Clinton Deploys Vowels to Bosnia (4th response)

            The story about deploying vowels to Bosnia included in 50 Funniest American Writers was the most amusing, in my opinion. Not only is the notion of dropping letters from the sky into a country amusing, but the tone of voice in this portrayal by Borowitz was so serious. He made it seem like this was a completely logical occurence, as well as one that was desperately needed! As stated, the U.S. plan[ned] to deploy more than 75,000 vowels to the war-torn region of Bosnia," which will make the spelling of words in that region much easier. (pg 335) Who can say names like Ygrjvslhv or Grznc!? (Note: I'm currently in a phonetics class, and the pairing of these phonemes together is quite amusing, as it can't occur in the English language) Part of the reason why we might laugh is from the complete absurdity of the situation. This concept is touched on in the wonderful novel, Comic Relief when Morreal explains the Incongruity Theory. (catch the sarcasm...?) Another reason may be that we associate things falling from planes with bombs, or other war-like things. One thing is for sure, the first thing that pops into our heads is DEFINITELY not letters when we think about falling objects from the sky. One thing that struck me as particularly amusing was when we read the "testimony" from recipients in the cities of Grznc and Sjlbvdnzv. They were very grateful for the "gift" of vowels from the United States because as Trszg Grzdnjlkn said, "I have six children and none of them has a name that is understandable to me or anyone else." This effort led by the US (and other nations like Britian or Canada) possibly has a deeper meaning. As I learned in my Speech and Hearing class, "vowels are crucial to the construction of all language" because it would be difficult to organize a coherent sentence. Thanks to America, the Bosnians will be able to say "The potatoes are ready" or "I believe it will rain" which will make communication, that much beter. :)

Ephron's Short Story pgs 201-213 (3rd response)

        Although the detailed writing of Ephrom's short story was a little awkward at parts (especially for the guys in the class, I can imagine), it did bring back some not-so-fond memories! I remember in Junior high feeling the exact same way, although not about the part that the way you sit or thread a needle could possibly switch your gender. This story made me wince in sympathy for the narrator, as I established a connection. Her honesty made this more fun to read. One of the parts that I most enjoyed was when she was talking about cramps and how she couldn't go swimming during that "time." I've seen so many young, teenage girls just sitting by the pool, dangling their feet in the water, and some of them have even proudly whispered to me that they "started." I found it interesting that Ephron's mother didn't wear a bra until after her fourth child. This makes me want to research if bras weren't as important back in the day or if her mom was just a rebel, of sorts. I also found the suggestions that people told our narrator to do to help her situation quite intriging (I'd never heard the last one before).
       Her humor was portrayed in such a manner-of-fact way, that reading this story made me laugh many times! Two possible reasons are that 1) I have thought many of the same things she wrote about or 2) I know someone who has thought those same things. (I also know some girls who have the opposite "problem.") Although I felt sorry that Ephron thinks she "brings out the competitiveness" in other women-because they comment on her bust size-I don't think it is as big a deal today. I certainly haven't heard anyone go up to a girl at a party and talk about that! I really liked the last sentence, even though I don't approve of cussing, because it was so honest. I can picture her putting herself in the other girls' shoes and thinking, "...really!?" I'm interested in hearing what the guys in our class think about this short story!

3rd meeting with Sina :)

       So tonight, Sina and I met for the third time. She actually texted me this morning seeing if I wanted to get together! :) We stopped to pet the bunnies in the Commons (and take a picture with the human "bunny") on our way to the BLUU. Then we stopped by the smoothie line-yum-and proceeded to get our dinner. As we sat down, she told me all about her trip to New York that she embarks on tomorrow. I told her to take lots of pictures! After that, I told her all about Big/Little week which started today for my sorority (and pointed out my little who I saw in the BLUU) and she seemed really excited for me, after she understood what it meant. She said they don't do stuff like that in Germany...
       After that, I asked her to answer the question "What makes you laugh?" She was a little confused at first and so I rephrased it a couple of times, but here's what she came up with:
1) If people do something stupid
       ~I asked, "like people falling down?" and she laughed and said yes
2) Flashbacks
       ~Like when she happens to remember something funny that occured earlier but something in the present reminded her of it
3) When people in her class are confused (I get the feeling she's at the top of her class...) and they ask a silly question
       ~She had a hard time describing this to me
4) "What do you call it here? Funny Videos at Home? When people fall while skiing?"
       ~I figured out that she was talking about Youtube clips of America's Funniest Home Videos
5) She doesn't laugh at jokes but can laugh at herself
       ~GREAT quality

