Author Archives: Mark Thomas

Beer Pong Rules

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: USC Rugby
Residence: Philadelphia, Pa
Performance Date: 23 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Italian, Arabic

Italian-American

University of Southern California

USC Rugby

International Relations

Italian, Arabic, English

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

23 April 2011

Beer pong-rugby team rules

-10 cups per side

-2 beers per side

-2 players per team, 2 teams per game

– the elbow of the shooter cannot pass the edge of the table when shooting

-make 2 balls in two different cups=both balls back and the two cups made are pulled

-make 2 balls in same cup= both balls back and three cups pulled from the game

-if a person misses and the ball rolls past the midpoint of the table back towards the shooting side, the shooter can pick up the ball and shoot the ball from “behind the back”

-if the shooter bounces the ball into a cup, two cups are pulled from the game

– if the ball is bounced, the opposing team can swat the ball away

– if the ball is spinning around in the cup, and hasn’t touched the beer, a male can flip the ball out with two fingers. If female the player can blow the ball out.

-if a player makes two consecutive shots over 2 turns, that person states “heating up”

-If a player make 3 consecutive shots over three turns, and said “heating up” after making two in a row, the player can say “on fire.” When “on fire” a player shoots the ball until he misses.

– If a player makes the last cup, the opposing team gets a “rebuttal” and shoots till they miss. (1) If the opposing team falls to make the all the cups from the team that made the last cup, the game ends and the team who failed the rebuttal has to drink all the cups remaining on the table. (2) If the opposing team makes all the cups on from the shooter’s team, it becomes a “tie breaker” and three more cups are added to each team.

-if both players make the last cup, the game ends and the losing team has to drink all the remaining cups.

CG states that there is no particular reason why the rugby team uses these specific rules for beer pong. He mentions that these were the rules already used by older rugby players, when he joined the team as a freshman. Every new freshman class, CG explains that new teammates have to be taught the rules that they use. CG did mention that having come from the East coast, where the rules are slightly different, he too had to be taught.

Looking at the rules for beer pong, there is obviously significant room for variation. Generally though, the game does have a core group of rules that doesn’t change. It is not uncommon for individuals to pre-empt the game by asking the rules they are going to play. As someone who has played the game before, it is fairly common to run into individuals with different rules. Oftentimes these people are from different schools, regions of the country, or identify with different groups. When there is confusion to which rules they should play by, usually the individual supplying the alcohol or who owns the table gets to decide which rules are to be used. In some parts of the country the game is called Beirut and not beer pong.

Rugby Song: Jesus Can’t Play Rugby

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: USC Rugby
Residence: Philadelphia, PA
Performance Date: 23 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Italian, Arabic

Italian-American

University of Southern California

USC Rugby

International Relations

Italian, Arabic, English

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

23 April 2011

Rugby Song, “Jesus Can’t Play Rugby”

Transcription (because it would not be the same if not sung in context)

One person :”Jesus can’t play Rugby because he’s hung up on the cross.”

Everybody repeats twice, followed by “Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves”

Next person: “Jesus can’t play rugby ’cause his mother was a whore.”

Everybody repeats twice, followed by “Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves”

Etc.

Everybody: “God you know were only kidding, God you know were only kidding, God you know were only kidding, Jesus saves, Jesus saves, Jesus saves”

CG explains that the Rugby song, and songs like it, is a definite part of the rugby experience and rugby traditions at USC. He mentions that he doesn’t think that that it particular to just USC rugby, and he believes that he once heard another rugby player from another school mention it. CG explains that the context to the performance of this song is very important. The songs are generally only sung when there is a large gathering of rugby players and there are copious amounts of alcohol. The purpose of the event, in his words, is to have a good time while getting really drunk. CG mentions that the majority of the rugby songs are raunchy, sexist, and offensive. He explains that it is all in good fun and in no way should be taken seriously.  He explains that the culture of rugby is defined by a duality: one offensive and dirty, the other “gentlemanly.” To explain this, CG stated, “You know how soccer is described as a gentleman’s sport played by hooligans? Well, rugby is a hooligan’s sport played by gentlemen.”

