Author Archives: Emily Wittkowske

Algorithms Meme

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

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My friend and I were in class and we were bored by the professor and she found this meme. We almost got in trouble for laughing during class. When she showed me the meme she said, “I bet this is way better than our current lecture.” It is common knowledge that MIT is an incredible school for many majors, especially engineering majors. This meme is popular with current music. This version pretends that the algorithms lecture is the “hottest” track out there. My friend found this meme on the internet and it has many forms. Its origin is unknown. This version was most likely developed by someone in the computer science or engineering field. Not many people outside the field would understand it or find it funny.

My friend is a computer science major with a game development emphasis. As part of the computer science community she collects and forwards a myriad of folklore specific to this unique group. Computer science folklore is unique and reflects the beliefs and the culture of the group. Per my informant, as well as personal experience, computer science majors have a unique sense of humor that develops from the difficult coursework, the long hours spent on the computer coding, and the group dynamic required to get through the major. This humor is often expressed through memes and jokes only members of this group can understand and appreciate.

I find this meme and ones like it funny because they are incredibly relatable. Memes are able to adapt to different groups. I find that really interesting. I believe that is the main reason that memes are so popular. Every group can find or create memes specific to their folklore (i.e. jokes, tales, inside knowledge). As a result memes can seem personal and specific to the group.

 

 

Computer Science Taboo

Age: 19
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

Within computer science there are a few phrases that are considered taboo. For example, “this class is easy”, “how bad can the midterm really be”, “Oh my god it works, it really works”, or “it’s all downhill from here”. These taboo phrases probably extend to most majors and life in general. I collected these phrases from a computer science major so the motivation behind the phrases is specific to this major. My friend from whom I collected the phrases informed me that when these phrases are spoken they cast some sort of spell that makes the worst possible thing happen. She told me a story about the time she questioned the difficulty of a midterm. She said, “So I had to take this midterm the next day. I had been studying for a while and felt pretty confident with the material. I was talking to a friend in the class and we were discussing how to study for the midterm and what we needed to study. We both felt rather confident about the material. My friend then uttered the unspeakable phrase, ‘I mean how bad could the midterm really be since we have studied for it.” I immediately responded with ‘Dear god don’t say that. You will make the midterm worse.’ While I know that saying this phrase doesn’t actually change how the professor creates the midterm. But it always seems to make the midterm feel worse when the phrase is uttered just beforehand. My friend did end up doing worse on the midterm than I did. Which just adds credibility to the superstition.” I know that I have often misjudged the difficulty of a midterm. I think that the “truth” behind this taboo phrase is that once uttered the motivation and quality of studying goes down. Once I feel confident about a test I don’t study as hard for it. Over studying is always better than not studying enough. In order to keep the motivation to study for a tough exam one should not utter this phrase or gain too much confidence before the exam.

My friend is a computer science major. As part of the computer science community she collects and forwards a myriad of folklore specific to this unique group. Computer science folklore is unique and reflects the beliefs and the culture of the group. Per my informant, as well as personal experience, computer science majors have a unique sense of humor that develops from the difficult coursework, the long hours spent on the computer coding, and the group dynamic required to get through the major. This humor is often expressed through memes and jokes only members of this group can understand and appreciate.

Water Polo/Sports Superstition

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Tracy
Primary Language: English

My sister plays water polo. For every game each player has a cap that has a specific number on it. My sister always has to have her “lucky number 12” cap. She feels that it gives her the most luck for the game. She says that when she doesn’t have this cap she plays worse. One time she finished a game. I was cheering for her the whole time. When she was done I told her “great game!” She replied, “it should have been better but I didn’t have my cap. I got stuck with this lame cap. At least it wasn’t an odd number though. That would really bug me.” She doesn’t have any logical reason for disliking odd numbers other than the fact that “they are just odd, yes the pun was intended”.  Her “lucky number 12” cap is just a superstition that she has. If she thinks she plays better with the cap then that’s all that really matters. I think she is a great player either way. Maybe the cap helps calm her nerves and helps her focus through the game.

My sister is a political science and economics major. She plays water polo and is a member of many “fandoms”. A “fandom” is a group of people who follow, generally, a television show or a novel. Some of the fandoms that she belongs to follow shows such as Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service(NCIS). The group develops terminology that is only understood by other members of the group. For example, many fandoms “ship” certain characters. This means that the members of the fandom or just fans of the show want two characters to become a couple.

 

Many people have superstitions that they swear by. I don’t have many superstitions personally. I did have one when I ran track. On meet days, my friend would always have un-matching socks while I always had to have matching socks. It started unconsciously as something we just sort of did. Then one time we had a bad meet where neither of us did well. We noticed that I had the un-matching socks while she had the matching socks and we attributed the bad meet to the socks. After that we always followed this superstition. Then when something bad happened we attributed it to our performance instead since we had followed our sock rule. This superstition is fairly similar to my sister’s “lucky number 12.” Superstitions about sports are often very specific to the athlete. It can often be a lucky number, article of clothing, or pre-game ritual.

