Author Archives: patricja

Aggie Joke

Nationality: Irish-American
Age: 76
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Dallas, Texas
Performance Date: March 15, 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: n/a

“The Aggie Joke would be: How many Aggies does it take to change a lightbulb?

And the answer is: One, plus twelve to turn the ladder.

 

And this has an interesting context to me because polish jokes were the same, or very similar. For example, in the lexicon of south-side of Chicago, it would be how many “polacks” does it take to change a ladder. That was how people used to take before political correctness. I grew up in Chicago and of course and it was very ethnically divided and intense city like New York, or many other places in the country where a lot of immigrants came, and there were a lot of specific neighborhoods: the Polish neighborhood, the Lithuanian neighborhood, the Italian neighborhood, the Irish neighborhood, and they all had their own Church, and if you were Polish you didn’t walk across a couple of streets to go to the Italian Church and everybody kind of kept in their own little neighborhood or enclave. And back in the day, when I was growing up, of course political correctness had not reared its head, and so it was very common and not really thought much of for people to refer to people of other nationalities in a way that would today be considered horrible. You would never today call an Italian person a “dago”, you wouldn’t call an Irish person a “mick” you wouldn’t call a Jewish person a “kike,” but that was very common back then and nobody thought much of it, so that kind of language is no longer acceptable.”

 

Informant: the informant was born in Chicago, and attended high school and college there, graduating with a degree in English. After marrying and having one child, she moved to Dallas, Texas where she raised three children with her husband. She is of Irish descent, her father being from Ireland, and her mother was born in Wisconsin after her parents moved from Ireland, and her heritage and tradition are very important to her. She is a grandmother of five children.

 

Analysis:

To me, it seems like the cultural context of this joke is well-captured by the informant. Aggies, which is a name given to those who attend Texas A&M University, are usually considered to be their own group of people. If you attend A&M, as people refer to it in Texas, you are an Aggie and are now associated with that group of people. There has long been a rivalry between the University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M, a rivalry that could have given way to Aggie jokes.

It is fitting that the Aggie joke fits that of the Polish joke that the informant, who is seventy-six years old, was used to. The joke was meant to be derogatory toward a specific group of people. Within the context of the informant’s age it was the Polish group, because this was a time in Chicago when ethnic groups kept to themselves and formed groups and lived in the same neighborhoods. Because it is meant to point-out how one group is slow-witted, this joke is especially belittling.

Therefore, in the state of Texas, it is no surprise that such a joke would be made with the Aggies as the subject. This is due to the rivalry with the University of Texas, because it has often been understood that it is harder to get into the University of Texas than Texas A&M, giving way to “dumb Aggie” jokes like this one. To me, this emphasizes how a joke pointed at one group can be changed to target another group, thereby continuing to be popular despite the changing times. Although it is no longer directed at Polish groups, this joke is still able to be told because it points at Aggies, something that is culturally accepted, especially in Texas. This demonstrates how a joke can keep its basic framework but vary in context and change to fit the modern culture.

Haunted Neighborhood

“Ok, so where we lived, I used to live in Chandler, Arizona. And where we lived, it was like a newly renovated area. So the land was usually farmland, often used by the Native Americans, because they used to have a reserve there, and then it was bought by the government and turned into farmland. So we had this house built like in a new community of new houses and model homes. So it was weird because my mom’s best friend Andy moved into her house and then um my mom and y dad moved into our house, and then three of my sister’s friend groups moved into the same street we were still on. But you know when you get the eerie, negative, cold vibe, so I could never sleep in that house at all and I am a deep sleeper so it was weird that I couldn’t sleep in the house.

And one night, my neighbors were like hey Abbey, do you want to watch our house because they were going to a party and they had a cat that I loved. So I was like yeah I’ll watch your house, and so I was watching their house, and there was a blackout at their house, and only their house. So I brought the cat over to my mom’s house and it was all fine. But then random houses started getting blackouts so we thought it was an electricity problem. Well it wasn’t an electricity problem, and then everyone in my family started getting sick, people across the street started getting sick, and it was like a bronchitis, like coughing sickness. I missed two weeks of school because of it. And they found black mold, like the kind that needs to be aged over ten years to be like that, and the house was brand new so that was weird, they thought it was like some chemical so they had to fumigate our house and we had to get vaccines.