Looking at the song, and having witnessed the context that it was performed; I find that the significance behind it as reported by CG is logical. The song, without a doubt is offensive, and borders on inappropriate. However, I believe this is the reason that the rugby team sings it. In a way, the team is looking to push/test the boundaries of what is appropriate in society. It is supposed to be shocking, as participants will often comment on just how bad it is. I also agree with the statement that it is not inherently meant to be offensive. Having known the informant for several years, I can safely say that he is religious and a practicing Catholic. Looking at the song, the structure and wording of it is designed to demonstrate that the participants don’t really mean what their saying. Each different line is finished with the statement “Jesus saves,” and the ending clearly demonstrates this. The second purpose of the song is to test members on rugby “lore.” After one person completes a line, another person is picked out to recite another line. If the person fails or stumbles, everybody dips there hands into their beer and throws it at the individual yelling, “Redeem thyself” until they can think of a new line. The song is a way for the team to include younger individuals and make them feel apart of a group.

The clip below is an example of some of the lyrics to the song.

http://youtu.be/9ucfrVFc70g

Hunting Rite of Passage

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Marine OCS
Residence: Corona, CA
Performance Date: 25 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: German, Spanish

white/Hispanic

University of Southern California

Marine OCS

Marshall School of Business

Spanish, English, German

Corona, California.

25 April 2011

Family hunting tradition

“So this is um… like a family tradition my family has been doing for awhile. For the last 50 years, my family travels to Wisconsin in order to go hunting. My dad’s family is from the Midwest area, and we have a 500 acre piece of land that has been in the family for generations. The land entered my family when it was given to my great-grandfather from his father in law. So, every year around Thanksgiving break from SC, me and my father travel to Wisconsin to go deer hunting. That’s also when the season starts there. On the land, there is an old cabin that was built in 1962. There is no electricity or running water. Just beds and a wood burning stove for heating. Only the males in the family are allowed to stay in the cabin at night. About 8-9 people come. The only person allowed is my great grandmother, who now owns the land. So for like a week, everyday we wake up and go hunting for deer. We break up into 2 or three person groups. After you kill your deer, the person who shot it drinks the blood while it is still warm. When we get back at dark, we spend the few hours we have before going to sleep telling stories and getting drunk.”

In CB’s opinion, the annual deer-hunting trip is an extremely important event that the males of his immediate family conduct. He mentioned that it is considered a defining moment in his family, and it is considered a great stepping-stone in his family when a male is old enough (13 years old) to go. He explained that no one ever misses the event. Members of his family fly in from all over the country in order to be present. In his own words, “You stop going when you stop breathing.” For him and his family, death is the only acceptable reason for not being present. He has mentioned that males in his family have shown up when they have had cancer, and individual even missed the birth of a child to be present. The land is also important to his family because 5 members of his family have been buried on the land.

Looking at the reasons and significance of the tradition in his family, I concur about the centrality of it to the identity of the males in his family. It serves as a space where his family can go to “back to their roots.” At the same time the whole event is centered on the idea of fulfilling the stereotype of being a macho male. Only males are allowed to go, there are no comforts, they are taking part in a hunt, and there is plenty of booze. The entire event is akin to a celebration of a warrior culture, which I believe is verified by the fact that 4 of the males present are/were in the military in some capacity. For the males in his family, the hunting event is also considered a right of passage and of manhood. A boy is allowed into the larger group of men, allowed to partake in alcohol, and becomes a “man” over the event of getting his first kill. The act of drinking the blood of the deer, at least in my opinion, signifies the individual’s mastery over the animal and is a form of taking a trophy.

The notion of the camaraderie of a hunting band is present in the movie Deer Hunter. In the movie, a small group of friends from a small town go out hunting periodically. The dynamics of the group of friends only changes after several of them participate in the Vietnam War. The act of drinking the blood of the deer is an image also utilized in Hollywood films. In the movie Red Dawn, one of the characters tells his friend to drink the blood of the deer he kills in order to imbibe its spirit.

Occupational Lore: Hoorah

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Marine OCS
Residence: Corona, CA
Performance Date: 25 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: German, Spanish

white/Hispanic

University of Southern California

Marine OCS

Marshall School of Business

Spanish, English, German

Corona, California.

25 April 2011

Occupational folklore/folk speech

“Hoorah” Sometimes spelled “Oorah”

Pronounced “Who-rah” or “air-rah”

As explained by CB.

