Respect

One myth that is very well known and wide spread in Indian culture is the idea that it is bad luck to step over another person. For example, if there is a student sitting in the hallway, and you step over his legs in order to get by, you would be bringing bad luck on him by doing so. It's is also considered bad to touch things with your feet, step on books, put books on the ground, or toss money around. I believe that all these myths stem from the idea that all these acts are disrespectful, and therefore, in a sense, evil. While it might seem ridiculous to many other cultures, such as American culture, it is almost law in Indian culture. This is especially true in regards to books and money, both of which symbolize knowledge and wealth, so disrespecting them is equivalent to disrespecting God. Although in some sense I do feel that these myths are ridiculous, I still respect and follow them, because that is how I was raised. Even if these are just silly superstitions, they are doing no harm, and in fact teach the people to show respect.

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a myth of our country that propagates is in my opinion it is too materialistic. we as americans are very caught up with our materials and much to often forget about the intangable things. this myth exsisted way before i was born but i feel it has propagted through the decades and is now at an unreasonable level. the american culture is one that is rich with materialism. vedio games, music, ipods, and many other things that have completely warped the minds of our youth. there are stories taht i hear from older geneteration people from diffrent contries that make me reflect on what our contry has become and what it will futhur develop into. my mather and mother grew in in soviet russia and often remind me of how they had nothing more than their neighbors and everyone was equal. no one had an ipod better than the next, no one had the newest vedio game. people valued their families and the things that they worked for. today kids do not care to sit down with their mothers and fathers to eat family dinner, they are too busy playing vedio games and caught up in their mateiralistc fantaices. hopefully family values will be restored to our country and people will realize that materials will never replace real people

The Conforming Non-Conformists

At Drexel, I have noticed four groups of people: jocks, foreigners, what I call the unique and different kids, and Greeks. The most easily stereotyped out of these is surprisingly to me the “unique and different kids”. They pride themselves on dressing different and wearing those nifty 80s sunglasses and bandanas in interesting ways. As usual, though, in their non-conformity they conform with each other. For example, I saw this kid on a fixed-gear bicycle with a pair of self-cut jorts (jean shorts). Jorts are a weird choice, so it fit the mold of U&D, but what made the whole thing is that his friend who met him was wearing a similar pair of self-cut jorts.

Eat Cornbread - Get "Thicker"

It's actually funny. As an African American, there are a lot of foods that are staples at my family gatherings, without them, the meal isn't complete: collard/mustard greens, beef/pork ribs (depending on who is attending because there are some Muslims in my family), chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, potato salad, and cornbread amongst other various things. My grandmother grew up in Georgia for the majority of her childhood and then her family moved to New York when she was about 12, so she still holds onto many of her southern beliefs. One southern African American belief is that females who eat a lot of cornbread, being that it is a daily dinner staple, gain a lot of weight but only in the hips, thighs, chest, and butt. It's called being thick, but if a female has this body type, they are not considered obese, just 'thick in all the right places'. It's hard to describe the body type image wise, because the stomach is still slim, it's something that you would have to see in person, but its believed that it comes specific body type comes from eating the starchy, moist, buttery food. Whenever she sees one of my cousins or I reaching for seconds or third helpings of cornbread, she always says, 'now, you know what eating all that cornbread gets you, now go ahead and eat up'. I always laugh, but my grandmother is serious, but when the thought runs across my mind I always think twice about taking that second piece of cornbread from the warm pan.

Italians: Old World vs. New World

One myth from my culture is that every single Italian family is huge. While it is true that my family is one-hundred-percent Italian, there are not that many of us. My maternal grandparents only had two children, my mother and my uncle. My uncle is not married and doesn’t have any kids, and my mom is married with three kids. My paternal grandparents had four kids, but those four kids only had five children, counting my brother and I. That’s four grandparents, who had six children, who in turn had six kids. I don’t think there are any more children coming any time soon. So although there is a myth that all Italians have huge families, it is not necessarily the case. Even other Italians think this. I believe that this myth is self-propagated due to the very old-world view that you should have as many kids as you can because of the hard times. There was a belief that the more kids you had, the higher the chance that at least one will survive, and also that more kids meant more people who could work to support the family financially. I believe that this myth was truer in the past, but that it is becoming less and less true due to modern times and ways of thinking.

