Author Archives: Crystal Vine

Tradition – Irish

Nationality: Irish
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Ventura County, CA
Primary Language: English

“Every Saint Patrick’s Day my parents would go all out to celebrate.  For most people, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t that big of a deal, and most people don’t really do anything.  But my parents would always make it a huge event.  They would dye the milk green, they would dye my dog green, and my mom would always spray my dad’s hair green with temporary hair dye.  And when we would wake up, our rooms would always be really messy because leprechauns are supposed to make a mess of everything.  So every St. Patrick’s Day we did that until I got a lot older and it was really fun.  I don’t know anyone else who celebrated like my family did.”

Kelsey said that her parents liked to celebrate every holiday, including St. Patrick’s Day.  I asked if her parents celebrated the holiday like this when they were little kids, and she said that she was not sure but it was likely that her parents invented the idea when her and her sisters were born.  Kelsey said she really enjoyed celebrating St. Patrick’s Day because it was so different than other holidays, and because she did not know any other families that were as enthusiastic about celebrating it.  She felt that it helped set her family apart from other families, and she appreciated the effort her parents exerted in order to give her and her sisters a unique and special holiday tradition.  I also asked Kelsey if her parents are Irish and she said that her dad is fully Irish, and she is half Irish.  She said that this may have been part of the reason her dad wanted to make the day such a fun celebration, but she said that even if her family was not Irish her parents still would have celebrated the holiday.

Kelsey also said that when she got older, her parents stopped dying everything green and messing up her room.  Because Kelsey enjoyed celebrating the holiday so much, though, she dyed the milk green herself.  She said that messing up her room was kind of a hassle to clean up later, but dying milk and wearing green was an important part of the holiday that she did not want to miss out on.

It seems like as Kelsey grew up, the context of the holiday changed.  When she was little, her parents’ creativity allowed her and her sisters to participate in a unique holiday tradition that set themselves apart from other families.  However, as Kelsey and her sisters grew up, some aspects of the tradition became a nuisance and no longer appreciated as much (i.e.- messing up Kelsey’s room).  As a result, her family changed how they celebrated the holiday in order to correspond with the age level of the children.  Kelsey did not want to stop celebrating completely since she had so many positive memories of the holiday, which explains why she would try to continue some of the traditions by herself.

Although I also have Irish heritage, my family has been less active in celebrating St. Patrick’s Day.  We wear green and might go to a small party at night, but I have never heard of a family celebrating St. Patrick’s Day to the extent that Kelsey’s family did.  Although Kelsey’s family has Irish roots, it seems like Kelsey’s parents were more concerned with creating unique and memorable traditions for her and her sisters to enjoy, regardless of their heritage.

Proverb – Spain

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: West Hills, CA
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

“Es peor el remedio que la enfermedad.”

“Is worse the remedy than the sickness”

“Fixing things just makes them worse”

Analysis: Frank first learned this proverb from his mother when he was around the age of fourteen.  His mother, Alejandra, was born in Spain and usually speaks Spanish at home.  Frank said that she frequently uses Spanish phrases or proverbs to give Frank advice, even though she has lived in California for over half of her life.

Frank said the first time he heard his mom use this proverb was when Frank was trying to fix his cell phone.  The phone made a strange humming sound that Frank thought he could fix by taking the phone apart, but he ended up completely breaking it.  Frank’s mom used the proverb to say that even though Frank was trying to get rid of the annoying humming and fix the phone, he ultimately made things worse by completely ruining the phone.  Although the humming sound was annoying, if Frank would not have tried to fix the phone, he would still have been able to use it.

I have often heard people complain about attempting to fix a problem and instead making it worse, but I had not heard the concept expressed as a proverb before.  Frank said that his mother was strongly attached to her Spanish upbringing and tried to teach Frank and his younger siblings about Spanish culture as much as possible.  So, perhaps this proverb was another way for Frank’s mom to teach Frank about Spanish culture and sayings, and at the same time advise him that sometimes things are best left alone.

When Frank has used this proverb, he often shortens the phrase to “Es peor el remedio” (the remedy is worse).  This is more informal than using the full proverb, but still means the same thing- fixing things can make problems worse.  It is possible that age is an influential factor in determining how the proverb is said; since Alejandra is an adult, she is more likely to use a traditional, formal proverb, while Frank, a teenager, is more comfortable using a shorter version.

Proverb – Sarcoxie, Missouri

Nationality: Italian
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Simi Valley, CA
Primary Language: English

Proverb- “Don’t buy the cow when you can get the milk for free”

Andrea said that she heard this proverb from her mother when she first started dating in high school as a sophomore, which is roughly around the age of fifteen.  She said that her mother learned this proverb when she was growing up in Sarcoxie, Missouri, which is a very small Protestant farming town.  This is made clear by the references to farming in the proverb.  Someone who grew up in the city is probably not likely to refer to a cow when giving advice to their children, since it would have less significance to them.