“Hoorah is a word that means a lot of things. In short I can mean everything and anything but ‘No.’ It’s a word slash sound that’s used only by people in the US Marine Corp. If someone used it, and wasn’t a Marine or personally knew a Marine…um it would offend a lot of people. I’m sorry, I’m not explaining this clearly. It’s really complicated and hard to explain because it’s just something we (Marines) know how it’s used. I’ll give you some examples of its use…that should help. If someone mentions the Marines or the Corp, it’s totally acceptable to say ‘Hoorah,’ basically meaning ‘Fuck yea.’  If ordered to do something, a Marine can respond with it, basically meaning ‘I understand’ or ‘yes.’ Often times it can be used to motivate someone or pump them up. We yell it when someone does something awesome, or to celebrate an accomplishment.” Its significance, as explained by CB is an important identifier of being a Marine. Only Marines should use it. It can be used in a variety of ways, and it can be spoken in a variety of tones in order to convey feelings of joy, disgust, anger, exasperation, etc. CB explains that he can’t remember when he first heard it, but that all of the sudden he just picked it up. He learned how to use it, when it appropriate to use, by observing other Marines. The origin of the word, by CB’s reckoning, comes from the sound of the Klaxon in a submarine when it is diving. He states that he doesn’t remember when or from where he heard this origin myth.

In looking at the significance of Hoorah, I grapple with the same difficultly of explaining it as CB did in his interview. Even as a member of ROTC, which has a similar word (Hooah), the idea of Hoorah is inherently difficult to grasp. As Folklore, Hoorah exemplifies the idea of multiplicity and variation. It can be pronounced in different ways, to imply different meanings, and it literally can replace entire phrases of words. Agreeing with CB, Hoorah is not really a word, but more of a guttural sound. Hoorah also meets the requirement that it is unofficial discourse in an otherwise literary society. He didn’t learn it from a manual nor was he ever formally taught it. He picked it up by just being a member of a group that used it. Hoorah also appears to be an example of occupational folklore. Though it can theoretically used by anybody, the proper place Hoorah should be used by a member of the US Marine Corp. Hoorah serves as a linguistic marker, identifying an individual as a member of the Marines.

Hoorah can literally be found in any movie that features a group of Marines. One example of its ability to identify an individual as a member of the Marine Corp is in the show Jericho. In the show, a group of individuals masquerade as Marines. One of the characters, a retired Sergeant in the Army, realizes that they are fakes when one “Marine” uses the word Hooah instead of Hoorah.

Seance

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: Marine OCS
Residence: Corona, CA
Performance Date: 25 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: German, Spanish

White/Hispanic

University of Southern California

Marine OCS

Marshall School of Business

Spanish, English, German

Corona, California.

25 April 2011

Séance

Following is a Séance, reported to me by CB.

“The reason we had a séance in my grandmothers home was because some of the family believed that the house was haunted. Over the years…um my family had seen a lot of things. Like hearing footsteps and see weird floating lights. 13 years ago we had the séance. A man came over to the house, some kind of um spiritual guru or something. He was dressed in normal clothing, a suit I think. I can’t really remember. I was sitting on the couch watching what was going on. There were six of my family members, the guru guy, and then some guy from UCLA…I think he was a professor who studied urban legends. We turned off all the lights and only had a candle light in the center of the table. So sitting around the table, with their hands held, the guru man started chanting in English. Cant remember what he said, but it was like he was holding a conversation with someone we couldn’t see. So ten minutes into this thing, the table suddenly jerks back about three inches. The shadow of the chandelier above the table also started to rotate in circles. After the guru stopped chanting, he said he talked to and confirmed the presence of four ghosts in the house. One was supposedly a little girl who had been murdered, another was an old man.”

He explains that this is story is now told whenever at family meetings He states because the house is so old, that many people have died in it over the years possibly making the house haunted. He also mentions that this is not the first time that things like this have occurred and that many members of the family have their own particular stories. While the story is constantly brought up to within his family, CB states that he doesn’t really believe in ghosts, neither does any of his male relatives. He did mention that he does believe that there is some type of weird energy that is flowing through the house. He stated, “We are all kind of straightforward guys. My Dad’s a Marine, my uncle a cop…I grew up in a no nonsense household.”

From what I can gather from CB’s story is that first and foremost it serves a marker for their family, and a part of the family’s personal lore. By being a member of CB’s family, one would know this story even if they were not present at the event. I think CB’s stance on this event is that of a skeptic. He obviously saw something at this particular event, which can be verified by other family members present at the time, but he doesn’t necessarily buy into the notion that this is somehow related to ghosts. As an individual, I find CB to be very level headed. He is currently in Marine Officer Candidate School, training to be a Marine Officer. I interpret CB’s hesitation and skepticism of the event as a result of his upbringing in a rigidly structured home (his father was a Marine Sergeant). Séances seem to operate akin to the Ouija boards. And that the people present expect some kind of weird happenings, and then when it “occurs” it verifies what they thought. I think of it as similar to a self-fulfilling prophecy.