American Culture

Rich. Skinny. Famous.- the celebrity lifestyle. The media coverage today of the movie stars, the wealthy, the athletes, all give off a certain standard of living that many can around the world stereotype America as. The number one major myth in this country is that in order to look good, you have to be skinny. The major source of this myth is are celebrities. There are literally handfuls of woman who are thinner then thin. It has reached unhealthy levels and sends the wrong message at to younger girls who idolize these celebrities. 

It is not that this lifestyle has a purpose, it has merely been brought about from the pressure of the lifestyle that celebrities live under the pressure of the media.

Big Nose

There are many myths about Jewish people, and since I am Jewish I've heard most of them. In my opinion, one of the biggest myths about Jewish people is the size of their nose. I here on a daily basis someone saying "Jewish people have big noses," or "He/she is definitely Jewish, look at that nose." Not all Jewish people have big noses, actually quite a lot of them don't. I know people in other cultures whose noses are much bigger. Also another myth about Jewish people, is the amount of money they have. It is thought that since your Jewish, you have money, and lots of it, therefore you are able to spend a lot and afford nicer things. This is a misconception. I know a lot of families who are Jewish and do not have tons of money. They are of average wealth and part of the Middle Class.

Follow the Rainbow

As an Irish-American, my family is very much involved in the Irish culture. I have family members who live in Ireland and my mom's side of the family is 100 percent Irish. One myth that the Irish hold is the leprechaun and his pot of gold. According to the myth, after a rain shower a rainbow may possibly appear. If a person can successfully follow the rainbow from one side to other, they will find a pot of gold waiting there. However, if they are not quick enough, then the leprechaun will take his pot of gold back. Offcourse, we know that leprchauns are not real, but rather mythical. The myth is known throughout the world but all races of people. Everyone knows about the "Luck of ye Irish" and their little "Leprechauns" dressed in green. The myth has grown so large that even a cereal, Lucky Charms, has been made based on the myth.

The Deaf Culture

Since I have been apart of the Deaf culture my whole entire life, there are many myths I have heard of. One of the most common ones I hear of are "deaf people are mute" i just remember one day i was telling a person that my parents were deaf and they replied "oh so thats a shame, they cant talk or anything" first of they can talk and read lips very well. their speech isn't perfect but you can make out what they are saying, since i have been around it my whole life i know everything they are saying, but i just dont like how people automatically assume that deaf people are mute.  I even had a person ask me, "so how do your parents drive?" i thought that was funny, because my parents aren't blind, they just cant hear. One time a person at a cashier asked my dad a question and he didnt know what she said so he pointed to his ears signing that he couldn't hear, she turns me and says, "what? is he from mars or something?" 

A few other myths are that deaf people are less educated/intelligent since they do not speak proper english which isn't true at all because there are many deaf people that attend gallaudet university, which is the harvard of deaf schools and many deaf people attend that school and come out successful. Second of all their primary language is sign language therefore of course they are fluent in their first language and since english is their 2nd language they feel more comfortable using their first language where that would be the case for most people. Deaf people are just like us, they are still able to function in this world, they just cant hear. 

Not Jewish

Although I am not the most Jewish person I know, nor am I that religious at all, I have observed a few myths associated with it. It is very important to marry another Jew. My best friend and her family truly believe that. She recently met a guy who is not Jewish and after dating for a few months, they claim to be in love. Now, this is not even close to leading to marriage, but in the beginning my friends parents were completely against the relationship. Why even date him if you're not going to get married? Recently, after 5 months of dating, my friend's parents and her boyfriend sat down for dinner together. She told me it went well and they are starting to accept him for the person he is and not the religion he follows. I babysit for a very religious couple and the wife is not Jewish. They have been very happy together and celebrate all the Jewish holidays and raise their kids such. I think it is important to look at people for who they are and not their beliefs. As long as they are good people and their beliefs are pure, that is all that should matter.

