Category Archives: Proverbs

If it bleeds, it leads

Nationality: American
Age: 60
Occupation: Director of Communications
Residence: New York City
Performance Date: 4/24/2016
Primary Language: English

“If it bleeds, it leads” is a common saying in American newsrooms and TV stations.

My informant is my mother, a 60-year old woman who spent most of her career working in print journalism. She learned the saying upon entering the industry in the early 1970’s. It was often performed by one journalist to another to explain why something violent had recently ended up on the front page, as opposed to other pieces written that day. My informant explained the saying as thus:

“That’s really a TV thing but it’s certainly true with the paper too. It’s true with print also. So the idea is that if there’s been violence, if somebody was shot or killed or hurt, that that would be the thing that would take dominance in the news.”

I asked her what she thought of this phenomenon:

“Yeah, so that’s—it’s a very unfortunate development in news because obviously it means that we—not that the death of somebody isn’t important but the idea that that would be—that that would dominate over bigger issues is very harmful.”

Recalling this saying brought this thought to my informant’s mind:

“It’s interesting to think of how many death images there are. You have a deadline, things are killed, yeah…”

This saying speaks to the universal human interest in violence, and the way in which news outlets have adapted to meet that morbid curiosity. Furthermore, “If it bleeds, it leads” is short, unfeeling, and declarative. It’s an example of the cynical, tough-talking, macho atmosphere that my informant describes pervading newsrooms in America. I’m not surprised that she recalled this saying with a laugh. It probably reminds her of the intensity of her old journalist friends and the environment in which they worked. This phrase also speaks to the hardening of the journalist. They encounter a lot of awful things in this world, and must get used to it in order to write about them objectively. There’s also something morbidly funny about this phrase, and my mother laughed when recalling it. Reporters have to develop a sense of humor about things if they are going to, day in and day out, face and report on the cruelty of the world.

Sana Sana, colita de rana

Age: 45

Proverb

 

Nationality- Mexico

Primary Language- Spanish

Occupation- Construction Worker

Residence- Los Angeles, CA

Date of Performance- 3/17/16

 

Sana sana, colita de rana, si no sana hoy, sanera manana.

Translation- There there, ass of a frog, if it does not feel better today, it will tomorrow

This proverb was told by Francisco Garcia, he has heard it from hundreds of people in his city Zacatecas, Mexico. He typically heard it when he was a child and injured himself. A lot of times, they could not afford medicine or any treatment so his parents would just chant the proverb and he would believe he would feel better and stop crying. He knows that a lot of people from different cultures use the same proverb in order to let their child know that the pain and injury is not permanent because it will heal and feel better the next day. He first heard it when he was about 4 or 5 years old and has told it to other children as well as his own. If he ever comes in contact with a child that has  hurt himself, many times all it takes is saying the proverb and the child will cease to cry or feel hurt.

When Francisco had said the proverb, he says it with a smile on his face to let the listener who that he is smiling because he knows everything will be okay. You usually have to rub the spot that is in pain or their head and maybe say it multiple times if it really hurts until they stop sobbing or focusing on the pain.

Francisco is from Mexico and has heard it many times where he is from. I have heard it hundreds of times as well as a child when I would injure myself. My mother, auntie or any other close relative would chant the proverb to me and I felt that I was going to be okay despite the pain. My mother and auntie are from Honduras and they have heard it when they were children as well. The proverb has almost been to every Latin American Country and has spread to the United States. That is amazing since it is just one sentence that has been able to travel so far and serve as a placebo for many children. The chant has not changed much either since it is very simple and difficult to alter.

The shrimp and the current

Age: 19

Proverb

 

Primary Language- English

Secondary Language- Spanish

Occupation- Student at LA Cal State

Residence- Los Angeles

Date of Performance- 4/19/16

El camarón que se duermi, se lo lleva la corriente.

Translation- The shrimp that sleeps, gets taken by the current

Anderson learned this proverb from his mother. His mother learned this from Salvador when she was in school with the nuns. It was their way of giving out lessons in ways that the students would remember. Anderson’s mother would also tell him this when he would slack off and get low grades. He remembers it ever since she told him in middle school because it just happened to stick to him. He mostly speaks in english now but always mocks his mom with the proverb to joke around about the times she would tell him it.

This proverb is usually used when someone needs a little lesson. If someone is doing bad in school or in other things, the proverb is used to tell that if they keep slacking off, life is going to keep pushing and dragging them away. It is typically told to kids but can always be used by a passionate and wise mother.

Proverbs like these are funny yet can offer so much insight. It basically means that when a person or shrimp begins to sleep or slack off, the current which means life or problems will sweep you away and take you with it. It teaches the listener that they have to keep working hard in order to keep fighting and pushing through their struggles. Many children that hear proverbs like these usually remember them because they are catchy. Some lessons are learned through experience yet others can be learned with proverbs such as this one.

 

One good friend is better than a thousand poor ones

Age: 18

Proverb

 

Primary Language- English

Occupation- USC Student

Residence- Kansas City, Missouri

Date of Performance- 4/25/16

One good friend is better than a thousand poor ones.

Quinn learned this proverb from his father when he was back home. He was having trouble with some of his friends and his dad gave him that advice. Growing up, Quinn thought his father made up the message to him a long time ago, but later learned that he had learned it from television and thought the quote was spot on. The quote is special to Quinn because he knows that even though he might lose friends, as long as he has some good friends who are going to stay for the long run, everything is going to be alright.

This proverb is usually said to teach a person a lesson or just give them advice on life. There is nothing complex about when or how to say at as long as the intentions are good.

This proverb can be seen as a way of life. I would agree 100% with it because in this generation, you can never know who to trust and how long people will stick around for and with you. A thousand poor friends can never give you the same satisfaction or feeling as having one good friend. The proverb can make somebody feel better in rough times as it did to Quinn and many others that pass it around. One sentence can be a huge change on how someone feels and looks at life. It is also easy to derive its meaning if you have any sort of common sense so everybody who listens or reads it can know what it means.

 

Whistling at Night in Taiwan

Nationality: Taiwanese-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Roscoe, Illinois
Performance Date: April 26, 2016
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin, Taiwanese, French

Main piece:

Whistling at night summons the ghosts.

 

Background information (Why does the informant know or like this piece? Where or who did they learn it from? What does it mean to them?):

I was always musically inclined, so I would always whistle at night, and I would always get the reminder from my grandma. They use it in a lot of Asian movies. So every time I guess I watch some of those movies, I would be reminded of my grandma or vice versa. I’m now very self conscious of whistling at night, even today.

 

Context (When or where would this be performed? Under what circumstance?):

I remember when I was in Taiwan once, I was whistling in an elevator at night, and two elderly women who I didn’t even know told me. It’s kind of a universal thing, everyone knows it. It tends to be among older people though.

 

Personal Analysis:

This warning seems like an attempt to soothe the rambunctious behavior of younger children. Easily swayed by the threat of a ghost, kids may stop their unwelcome behavior of whistling late at night. The informant mentioned that members of older generations are more likely to bring up this proverb. They may have been a child when Taiwan was a more dangerous place, and police may not have existed in small villages. Not only is it rather loud and obnoxious, whistling may also call attention to a child and increase the chances of a kidnapping to occur.