I just laughed."- Joe (friend)
"I was positive that you just ate something before and only wanted dessert first, but I was just confused and thought you were weird for ordering backwards. It just didn't seem normal." - Corey (friend)
So just as I suspected I had mixed reactions but the statement that stood out to me was from my friend Corey stating, "It just didn't seem normal." This goes to show how an average person perceives nonmaterial culture. For those who are confused, nonmaterial culture refers to all nonphysical products of society that are created over time and shared: knowledge, beliefs, customs, values, morals, symbols, and so on (Newman 100). As you can see breaking a "normal" custom such as eating your main course before dessert brings mixed reactions from bystanders.
I enjoyed this assignment and it made me realize how stuck in our ways we really are as a society. Doing something differently ultimately creates some change in society or it is ridiculed until the idea is wiped away. I like to think of breaking social norms is a way of expressing yourself and being able to fight for your personal beliefs, but don't be surprised if people do not accept your idea.
Referring to my opening paragraph I said this hit home to me, but you may ask why? Well after more than forty years of running our family business, we lost someone close. He was our accountant for the longest time and was a great friend to my father, Bill Van Wychen. But what is the correlation? Whenever my dad would go to lunch with Bill, my dad said he would do something strange... He would ALWAYS order dessert before his meal. But what his reasoning? He said, "You never know when it could be your last day so you might as well enjoy the good things in life while you are still here." And Bill did just that. He did that for every meal until he ultimately passed away from cancer. Rest in peace Bill, you are missed.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Personal Billboards
To me a personal billboard could mean two things. One ideal that comes to mind is that a personal billboard really exemplifies who that person is. As stated in the reading, "Personal billboards are often used as a means of communicating group pride and identity. They reinforce the reality and vitality of the groups they represent. "(Newman 75). Like in my license plate I made, it has its own personal and sometimes sentimental value. My license plate is an exact replica of what my father's license plate is but his is ABC RJK. The meaning behind the "ABC" exemplifies the business my dad owns, ABC Rentals. He is proud of what he has done and where the company has developed from. So, when he drives to meet with customers or just driving for leisure, there is a constant reminder on his vehicle that because of his company he is able to provide for his family and show a sense of personal pride. The "RJK" on his license plate is just a testament to solidify himself. The are his initials, but the family name has a high status in his business realm. Moral of the story is he is proud of who he is and where he is going in life and chooses to portray that through his license plate. Who knew such a small thing in your life could say so much about you.
In addition to the text, "In fact, personal billboards are the some of the most powerful "voices" for underprivileged groups."(Newman 73), I fully agree with this statement. But sometimes voicing their opinion it is not always smart to portray your beliefs.
Here is an article about a man in Jamaica who was supporting his political beliefs by putting up posters around town and was killed while doing so.
http://go-jamaica.com/news/read_article.php?id=33975
On the other hand, I believe that billboards could be a way to express what you want to be seen as and its not really who you are. If its a license plate or a billboard then you can mostly understand what someone is trying to portray. But I feel that many people live a different life under the personal billboards they want people to see. Maybe its motivation to be something or achieve a goal, or maybe it's just a person filling a confidence void they have within them. Like the text said, it is a way for people to emulate a group and voice personal opinion.
You may be wondering why I put the blank billboard. Well this is significant to me because it is how I perceive society. What I see from a billboard or person doesn't usually match up with who they truly are. Like the only saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover". I wipe my mental slate clean with everyone I meet and this gives me the best opportunity to look past the stereotypes and interact with the true person underneath it all.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Twelve Years Young
Its hard to think almost ten years ago I was just twelve years old. What was happening to me at the time? Where was I in my life? More importantly what was happening in society and has it influenced me today?
It was 2004 and I was just twelve years young. I was more interested in sports and video games than who was winning the presidential elections. The only thing I was able to vote for was who I wanted on my student council. My football team had just gone undefeated in our glorious seventh grade year and I was starting my first year of varsity alpine skiing. I was skeptical about the new sport but I wanted to experience the good ol' crispy winter air firsthand. Six years later, skiing was ultimately my best high school sport and now will be a passion for the remainder of my life. Football has to be a gift sent from god. I wasn't sure if I was going to continue my football career but I ended up sticking too it. Seven years later I find myself finished with another football season, at a whole new school and on a college team. So could you say the minor decisions to continue two of my favorite sports at the age twelve influenced today? Without a doubt. I ultimately chose a school where I could play sports and further my education as well.
Who knew that a couple of minor decisions such as those would ultimately tell me where I am going to school and how I share a forever burning love for two passions of mine that I will have for life. But what else was going on around me that was influential? I'll break down into a few different views: politics, culture, and sports.
Politics
George Bush was reelected for his second term as the president of the United States of America only beating John Kerry by 2% in popular vote polls and a small electoral vote spread of 35 votes. The Republicans stole the show but not without much controversy. Concerns were raised about various aspects of the voting process, including whether voting had been made accessible to all those entitled to vote, whether ineligible voters were registered, whether voters were registered multiple times, and whether the votes cast had been correctly counted. Nevertheless Mr. Bush was back for round two.
Ultimately some George's policies had an affect on our personal business and the financial status of my household. Whether he is to blame for part of the current economic situation is arguable but the current situation has made it hard to pay for college and hard on my family monetarily. Weird to think of the political decisions made by eligible voters in 2004 made an impact on my personal when I couldn't even vote.