And ok, so we have this basement in that house which was weird because Arizona doesn’t get tornadoes. But we had a basement and um we had above the basement was a hallway where me and my sister’s room was. And when I was in junior high and she was in fourth grade, and my parents left, and the dog was downstairs with us. And we heard stomping, and I called my mom and dad and they weren’t there, so I went upstairs and checked it out, and didn’t find anything so I got my sisters and we got some knives and we went into the closet in the basement. And we sat there for hours, and so the closet we went to was the storage room and it was right underneath the stairs that led to underneath the basement. And we heard footsteps coming down the stairs. And we were silent for an hour, and then we heard footsteps coming down the stairs again, but there were no footsteps going back up the stairs. So when my parents got home, they found the front door open, but it was weird because we never heard footsteps going back up the stairs and my dad didn’t find anyone in the house. So after that day, I refused to sleep by myself.

And then a bunch of bad things started happening in our house. My mom and dad started fighting all the time, my mom and dad were fighting one night and the pots started shaking at the bar, like started shaking. And then my mom’s best friend’s son got in a really bad car accident coming out of the neighborhood. Then there was a fire in a neighboring area and it brought in a bunch of scorpions over, and then my parents got divorced. And then in the exact order that everyone moved into the neighborhood, all of the parents got divorced. So like everyone in the neighborhood got divorced. So I was doing research later in life, and nobody from that neighborhood ever talked again and it was weird. And I was doing research about that area and we found out that it used to be a Native American reservation, which we didn’t know before.

And then we found out it used to be a tribal ritual ground, and my mom got so freaked out she called people from the actual community and they apologized for not disclosing the information because it had happened fifteen years before that and they only have to disclose information if it’s only been less than five years. So my best friend had a house there, and her family moved to Arkansas, so my friend came back one break, and we went over to her old house in that community to see if someone was living there, and it was completely deserted and everyone thought it was haunted. So we went in and the front door was wide open, which was weird, and we went into where her closet was and we found a headless baby doll in the closet. So I was like I’m done, I refuse to go back there, like I will drive around that whole property when I am in Arizona to avoid it. I won’t even go near it. And everybody is a different religion like Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhists, and even an atheist and they all agree that it was weirdly haunted.”

 

Informant: The Informant is twenty-one years old, and of Spanish, Italian, and Mexican heritage. She grew up in Arizona, and now works for an event planning company. She is a public relations major with an Italian minor at the University of Southern California.

 

Analysis:

Usually ghost stories that circulate focus on one odd event or a series of odd circumstances, and this story is one such story. It is not unusual to find stories about the supernatural because so many Americans share this belief in it. Like most of these stories, it brings to light the question of belief, as it is told from the personal experience as a memorate, it is more likely to be believed if one knows the informant. In addition, the last portion of the story mentions how people of all different religions, including an atheist, acknowledge that the events that unfolded within this story could only have unfolded from supernatural occurrences.

This narrative contains many elements traditionally found in stories about the supernatural. For instance, black mold, swarms of scorpions, everyone suddenly becoming ill and getting divorced one by one, are events that can only be explained by external forces. The attribution of the supernatural to these events helps to explain how such things could occur, and why they did. In addition, the portion of the story about the footsteps down the stairs is particularly interesting, because no one could explain why there were never any footsteps going back up the stairs. Therefore, it would make sense to consider this a supernatural event. Furthermore, an explanation as to why pots started shaking while the informant’s parents were fighting is difficult to come by scientifically.