Andrea’s mother used the proverb to warn her of one of the dangers of being too promiscuous.  Essentially, the proverb says “Why get married to a girl when she will give you sex without any strings attached?”  Andrea’s mom wanted to teach her daughter that by being too promiscuous, men will think that they can always come to her for sex without having to worry about “paying for it” by being in a relationship.  Especially since Andrea’s mother grew up in a very religious area, teaching her daughter to abstain from sexual activity until marriage was an essential part of Andrea’s upbringing.  This proverb is just one example of how cultural values were transmitted from one generation to the next.

I heard Andrea use this proverb when she was giving her friend relationship advice.  Her friend was conflicted because she did not know whether to become more intimate with her boyfriend of a few months.  Basically, Andrea used the proverb to tell her friend that until she  is in a committed relationship with her boyfriend, it is very risky to be sexually active because her boyfriend may not choose to follow through with their relationship once he has had sex.  For Andrea, the proverb is just one of many reasons why it is dangerous to be too intimate with someone other than a spouse, in addition to the risk of getting pregnant or contracting an STD.

Andrea’s interpretation of the proverb comes from a more feminine viewpoint. For instance, my mother has also told me this proverb, and both she and I interpreted it in the same way as Andrea. However it can also be used to advise a man as well.  It is possible that a man might use the proverb to tell a friend that he does not need to marry a girl who is willing to have sex before marriage.  In this case, the proverb is being used to encourage a man to engage in premarital sex since he can get away with it.  When comparing the two different ways the proverb can be used, it seems that for most women, the proverb is used to prevent other women from being promiscuous, whereas men use the proverb to encourage that behavior in other men.

Rite of Passage

Nationality: Irish, English
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Boston, MA
Primary Language: English

“Since it was our senior year we decided that we had to do a really memorable senior prank.  We knew that we could get in big trouble, but some of my friends were going to community college and didn’t care if they got caught.  So, we decided to prank the deans because we wanted to get revenge against them for all the detentions we had gotten over the past four years, and decided to glue the door to their office shut and trap them inside.  We picked a day when we knew the deans were going to be going through a lot of paper work and would be in the back of the office, and we had people stand guard to distract any teachers that might walk by.  Then, three people in the group wore sunglasses and put their hoods on (so they couldn’t be recognized) and really quietly opened the door and started putting glue around the entire frame.  Then they shut it and put more glue to seal the crack between the door and the wall.  We brought a blow dryer so we could try and make the glue dry faster, but we put it on a lower setting so it wouldn’t make so much noise.  Then we waited a couple hours for the deans to try to leave for the day, and when they tried to open the door it was completely stuck shut.  They had to call a repair company to come and saw the door off so they could get out!”

Analysis: Laura was one of many high school seniors that tried to play a senior prank before graduation.  It is a rite of passage traditionally done by seniors during their last days at school, and it is often a chance to one-up the seniors of the previous year. Many seniors are discouraged from playing a prank because they might be prevented from receiving their diploma or walking on graduation day if they are caught.  For Laura and her friends, however, the risk of getting caught was not as big because many in the group were going to community colleges that would not revoke their acceptances if the students got in trouble.

Usually senior pranks are aimed at teachers or at underclassmen and are a way for seniors to demonstrate their superiority as a graduating class.  Laura said that after the school found out about the prank, everyone said it was probably the best prank done in the history of the school.  She and her friends became small celebrities among the people that knew the identity of the pranksters.  Unfortunately, that news spread quickly and Laura said that within a few days she and her friends were called into the deans’ office.  They confessed but offered to pay for any damages.  Although the deans threatened to prevent them from participating in the graduation ceremony, Laura said she and her friends only had to help clean up the lockers at the end of the year.  She said that the risk of getting in trouble was worth it because they had such a legendary prank.

When I talked with Laura about the primary influences on her decision to participate in the senior prank, I thought that she would mention her two older brothers.  Both of them were involved in senior pranks, and it seemed likely that Laura would want to follow in their footsteps.  However, Laura said that she did not think about her brothers so much as the senior class that graduated before her.  She said that they their prank was pretty good so she wanted to try and top theirs.  This seems to show that rites of passage, such as a senior prank, are more connected to institutions they are associated with than with family members.  Regardless of whether her brothers would have done a senior prank, Laura knew she wanted to be involved because it was a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.

The context in which the prank takes place also helps explain why it is such a significant event. For instance, on a normal day, pulling a prank may get a few laughs but is probably looked down upon by others as stupid and a waste of time.  However, in the context of the situation, the prank is not only accepted by the student body, but expected and looked forward to.  It is a rare occasion when the seniors are united together for the goal of common mischief before everyone leaves for college.  Thus, even though Laura was not known as a trouble-maker, the senior prank was a rite of passage worth getting in trouble for because the chance would not happen again.