Culture
Music artists such as Usher, Lil' Jon, Maroon 5, Beyonce, and Kelis all had songs in the top ten pop songs. But why do I narrow it down to pop songs? As much as I hate to admit it, this was my favorite music at the time. No regrets though because the pound of the bass and treble from these songs only furthered my curiosity in multiple music genres. The love of music started at about age twelve and I credit it to helping me through the good and bad times since 2004. Looking at where these artists are today reflects which ones' I should look to as role models. If they are successful and have some moral message or inspiration in their music then I would say they most definitely influenced my music personality today, considering these are the types of artists I prefer.
But in hindsight were the songs and music videos a good influence? Check out this video of one of my favorite songs of the type Yeah! by Usher.
Usher- Yeah!
These were my first images of being a pop celebrity and what their lifestyle entailed. It may have been a negative influence on the portrayal of young women. Luckily, I had amazing parents who made sure I would end up as a gentlemen and not like some of the artists I idolized.
Last but not least, my personal favorite section:
Sports
Football-NFL
-Tom Brady led his New England Patriots to yet another super bowl win over the Carolina Panthers 32-29
-Peyton Manning threw his 49th touchdown pass to pass Dan Marino as the all-time leader in passing touchdown
Basketball-NBA
-The Detroit Pistons win their third ever NBA championship over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers winning the series 4-1
It was 2004 and I was just twelve years young. I was more interested in sports and video games than who was winning the presidential elections. The only thing I was able to vote for was who I wanted on my student council. My football team had just gone undefeated in our glorious seventh grade year and I was starting my first year of varsity alpine skiing. I was skeptical about the new sport but I wanted to experience the good ol' crispy winter air firsthand. Six years later, skiing was ultimately my best high school sport and now will be a passion for the remainder of my life. Football has to be a gift sent from god. I wasn't sure if I was going to continue my football career but I ended up sticking too it. Seven years later I find myself finished with another football season, at a whole new school and on a college team. So could you say the minor decisions to continue two of my favorite sports at the age twelve influenced today? Without a doubt. I ultimately chose a school where I could play sports and further my education as well.
Who knew that a couple of minor decisions such as those would ultimately tell me where I am going to school and how I share a forever burning love for two passions of mine that I will have for life. But what else was going on around me that was influential? I'll break down into a few different views: politics, culture, and sports.
Politics
George Bush was reelected for his second term as the president of the United States of America only beating John Kerry by 2% in popular vote polls and a small electoral vote spread of 35 votes. The Republicans stole the show but not without much controversy. Concerns were raised about various aspects of the voting process, including whether voting had been made accessible to all those entitled to vote, whether ineligible voters were registered, whether voters were registered multiple times, and whether the votes cast had been correctly counted. Nevertheless Mr. Bush was back for round two.
Ultimately some George's policies had an affect on our personal business and the financial status of my household. Whether he is to blame for part of the current economic situation is arguable but the current situation has made it hard to pay for college and hard on my family monetarily. Weird to think of the political decisions made by eligible voters in 2004 made an impact on my personal when I couldn't even vote.Culture
Music artists such as Usher, Lil' Jon, Maroon 5, Beyonce, and Kelis all had songs in the top ten pop songs. But why do I narrow it down to pop songs? As much as I hate to admit it, this was my favorite music at the time. No regrets though because the pound of the bass and treble from these songs only furthered my curiosity in multiple music genres. The love of music started at about age twelve and I credit it to helping me through the good and bad times since 2004. Looking at where these artists are today reflects which ones' I should look to as role models. If they are successful and have some moral message or inspiration in their music then I would say they most definitely influenced my music personality today, considering these are the types of artists I prefer.
But in hindsight were the songs and music videos a good influence? Check out this video of one of my favorite songs of the type Yeah! by Usher.
Usher- Yeah!
These were my first images of being a pop celebrity and what their lifestyle entailed. It may have been a negative influence on the portrayal of young women. Luckily, I had amazing parents who made sure I would end up as a gentlemen and not like some of the artists I idolized.
Last but not least, my personal favorite section:
Sports
Football-NFL
-Tom Brady led his New England Patriots to yet another super bowl win over the Carolina Panthers 32-29
-Peyton Manning threw his 49th touchdown pass to pass Dan Marino as the all-time leader in passing touchdown
Basketball-NBA
-The Detroit Pistons win their third ever NBA championship over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers winning the series 4-1
Olympics-International
-Michael Phelps wins 6 gold medals and 2 bronze medals to help the USA win the most medals for swimming
-202 nations competed in the games; the most nations ever at the olympic games
But how do any of these sports facts influence me? The determination and drive of Michael Phelps helped light a fire within me to become a better and more focused athlete, eventually placing me where I am today. Seeing great quarterbacks like Tom Bray and Peyton Manning play inspired me to become a leader not only in sports but in life. They portrayed an image that it was ok to be yourself and take your own direction. I idolized the individuality of men like them and it built my person image. One final thought was the 202 nations that competed together at the olympic games. It made me realize that there were so many other people and influences across the world. It inspired my love for travel and experiencing new cultures. The presence of 202 nations coming together for one common cause was utterly amazing to the young twelve your mind I possessed.
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