First Set of Padlet Posts by Zahra Khan

87-91: Miner, Body Ritual Among the Nacirema

zahrakhatab786 — 2024-10-05 05:46:22 UTC

In "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema," he describes the rituals of a tribe that represents our own culture. Also, I learned that the Nacirema are super passionate about body care and shove hog hairs into their mouths for some kind of ritual. I think it really puts in perspective how strange things we do would seem if they were observed by someone else. These days I feel that there is a lot more pressure to look good, through social media and Instagram and this connects with Nacirema’s attention to their appearances. The author made me start thinking more deeply about why it matters so much what we look like and how beauty standards affect my own life.

109-117: Hall & Hall, The Sounds of Silence

zahrakhatab786 — 2024-10-05 06:26:04 UTC

In “The Sounds of Silence,” they discuss nonverbal cues like the body language we use when talking. For, example, using nonverbal communication, like gestures, posture, or even facial expressions. For instance, using eye contact as a way of showing that you are listening is considered courteous in America, but other people might see this in a bad way. The author shared an example to show that it is easy for cultures to have a misunderstanding like when a man gets angry that a foreigner is staring down at his woman. A common way of greeting in Pakistani culture is kissing on the cheeks, but may seem weird to other people. For example, in America, friends usually give each other a handshake or even a wave, and kissing on the cheeks looks a little intrusive if they are not close friends. Body language is actually very important and I really had no idea.

118-134: Clark, Sympathy in Everyday Life

zahrakhatab786 — 2024-10-07 06:05:01 UTC

In “Sympathy in Everyday Life”, the author talks about sympathy and why it matters to us. Sympathy is not the same as empathy, he says; it’s about connecting with others when they’re going through tough times. If a friend is sad, showing sympathy will better your relationship and bring some support. I have a memory of a time when I had to comfort my friend who lost a member of her family and we got close. This chapter kind of made me think about the difference in showing sympathy and how it is important to build a good strong community. An example from the Euphoria TV show is when Rue’s friends are there for her when she is fighting the addiction, this helps her feel less weird, and less alone with what she’s going through. The text helped me see that sympathy isn’t just a feeling; it plays a big role in how we relate to each other and deal with challenges in society.

Chapter 2: Food/Culture

zahrakhatab786 — 2024-10-07 06:28:23 UTC

In Chapter 2: Food/Culture, the vast pay gap between fast food CEOs and those who work in food behind the counter is talked about. For example, some CEOs cash in on up to 1,200 times more than those hard-working behind the counter. This difference shows how unfair capitalism is, in that most of the money goes to the top, leaving the worker who actually does the work struggling to make ends meet on minimum wage themselves. Here, Karl Marx’s idea of commodity fetishism is useful because it means that people don’t often stop to consider the efforts behind the goods they purchase — too often, looking for the most convenient and cheapest goods. That means that so many consumers don’t take into account what it’s like for fast food workers, and companies can pay them so little. The chapter makes me think about how our food choice affects real people. The Guardian states, “The vast disparity between CEO pay and worker wages highlights a broken economic system that prioritizes profit over people.” https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/mar/11/ceo-pay-2021-worker-wages

JCB p. 50 Contrasting Marxist and Durkheimian

zahrakhatab786 — 2024-10-07 06:47:26 UTC

Samosa is more than just a good snack, it’s a symbol of who I am, and another way I interact with my community. So when I was a kid, every Ramadan, we’d make samosas in the kitchen with my parents and cousins, and fill and fry to celebrate. These moments felt as if they made me feel like I was a part of something bigger, our traditions. Of course when I think of samosas from a Marxist perspective of commodity fetishism then when I remove the cultural significance from them in stores and fast food places. Instead of serving as the things they were made to be; with love and given to a family; they are simply another manufactured piece, with no love, and no acknowledgment to the farmers and workers that work so hard to create these items for you to use. That's actually what makes me love the samosa more — it is simply delicious, but there is a story and a connection with the samosa that made us.