Driving Superstition

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles
Primary Language: English

I was driving with my friend and we safely went through a yellow light. She kissed her hand and touched the roof of the car. I thought she was just being strange so I ignored it. Then she did it a few more times later during the trip. I was worried and annoyed that she thought I was a bad driver. So, I asked her what she was doing. She replied, “Oh sorry it’s just a habit. My mom taught me to do it so now I just do it all the time. It’s just something that makes sure we stay safe in the car. It doesn’t really mean anything haha I just do it.” I was relieved that she didn’t actually think that I was a bad driver. It was just a superstition that she believed in.

My friend is a computer science major with a game development emphasis. As part of the computer science community she collects and forwards a myriad of folklore specific to this unique group. Computer science folklore is unique and reflects the beliefs and the culture of the group. Per my informant, as well as personal experience, computer science majors have a unique sense of humor that develops from the difficult coursework, the long hours spent on the computer coding, and the group dynamic required to get through the major. This humor is often expressed through memes and jokes only members of this group can understand and appreciate.

I have heard of a few driving superstitions but I don’t actively take part in any myself. I drive 15 hours a week for work since I work for a driving service. It might be that I drive so much in Los Angeles that I just expect other drivers to cut me off or stop randomly. I have never felt a need to take part in a superstition that should protect me. There have definitely been a few close calls which is just a part of driving in Los Angeles. The roads are super narrow, there is always construction, and there are always too many people. I have never attributed my ability to drive safely to any sort of superstition or outside force. My friend’s superstition made her feel comfortable and safe when she performed it. It didn’t bother me that she needed to perform this superstition. I just found it interesting especially since she drives a lot less than I do. It would seem more plausible that I should have more driving superstitions since I am always in the car.

College Finals Myth

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Tracy
Primary Language: English

Common myths that become quite popular around midterms and finals are ones about how to get an easy A in a class or just passing the final. The one that I come across the most is how to get an A in the class without taking the final. The way to achieve this is to experience a great personal loss about a week before finals. The exact details vary from active bearer to active bearer. My friend Adam told me that if someone in the class dies during the final that the whole class is rumored to receive A’s. My friend Sara told me that as long as a close family member, a brother, sister, or parent, dies within a week or two of the final that the student doesn’t have to take the final and receives an A all of their classes. My sister informed me that if the student has a personal trauma such as a horrible car accident or medical emergency usually within a few days of the final that the student can then become exempt from the final exam and receive an A in the class. My friend, Sara, is a computer science major with a game development emphasis. As part of the computer science community she collects and forwards a myriad of folklore specific to this unique group. Computer science folklore is unique and reflects the beliefs and the culture of the group. Per my informant, as well as personal experience, computer science majors have a unique sense of humor that develops from the difficult coursework, the long hours spent on the computer coding, and the group dynamic required to get through the major. This humor is often expressed through memes and jokes only members of this group can understand and appreciate. My friend, Adam, is a computer science and business administration major with a cybersecurity minor. As part of the computer science community he collects and forwards a myriad of folklore specific to this unique group. Computer science folklore is unique and reflects the beliefs and the culture of the group. Per my informant, as well as personal experience, computer science majors have a unique sense of humor that develops from the difficult coursework, the long hours spent on the computer coding, and the group dynamic required to get through the major. This humor is often expressed through memes and jokes only members of this group can understand and appreciate. My sister is a political science and economics major. She plays water polo and is a member of many “fandoms”. A “fandom” is a group of people who follow, generally, a television show or a novel. Some of the fandoms that she belongs to follow shows such as Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service(NCIS). The group develops terminology that is only understood by other members of the group. For example, many fandoms “ship” certain characters. This means that the members of the fandom or just fans of the show want two characters to become a couple.

Whether or not this actually happens depends on a myriad of factors such as the student’s grade in the class before the misfortune or the student’s relationship with the professor. One of my professors told our class that he had a student miss the final exam due to a medical emergency. The student made proper arrangements to make up the exam. However, the professor looked at the student’s grades and calculated what the student needed on the final to receive an A in the class. As it turned out the student needed to fail the final in order to not receive an A in the class. Since the professor deemed this highly unlikely he allowed the student to skip the final and gave the student an A.

My friends and I often joke about this myth right around finals time. Usually as we get ready to take the final one person in the group will ask “So who is gonna take one for the team and die during the final so that the rest of us can get an A?” Last finals season I became the “chosen one”. I volunteered since I was already really sick throughout finals. We have yet to actually test the myth to find out whether or not it is actually true.