A million dollars doesn't equal happiness?

A common misconception that is seen all around us is that only money can lead to happiness. This is commonly seen among young people such as students. They believe that the only way for them to feel success and happiness is through getting a big job right of college. This misconception even goes beyond that. The myth turns more into money being the root of all evil, and not necessarily happiness.

I often hear people say, “If I could only win the lottery, I would have no worries.” Commonly, people who do win don’t know what to do with his or herself. They go from being the “average Joe”, to being a multimillionaire overnight. A change like this is dramatic. Often people can’t adjust to sudden change in lifestyles. I have seen television shows that show the transition of the lifestyles of these winners. Often many of them have trouble with their spouses or even gable away all of the money. Some of them even say that they wished they never even won. What seemed like a miracle to win just may have been they worst thing that ever happened to them.

Self-Mythologizing Post- Blog 7

There are a number of myths about the “fad” diets that have crept up into our society in the past few years. Many people perceive these diets to be a great way to lose weight and to start eating healthier. However, they are really not as healthy as people think and can actually be very harmful to your health. For example, the Atkin’s diet is one of the most popular diets in the U.S. right now. It encourages removing all carbohydrates from your diet in order to lose weight. My parents have both been on the diet and you do lose weight, there is no doubt about that. However, the lack of carbohydrates and other nutrients can actually have a very harmful effect on you. Carbs are the primary energy source in the body, especially for nerve cells. By taking in carbohydrates, you prevent the production of things called ketones which are used as an alternate energy source when you don’t have carbs. Excessive amounts of Ketones can result in high blood acidity which will damage body tissues. Also, the lack of fiber, fruits and vegetables in the diet leads to a greater risk of coronary heart disease and cancer. The real way to lose weight is really by making lifestyle changes and just eating healthier all around. By eliminating important food groups from your body, you are really hurting yourself, even if you are losing weight really fast. This is just one example of the myth that these popular diets our todays are really healthy. While they do lose weight, they aren’t necessarily very healthy for your body, especially long term. I think a lot of the myths about healthy diets can be partially true but you don’t have the whole story. The doctors who put out these diet books and lines of diet food products in the grocery stores are looking to make a profit because our society is becoming increasingly health-conscious today. They will try to feed people information about all of the benefits of these diets, without reminding people that there are some cons to these “miracle diets.”

The Importance of Math

Growing up in a Russian family, the importance of education has always been molded into my head. However, it wasn’t just education in general, but two specific subjects that my family, and culture, seems to think are the most important: reading and math. In school, I was expected to get straight A’s. If I got a B in Spanish or Social Studies, my parents would be disappointed, but it was not the end of the world. However, if I ever got anything less than an A in reading or math, my parents would be extremely upset. I first learned this when my mom tried teaching me how to solve equations in second grade, because she believed that using the “guess and check” method was not appropriate. Of course, being seven years old, equations just did not click for me. Then in 7th grade my mom hired a math tutor for me, not because I was doing poorly in math, but because she wanted me to exceed the classroom’s lessons. Unfortunately, all my mom’s efforts backfired when after having that same tutor for 6 years, until the SAT’s, I despised math. I ended up doing well in math on the SATs and in school, but I hated that subject. However, upon starting high school, after having a year of no math tutor, I did exceptionally well in Calculus. This just proved to me that all my parents’ efforts destroyed my desire to study math. Therefore, I think that their views on education are wrong because emphasizing one specific subject will most likely leave that person with a life long apathy towards it. Luckily, in my case my parents are now more concerned with my science performance, because I am a chemistry major, but I know that they are the most happiest with the knowledge that I have gotten A+’s in math all year.
I think the reason that Russian people emphasize mathematics so much is because math is considered the essence of knowledge and reason. Without education in Russia, it was almost impossible to maintain a normal level of living. Also, excellence in mathematics was correlated with intelligence. Taking that into consideration, and the fact that my entire family is amazing at math, explains why my parents want me to excel so much in this subject.