The rest of our conversation was spent talking about TV shows. My favorite TV show, NCIS, premiered tonight and I was SO EXCITED! (except I couldn't watch it, because I had a HIS meeting. :(...) But, it came on at 7:00, when we still happened to be eating in the BLUU. Apparently I gasped and sort of jumped up in my seat because Sina looked up, startled and asked if I was ok. I told her about how it was my favorite show and I was really looking forward to this episode because the cliffhanger of last season was all of the characters and their situations after a bomb just blew up in their office complex! It also showed poor Ducky having a heart attack on a beach...I still don't know if he's alive! haha But Sina said they have NCIS (and The Big Bang Theory) in Germany with the same actors and actresses but different voices (because it's in German). As we were walking to put away our dishes, I said, "Sorry, I just really love NCIS" and she said, "I can feel that!" hahaha
Hope I didn't scare her too much...
When we walked out, I proceeded to ask her about her favorite movies, but she said she doesn't see a lot of movies because she doesn't have time. However, she did tell me that she likes Fast and Furious.
Can't wait to see her next time and hear all about New York!

Response to Thompson's Story (2nd response)

Hunter S. Thompson   The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved

This story, as Dr. Williams said, was a little raw, but I found it somewhat enjoyable. It was a little gross and not at all in keeping with my viwes of proper etiquete. However, the very crude narrator kept us engaged and for that, I applaud him. The story starts off with the narrator conversing with a man from Houston called "Jimbo." He went on to say that he was a photographer for Playboy, which made Jimbo laugh. "What are you gonna take pictures of-nekkid horse? Haw! I guess you'll be workin' pretty hard when they run the Kentucky Oaks. That's a race just for fillies..." Jimbo thought he was hot stuf while mocking our narrator. At this, the narrator decided to play dirty. He lies and scares Jimbo by talking about a riot caused by the Black Panthers at the track (on Derby Day). After that, the narrator tries to get a rented car (to no avail) because he planned to pick up a guy named Ralph Steadman (the English illustrator from London) from the airport. That didn't work out and by noon on Friday, the narrator (worried that Steadman won't be able to adjust to the culture shock in Kentucky) is still trying to locate Steadman. Once they find each other, their next task is to obtain two sets of press pickets (which they somehow do). Something that I found really funny was that Steadman had a problem of sketching people he met in the various social situations he was dragged into and giving it to them! That causes problems at the end of this story between one of the narrator's old friends and his wife. The friend had decided that Steadman was after his wife and "the emotional effects were massive." To our narrator's horror, Steadman sketched a picture of her! As the narrator says, "from that point on-we lost all control of events and spent the rest of the weekend churning around in a sea of drunken horrors." pg 166 They stumbled around in a drunken stupor.  After the Derby and the narrator's long sleep, he is shocked at his reflection in the mirror. All during this trip, the two men wanted to find a face that resembled the terrible things that happen on Derby Day (i.e. people vomoiting on themselves, etc) and by the end of this trip, they were the models! All in all, I found this story amusing, in a sad sort of way because I sort of think that's how horse racing would be.

Second meeting with Sina!