The senior prank is a rite of passage that has become so popular that it has even had movies and television shows depicting it.  For instance, MTV ran a special countdown of the “Top Ten Best High School Senior Pranks” and conducted interviews with administrators and students from each school to hear their opinions of the success of the pranks.  Though the pranks ranged from the silly, (releasing 1000 bouncy balls down a flight of stairs), to the incredible, (using a crane to hide the principal’s car on the auditorium roof), almost all the students agreed that the senior prank was an essential part of graduating from high school, and was almost as important as receiving their diploma.  Despite the seemingly immature nature of a prank, the senior prank serves as a transition between the childish realm of high school and the more mature world of college.  Therefore, the senior prank is also one last time for the seniors to be foolish before it is no longer acceptable.

At my high school, my senior class was not unified enough to create a good senior prank.  A few different groups tried to prank the freshmen, but nothing was very successful.  The senior class before us did not do a good prank either, which may explain why our class was unable to perform very well.  It was disappointing because I have heard from friends at other schools about their senior pranks, and I feel like I missed out on a special part of the graduation experience.

Joke – University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California

Nationality: German, Irish, English
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: West Hills, CA
Primary Language: English

“A student at USC had not spoken to her parents in over a month and a half.  She finally decided to call her father and explain why she had not been in contact for so long.  So she calls him up and her dad answers.  She starts off right away saying ‘Hi dad! I’m so sorry I haven’t been in touch lately.  Three weeks ago I fractured my skull when I had to jump out of my dorm window because the hall caught on fire.  I feel a lot better now that I only get a headache once a day.’ When her dad hears this, he gets really worried that his daughter is hurt, but she keeps talking and says ‘Anyway, college is so fun.  I  think I’ve decided I’m going to be an art major.’  This shocks the girl’s dad, since his daughter has always been good at math and science.  He asks why she has had such a radical change of heart and she tells him ‘Well, I met this great guy when I was at a bar near campus.  He’s an artist and is trying to get some of his work in a gallery.  He has so much talent, and I’ve decided I want to help him make it in the industry.’ Her dad doesn’t understand what his daughter means, so she continues to explain that she has dropped out of most of her classes, aside from a painting class, so she can work to pay for a studio for her new boyfriend.  Then the girl tells her dad that she is in love and is planning to marry her boyfriend once they find an apartment in L.A.  Her dad is speechless at this point, completely in shock.  The daughter waits for a second and then says “Dad! I’m just kidding!  I’m still taking all my classes at USC, I’m not dropping out of college to help a starving artist, and I’m not getting married!  I just have a C- in Econ.”

Dylan said that his Micro Economics teacher, Professor Mangum, told him this story during class one day.  During a review for the midterm, the professor was telling the students to try not to stress out about the exam.  In order to relieve some of the tension, the professor decided to tell this joke and said that if the students do poorly, they could use this story in order to break the news to their parents.

Dylan said he had heard the story before, but it was especially funny this time because it was changed to be about a USC student taking an economics class.  Because of the context of the joke, Dylan felt like he could relate to the joke more.  Also, Dylan said that even though the joke is highly exaggerated, it did help him feel less stressed before the midterm because there are worse things that could happen besides a bad grade.

I was also in Dylan’s econ class and heard this joke from the professor, although I had a different reaction to the joke than Dylan.  I knew that if I tried to employ the same tactics as the girl from the joke, my parents would not be relieved that I was “only” getting a C-; my mom would be mad at me for lying, and then even more mad for doing poorly in school.  Therefore, it is clear that depending on a person’s family situation, the joke will be interpreted differently.  Parents that value good grades would be less likely to feel relieved after hearing the “punch line” of the joke (that the girl only got a C-), whereas parents that stress good moral behavior would have a greater appreciation for the resolution.

Furthermore, the success of the joke relies on the contrast between the seemingly horrible situation that the girl has gotten herself into and the reality of only having one bad grade.  For someone who cares a lot about doing well in school, a poor grade may be as catastrophic as suffering from a fractured skull.  Thus, personal values also play an important role in how the joke is interpreted.  For Dylan, getting one bad grade seemed better than dropping out of college to date an artist.  In my opinion, the whole story was too exaggerated to be believable, so the only thing I could focus on was the thought of getting a C- in Econ, and therefore the joke was not that funny.

Annotation: For more information on the “Bad grade in college” joke, consult the following:

Dundes, Alan and Carl G. Pagter. Urban Folklore from the Paperwork Empire. Austin: American Folklore Society, 1975. p.p. 40-41.