The Land of Opportunity

One thing that all of American people have heard at one point or another is that our country has been termed the land of opportunity. While this term was keyed long ago, and has possibly since lost it's meaning, it still holds to be a myth of our culture.

I look back on my grandparent's generation, where this myth definitely held true. That generation worked for every single thing they had and I could not be more proud to associate with people like that. But in a more modern sense, the youth of today, specifically, takes for granted everything that golden generation worked for. Big corporations are shipping out jobs to foreign countries for cheaper labor, and our economy has fallen into a recession. This land does not appear to have the pizazz it used to. Our political systems have put the people into a class system, whether it was intended or not.

Besides the point that our country doesn't appear to have all the said opportunity right now, the key term came about rightfully so. From the late 1800's to the early 1900's America was in the middle of the Industrial Revolution, where mass production of goods began and jobs were plentiful. At this time there was money and opportunity to be had because of the new technology, giving the impression that whatever your societal standing, you can make it big; and it was true.

Indian Superstition

In the Indian culture, mostly everything that is done or not done is due to a superstition. For example, walking over someone, even if they are lying on the ground is supposedly one of the worst sins u can commit. It ranks just under the butchering of a cow, murder, and infidelity. A superstition I would like to talk about is playing with money can end in the loss of your money.

Money is considered very valuable, not in a materialistic way, but also in a religious way. Being a polythesistic religion, there is a Goddess of money. It is said, playing or gambling with your money will result in loosing that money, and having a severe blow to your financial stability. I have yet to see it happen, but then again I dont gamble yet, and the only way I play with money is flipping a coin. I don't know if this is true, but my grandparents scold me whenever they may even think I am playing with money. I want to obey my grandparent's wishes, but at the same time, I guess you never learn until it happen you.

The Ever-So-Famous Cathlic School Girl Skirt

Catholic school girls have two very separate myths in our subculture. Two major sects of society, males from the age of 15-30 and secondly the rest of the population, receive two separate images of our culture. To majority of society, Catholic School girls represent wholeness. Raised with a sturdy background in our faith and strictness in our daily routine, catholic school girls have been brought up to fit a mold of excellence. Excelling a sports and academia we as a whole portray a lifestyle which allows anyone to think that females can compete, and dominate, over males in all aspects.
For males aged 15-30 there is a completely separate propagated value- our sex appeal. With oxford shirts, penny loafers, knee highs, and the ever-so-famous catholic school girl skirt, the women of catholic schooling use their confidence taught to them in the classroom to become sexual, sexy, and viable women of society. This image scares other females, while becoming a fantasy to most males. This end up being a great conversational piece when first meeting an individual, ultimately lading to him asking the question—“Well, Do you still have your uniform?”

Italian Tradition

My entire family is Italian and we definately live up to the traditional stereotypes of Italians. Our family is huge, so our get togethers are always packed and eventful. Everyone is loud and animated and always telling stories from the old days when they were growing up. And, of course, there is always ten times the amount of food that we actually need. There's always the pasta: the spaghetti, the rigatoni, the lasagna, the stuffed shells, and the gnocchi. We have multiple antipastos and amazing desserts. There are always mountains of pizzelles, biscottis, and cannolis. My uncle Joe actually buys out the Italian bakery near his house everytime we have any type of family function.

Being Italian, I've always grown up with strong role models in my family members, especially in my mom and my grandmother. The importance of family ties has always been emphasized and as I grow up seeing family and spending time together is more and more important. I think growing up with such a strong and present heritage has helped me figure out who I am, who I want to be, and has helped me be independent when I want and need to be.