                 So tonight, Sina and I met at the BLUU for dinner. I was pleasantly surprised and really glad that when she walked in and saw me, she acted like I was an old friend! We saw our 1 mutual friend (whom I found out we both knew through creeping on facebook...no shame) while in the salad line, which was exciting. We sat down and just started talking about her weekend! She turned 20 on Sunday and told me about how her family from Germany called and how her aunt who she stays with in Arlington (she commutes every day) threw a party for her! *I included a picture of the cake
Next, we talked about her sister, Annika (who's name is SO cool, I think) and how she's the only one in her family, other than her aunt, to go to college. She's VERY easy to talk to and so very interesting. I found out that she's going to New York next Wednesday-Friday with her aunt (and told her to take pictures!) I then asked her if she was going to see any Broadway shows and she gave me an inquisitive look. One thing I have to work on is not treating her like she's a little kid...I've noticed that I tend to say things like, "Do you know what a band is?" or "have you ever heard of ___" just because she's from a different country... When I explained what a musical was, basically a play with a bunch of music and songs throughout (terrible definition, I know), I then asked her what her favorite musical was, She replied with some German-named ones that I had never heard of, but kept naming some until I did. The winner? Mama Mia (gotta love ABBA) I also found out that she hasn't read any of the Harry Potter books (gasps) but has seen the movies. I guess I can forgive her. The FUNNIEST thing happened when I asked her about her pets at home. She and her family own horses and I asked her to show me pictures of them next time. She replied, saying that she didn't have any, so I jokingly said, "You could just pull off images from the Internet, I wouldn't know!" and she said, "but that would be lying, yes!?" hahaha I had to try my best to not burst out laughing, but I refrained and said, "That's true, you'll just have to take some when you go home over Christmas break. :)
          She's in Hyperfrogs here at TCU and by this time, it was only 7:30 and her meeting was at 8:00. I offered for her to come see my room and she accepted...I got to introduce her to my roommate, Morgan! She loved our view (we have the BEST view in King) and talked about how apartments here are different. Our common area in kind of a mess right now because my roommates and I are in the middle of crafting for Big/Little week next week (HIS), so Morgan and I explained the process to her. She found it fascinating and said she can't wait to come back!
All in all, I'm having a wonderful time so far chatting with Sina. :)


         

Three most important ideas from Comic Relief

1) Humor follows a basic pattern: 1) We experience a cognitive shift (tends to be toward what is less desirable like failure, mistakes, ignorance, and vices; typically about problems; involves a set-up and a punch line; a common technique is aimed at making the audience suddenly change their interpretation of a word, phrase, or story; usually fit into “descending incongruity,” 2) are in a play mode (disengaged from conceptual/practical concerns, cognitive shifts are potentially disturbing, we can treat situations that are fictitious playfully (ex: make-believe), distance or one’s lack of role/passage of time may also help; there are times we experience amusement and negative emotions, 3)  respond to that shift by enjoying it (the pleasure in humor is social (ex: sitcoms like The Big Bang Theory), exhilarating (joking-“play of thought or tone,” amusement (involves mental gymnastics), and liberating (comic mode-->people do normally forbidden things), we can poke fun at the whole serious approach to life; in the humorous frame of mind, we can challenge any standard belief, value, or convention and challenge reason by giving free reign to imagination, and 4) we laugh (amusement-“the state of being caused to laugh or smile with pleasure,” someone’s failure to share amusement is often a matter of concern; the pleasure in humor has a natural disposition to issue in laughter).

 

2) Humor actually increases health: People who step back from problems to laugh experience less stress and/or are more resilient. Studies show that "humor serves as a buffer against stress." (pg 68) As we now know, stress is a combination of fear and anger and our bodies react as if we were physically threatened. Stress is a major contributor to heart disease, cancer, and other leading causes of death (it suppresses the immune system, leading to possible damage). Humor occurs “if there is a situation in which, according to our usual habits, we should be tempted to release a distressing affect…" Thankfully, laughter “reduces heart rate, blood pressure, muscle tension, and stress chemicals in the blood” and is able to enhance the immune system! Since I’m into psychology, I found it interesting that hearty laughter involves several areas of the brain, nervous system, and muscle groups! The ability to laugh at oneself is essential to the development of moral perspective and can contribute to self-knowledge, integrity, and mental health. Humor can promote courage by reducing fear.

 

3) Amusement isn’t an emotion: it's more of a state of mind; amusement is being struck by the mismatch between a concept and a perception of the same thing, and enjoying the mental jolt that it gives us. Emotions typically have four components: 1) beliefs and desires cause 2) physiological changes, which together motivate 3) adaptive actions...the person’s 4) sensations of those physiological changes are the "feelings" in emotions (page 28). Those who think that amusement is an emotion defend themselves by saying that it results in physiological changes and sensations of those changes.  Emotions engage us and make us more alert, whereas laughter disengages us and leaves us unable to act. My final point is that “emotions involve cognitive and practical engagement with what is going on around us....amusement, by contrast, involves cognitive and practical disengagement from what is going on around us” (pg 32).