Serving as an explanation for why such a string of unfortunate events could occur, the supernatural is an important element in this narrative. It is also supported by the fact that none of the new residents in the neighborhood knew that they were living on what was once a sacred ritual ground to Native Americans. This is an integral element in the story as it distinguishes why an entire neighborhood could be victim to such events. It is also important because Native American reservations strive to protect their sacred ground, and building on top of this sacred land is a violation of this sacredness. This could serve as a possible explanation as to why such events occurred. Overall, this story includes many elements traditionally found in narratives about the supernatural, as the informant is seeking to determine why such events could occur.

An Event Planner’s Cure for Food Poisoning

Nationality: Of Spanish, Italian, Mexican, and Polish descent, American
Age: 21
Occupation: Event Planner/Student
Residence: Prescott, Arizona
Performance Date: April 19, 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: n/a

“Ok so, we were at this party my boss was throwing, a bunch of event planners, makeup artisits, florists so vendors, and this makeup artist named Sheila told me this story about this bride that had food poisoning. She ate Mexican food before her wedding, why would you eat Mexican food before your wedding because it’s going to make you feel bloated in your dress? I don’t understand. But then, she got really bad food poisoning, she was throwing up everywhere and she was about to cancel the wedding, they tried everything from pepto bismal to modern medicine crap and this one photographer lady came into the room and I kid you not, she had this Umeboshi paste, and it’s literally purple plum paste from Japan, like Japan-style plum paste, but you cant get it at Walmart or other grocery stores, you have to get it at like worldly food stores. So she comes in and takes a spoonful of this purple paste and gives it to the bride, and the bride did not want to eat it at all, because it was something that nobody had ever tried before and it didn’t look appetizing, but they forced her to have a spoonful, and the makeup artist Sheila was looking at the bride and all the color came back to her face and she felt better instantly. So ever since then, every single event planner I know carries this in their purse just in case, God forbid, the bride gets food poisoning again.”

 

Informant: The Informant is twenty-one years old, and of Spanish, Italian, and Mexican heritage. She grew up in Arizona, and now works for an event planning company. She is a public relations major with an Italian minor at the University of Southern California.

 

Analysis:

This is an especially interesting story about folk medicine and its success. For most brides, the wedding is a particularly stressful event due to the expectations of perfection placed upon them. In many scenarios, lots of money is put towards the celebration, hiring event planners to make sure the day runs smoothly and the bride is able to remember the day as her own special day. Therefore, getting food poisoning on the day of one’s wedding is a terribly aggravating prospect for future brides.

As so many hours were spent planning for and so much money put into this one day, it is unlikely that any bride would be willing to cancel her wedding because she did not feel her best. Because of this, there were most likely many techniques that brides have used that they learn from their mothers or other women about how to remain calm or stress-relieving techniques. Therefore, it is not surprising that an event planner, or anyone involved in setting up a wedding would have their own ways to help the bride cope.

This pickled, plum puree is one such calming technique. Because it is not widely known, tested, or accepted that this puree helps food poisoning, such a technique for calming the stomach could only be learned from someone else who has tried it. This story is a traditional example of how folk medicine could work, because doctors do not prescribe this puree as a cure for food poisoning, despite its evident success in settling the stomach. This is true for many types of folk medicine, as many people have learned many techniques that sometimes work very effectively, but they have not become classified as modern medicine due to the lack of scientific proof. However, it is interesting to see how such medicine can be effective without the sealed approval of science. This reaffirms the fact that just because it is folk medicine does not mean that it is ineffective or useless.

Pansy Symbolism

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Dallas, Texas
Performance Date: March 16, 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: n/a

“Well, as I remember it, the flowers that were at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified, when his blood dripped from him and fell on these flowers they took on his blood and became a pansy. So it was a Christian based symbolism. And when you go through initiation, you find out the ideals that the sorority was founded on and those were Christian, like let us steadfastly love one another, and I don’t know the other ones but they were Christian based ideas.”

 

The Informant: The informant is a mother of three currently living in Dallas, Texas, to where she moved from Chicago at the age of three. She attended the University of Texas at Austin, and was a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority. She graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor’s degree in Advertising and has lived in Dallas ever since. She has a younger brother and a younger sister.