Waiting

As a waiter in a large chain restaurant, I observed quite a few self-mythologizing myths that food servers believed in. For one, every waiter felt that he or she was the most busy and important person in the world; if a waiter needed help with something, he would find it difficult to find another waiter willing to help. This was very frustrating, because there were many instances when two or three waiters were needed to run a large table's food out. At the end of the night come clean-up time, they is no one to be found.

Another myth that was constructed by waiters is the false assumption that acting nice means being nice. Every waiter or waitress acts excessively polite in front of his or her tables, but the harsh reality is, most aren't nearly as nice as they seem. There are some very two-faced waiters that I have worked with, most of which are only in it for the money.

The last waiter-constructed myth that I noticed is the idea that the more tip one received, the more that client liked you. Yes, there is a slightly positive correlation between how much they like you and how much you get tipped, but it is very marginal. Most people come into a restaurant with a calculated way of tipping; you'll get tipped 18% most of the time by locals, but once in a while you get 35% from drunk coworkers and no tip at all from Southern people (sorry if I offend anyone, this is just my experience). The waiter's ability to increase his tip is much less

Self-Mythologizing

What am I, who am I? I am Irish, Polish, Dutch. I was born in New York City and moved to Tewksbury, NJ when I was one. But when it all boils down that information means nothing today. American society is mixed of some many different people and cultures. We must now "Self-Mythologizing". I am a thinker, my mind is overloaded with things that I learn all day. I am a smoker, a surfer, a social person, a cooker, a person who looks for a future, and many more things. I feel that from my many different parts of my life and the many different things and places i have done and been too, I consider myself a man to of little now but by the end a man that will know all. I want to go and experience life for what it is. I have many principles that i may change as i go along but my mind is positive and humane. I feel that i will be successful in what i truly am meant to do, meant to do in my mind. I am a free thinker that we think we way through my life. I use many things to help me think, some good and some bad. My life will be thought out the way i want it to be and i will live on my time.

Those dirty hippies <3

The myths and philosophy of the counter-culture generation have made huge ripples in our society’s culture today. The people that were active in this culture were classified as “hippies” and the often they shared a similar philosophy, which was to be free and to spread love. The philosophy was very idealist and lead to a purpose to start a revolution. A large preconception was that all hippies smoked marijuana and took psychedelic drugs. Although many did. It could because they wanted to alter their state of consciousness, which may have allowed them to become free in their minds and soul. This awareness could have led to an overall concern for their surrounding environment and humanity as a whole. As the hippie generation grew older and became the main consumers of goods and services, it led to a “green” revolution. Today our society is more aware of our world and wants to preserve it because in reality it’s all we really have. Our culture is concerned with natural processes even when it comes to the ingredients in which we eat. Although back in the 1960’s and 1970’s there may have not been dramatic changes but the aftershock of this culture definitely has left an impact. To believe in something so revolutionary that many people can relate too, it’s bound to leave an impact in our society’s culture, even if it is just an ideal.

Plush

Americans are very focused on other’s outward appearance. It is believed that one can tell a lot about a person from their possessions. Americans spend millions on expensive cars, high-end clothing, and fancy houses. Furthermore, popular magazines such as Star and OK make readers think that the key to happiness is being rich and famous. It is thought that owning a Louis Vuitton or Gucci purse can make anyone happy.

While Americans are not the only people who aspire for wealth, it is a huge part of American culture in particular. Money is associated with power, so people believe that money can improve their life. It is also common to judge people based on their economic status. For instance, some people assume that someone who is not extremely wealthy is uneducated or lazy.

Contentment is not obtained by purchasing material items. This myth serves only to place affluent celebrities on a pedestal. Moreover, to encourage people to work hard so that they too can live this coveted luxurious lifestyle. Television shows such as My Super Sweet Sixteen, which is aired on MTV, only feed into this erroneous idea. It depicts young teenagers whose wealthy parents can provide for them an array of pricey presents and posh parties. This makes middle class teenagers feel resentful that they do not live a life of privilege. Television shows and magazines are only two among the countless number of things in American culture that make people falsely believe a lavish lifestyle is the key to happiness.