 

These were the three areas in Comic Relief that I found most interesting.

 

·         The Superiority Theory, Incongruity Theory, and Relief Theory are also important, but I didn't get much out of them...

First experience with my conversation partner!

                Today, November 13^th, I met my conversation partner! Her name is Sina and she’s from Germany, near Hamburg (i.e. the Northern part). She is super sweet and already adapted to the Texas way of life, as she was wearing cowboy boots! However, we had a little bit of a communication breakdown. One of the things we talked about was what she was going to do this weekend. She plans to watch a movie with some friends and I jokingly said, “You should take a vote” to pick which one they wanted to watch. She looked at me inquisitively and I tried to explain further by saying, “where you guys raise your hand to decide on something.” Sina was very polite and always asked, “Sorry?” when she needed clarification. Obviously, this is very different from Americans who say, “huh?” or “what’d you say!? when they don’t understand.” She told me all about the program she’s in here at TCU, called IP, and how she has class 10 hours a day! (although she said it was from 9:00-5:00, so I must have misunderstood her…)  She’s living with her aunt in Arlington (who actually graduated from TCU in 1999) and drives here every day! She has a 24 year old sister named Annika who works in Germany as a hotel receptionist. I asked her what she wants to do after she graduates from this program and she actually wants to work in Texas! She said something about education but I didn’t quite catch it… She and her aunt are the only studious ones in the family, so I’m guessing her sister didn’t go to college.

                Sina is very into horseback riding and sports. She goes to the gym a lot and is on a polo team in Arlington near her aunt’s house! She described it as a sport where “we ride on little horses and have a stick where we hit a soccer ball.” She’s also in Hyperfrogs! I learned that they don’t have football or baseball in Germany.  Her English is very good. She told me that in IP, they have levels where 5 is the best and everyone is taught by 3 or 4 professors. For reading/writing, she’s in Level 4 and for speaking/comprehension, she’s Level 3 (or something like that!) She has a lot of friends in the program from China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and one guy from Africa. Sina is very good at texting, just a few little English mistakes here and there, but overall, I had a very enjoyable time getting to meet her! We’re now Facebook friends, which must mean a friendship has officially blossomed… J

Comic Relief, pages 91-145 (1st response)

            Despite the length, I actually was relieved by the comic of pages 91-145 (unlike previous chapters)! The material covered intellectual and moral virtues promoted by humor in Chapter 6 (ex: open-mindedness, honesty with oneself, and graciousness) and compared humor to philosophy in promoting a curious, imaginative, and critical attitude. (Chapter 7) The author presented some interesting ideas, like the Eight Traditional Moral Objections to laughter (humor is insincere, idle, irresponsible, hedonistic, diminishes self-control, hostile, fosters anarchy, is foolish). However, the wordiness used to elaborate on these ideas made getting through this section quite difficult.

            Some of my favorite things to learn were that “laughter not only reduces anxiety, but also reduces pain/boosts the activity of the immune system!” Humor also can be a psychologically healthy way to respond to setbacks. Not all humorous situations call for concern or action…people engage in humor to keep emotionally cool and in command of their skills. We also learned about the harmful effects of humor-1) irresponsibility, 2) blocking compassion, and 3) promoting prejudice (by doing that, we categorize all members of a group).

            In Chapter 6, Aristotle categorized 2 kinds of virtue: intellectual or moral. We learned that amusement allows us to transcend narrowly focused, emotional responses to situations and also about the benefits of being able to laugh at yourself. Learning about humor during the Holocaust was also interesting, as were the similarities between stand-up comedy and humor. Unfortunately, I didn’t find anything else interesting until the end of Chapter 8 when it discussed Zen and quotes “we get by with a little help from our friends.” Beatles song, anyone!? J All through that section on page 144, I was thinking about the show, Modern Family. The author talks about how comedies often feature simultaneous interlinked plots to emphasize human interdependence and that’s exactly what that show does! All in all, the last three chapters kept my attention much better than did previous readings (even though it was really long).