 

Analysis:

The association of the Pansy with Christian ideals as representative of a sorority is especially interesting. The pansy is known for its distinguishable characteristics, specifically the white and purple version. This five-petal flower has two colors, and the red/purple color looks as though it has been splashed upon the whiteness of the flower.

As the sorority tries to uphold Christian values and ideals, it is not surprising that they would associate the pansy with such depictions. The association of the red in the middle of the pansy as representative of Jesus’s blood is very significant. However, the story of the pansy can also be associated with pagan beliefs of the druidic tradition. This is evident in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In Act 2, Scene 1, the fairy king Oberon describes the origin of the flower as:

“Yet mark’d I where the bolt of Cupid fell:

It fell upon a little western flower,

Before milk-white, now purple with love’s wound,

And maidens call it love-in-idleness.

Fetch me that flower; the herb I shew’d thee once:

The juice of it on sleeping eye-lids laid

Will make or man or woman madly dote

Upon the next live creature that it sees.”

This demonstrates the traditional belief among the people that the pansy received the color from cupid’s arrow. The arrow pierced the heart of the white pansy, causing it to bleed “purple with love’s wound.”

In this depiction, the pansy is associated with pagan beliefs, namely that of ancient Greek mythology, in order to describe its countenance. In Shakespeare’s time, many people still associated with these beliefs, as they were related to the Celtic and Druidic traditions and beliefs about nature. The fairies themselves represent pagan beliefs associated with nature within this play. Therefore, it is very interesting how the pansy came to adopt a story of Christianity and its relation to Christ’s blood. Perhaps as pagan beliefs and notions were diminished, people adopted the general framework of the myth of the pansy, but instead of Cupid, they chose Christ to be the source of love. This would be in accordance with the Catholic faith as they believe that Christ is the source of all love, so it would make sense to replace Cupid with Christ in that sense. However, in doing so, the pansy seems to have lost its association with romantic love, as it once had with its association with Cupid in that a single drop of its juice would cause love sickness. That is why the pansy was once called “love-in-idelness.” Overall, there is a very interesting connection with the transformation of the story about the Pansy from pagan beliefs to Christianity.

Grandpa’s Proverb

Nationality: American
Age: 52
Occupation: Homemaker
Residence: Dallas, Texas
Performance Date: March 16, 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: n/a

“In life, it doesn’t matter if you are rich or if you are poor, as long as you had money.” And he just said that whenever he felt like it, as long as it made sense in the conversation.

Informant:

The informant is a mother of three, born in Chicago but a current resident of Dallas, Texas. She was the oldest of three children, and has a younger brother and sister. She attended the University of Texas at Austin in the nineteen-eighties and is now married and is an active member of the Catholic church.

 

Analysis:

This proverb is very interesting because it highlights the contentions of morality and money in America. The informant is referring to her father as the person who told her this, stating that he would just often say it whenever he wanted to, and that it stuck with her. This is because there is a contradictory element to this proverb. Many people will say that money doesn’t matter, and that it is not the source of happiness, but this proverb insists that it is necessary in life.

I believe that this brings to light the contentions of being an American. In the capitalist world, there are people who are very rich and people who are very poor. This proverb states that neither condition should matter, but that money does. This is very true, as money in a capitalist society does make life easier. However, when people usually talk about money, they like to insist that it is not a source of happiness. In a moral sense, this is very true. However, in the sense of a capitalist, money is necessary.

Therefore, this proverb is attempting to bring about a balance between two extremes. In both cases, a poor man needs money, and a rich man desires money. So, for both extremes, money is valued. That is why this proverb is highlighting the contentions of living in America. From a moral standpoint, money is not supposed to be necessary or desired, and that is what many parents try to teach their children. However, in this instance, the informant’s father is stating that money is necessary in life, and thus bringing about the balance between morality and what it is to live in a capitalist society.

In using this proverb often, the informant’s father could also be revealing what he had learned throughout his life. He could have learned to value money as an important resource due to his family life. He lived in Chicago for many years and is descended from Irish immigrants. This could have shown him the necessity of money despite its moral implications.