The Lies They Feed Us

My high school in North Jersey had a graduation rate of 99.9%. There were 270 people in my class and only two of them did not continue on to college. Since birth, it has been jammed into my head, and the head of all those around me, that the only way to be sucessful in life is to go to college. We have been preparing for college since preschool. It has always been a given for my sister and I to go to college, there has never been a doubt in anyones mind about that. It is very shocking for someone to not go to college in my town. This is crap. College is really important, getting a degree and shit really helps getting a job, but it is not necessary to be successful. Going to a vo-tech school in high school, being involved with a career because high school is over, there are many ways to prepare yourself to be independant. I was offered a very well paying job with School of Rock Inc. right outside of high school, which looking back on I should have taken because college is slowing down my career. But, because it would be so 'mortifying' for me not to college, I made the decision to come to Drexel. Also because it is an exuse to have no responsibility for another 4 years. This myth has been formulating for decades, and I fear that it will soon grow and grow and those who can not afford or can not get in to the college they want to will give up on having a successful career.

Old Irish Ways

Being proud of my Irish heritage was taught to me form a very young age. To stand up to my fears and never back down from a fight. To resume responsibility for my duties and for my wrong-doings. If I were to back down from something I was told it would bring shame to the family. But this is how I was raised. My whole family is Irish except for my mother. So when my relatives come to visit it is like one big heaping cliche after another. We're load and boisterous, and drink like nobody's business. But when we get angry we hold crazy long ridiculous grudges. This is because we are incredibly stubborn, as is the Irish way. When my Father and my half sister got into an argument they didn't speak for two years. They finally reconciled when my Father grew sick. We know and understand that life is a party and as good Irishmen and women we celebrate it whenever possible. That is why when someone dies we celebrate their journey through life and send them off with a bang. This is what took place after my Father's funeral. We laughed and joked the whole night. Sure there were some tears here and there but they were shed when alone, behind closed doors because being Irish means not showing weakness. We partied into the night and I know if my Father were still alive he would be proud of how we sent him off.  

Boy Athletes vs. Girl Athletes

I was a four year starter for my high school. But in my high school, that did not matter because I was not a boy. Our athletic director at our high school coached football and baseball, and always gave the boys the good equipment, the good uniforms, and the good pratice times. He made the people believe that the boy athletes were so much better then the girl athletes. Well the boys football team lost in the first round of playoffs my senior year. The girls field hockey team won the Catholic League Championship and beat all the other teams that the played. The boys lacrosse team won one game during my senior year. The girls lacrosse team also won the Catholic League Championship, and has been the best team in the league for the last seven years. The last example is the boys baseball team who did not make it to the playoffs, while the girls softball team made it to the championship game and lost by one run.

Self-Mythologizing Post Wk. 6

I don't really consider myself to belong to any type of sub-culture, but what immediately came to mind when I was reading this assignment was the Philly-Hipster-Bike-Vegan-CoolKid group. You can see them everywhere around the city especially in West Philly. But the deal with these kids is that they are like pseudo-neo-hippies: they only ride bikes around and never drive, or take public transportation anywhere. They live on their bikes. They also live on vegan food, they probably don't go to college, and they will let you know all about it. They wear that shit on their sleeves. So, when I was first exposed to this sub-culture, or whatever you want to call it, I figured I would never fit in because I don't ride a fixed gear bicycle, I enjoy riding the subway, and I eat red meat like it's my job. So right away these kids were not really digging me, because I don't advertise myself like all these other dudes do. But I actually started to meet people that were just like me, (public transit-riding, meat-eating students) and it turned out I could actually have a decent conversation without being looked down upon like some ultra-conservative anti-liberal Nazi. So in the end, it turns out that to be a hipster, you don't have to be vegan and you can ride whatever kind of bike you want, just as long as you do ride a bike, asshole! But God knows I definately don't want to be classified as some haggard West Philly hipster. I just want to ride my bike.