Category Archives: Game

Rolling a blunt

Nationality: German Irish
Age: 19
Occupation: Students
Residence: Evanston
Performance Date: 20 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: French

Step 1: When you buy in Evanston its not like everyone has their own weed, you all throw five on the gram,

Step 2: The best roller present, gets to roll it

Step 3: Grab a grape swish and gut it

Step 4: lick edges to seal the two papers together

Step 5: place the weed in the paper

Step 6: roll it with your fingers maneuvering it into a circle

Steop 7: tuck one edge under and I like to do half the blunt at a time and then I roll it up and seal it together by licking the paper while pulling with my mouth

Step 8: use a lighter to “bake” the ends and the seam

Step 9. The person who rolls it sparks it and we always pass to the left rotation-wise and people will hit the blunt until there is absolutely nothing left

To Zach, rolling a blunt is an act, which can either gain you respect or shame within the present group of smokers. The person who elects to roll the blunt has to put himself out there and risk being judged. The group all watch earnestly as the roller steps up to the plate. When the blunt is done its presented to the group who sign off and give the roller respect. When the smoking begins, all the pressures gone and we soak in the atmosphere. For him smoking represents a spiritual experience where he can relax and connect wis friends.

Zach’s ritual reminds me of the dominance displays in chimpanzee clans. The roller is like a chimpanzee presenting himself to the group trying to prove himself. Then when the blunt is done, the group signs off on the blunt like Caesar would sign off on a gladiator before he was given the death sentence. The act of smoking and rolling blunts dates back to before anyone can remember there is multiplicity in variation and it is held sacred in a lot of social circles. To some, the blunt is the only way to smoke and an improperly rolled blunt is seen as an insult and a mark shame.

Mexican Piñata Song

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 47
Occupation: Civil Engineer
Residence: Sacramento, CA
Performance Date: March 15, 2011
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

The informant is a 47-year old civil engineer working in California, originally from Michoacán, Mexico. He lived a modest life as a young adult, studying to be an engineer. He then moved to the United States with his wife to raise their family and make his career. He primarily speaks Spanish with English as a second language.  He shall be referred to as JB.

“Dale dale dale dale, no pierdas el tino, porque si lo pierdes, pierdes el camino! Dale dale dale dale dale, dale y no le dio! Quítate la benda porque sigo yo!”

“Go go go go, no lose the aim, because if it loses, lose the path! Go go go go, went and no it did! Remove the blindfold because follow I!”

“Go go go go, don’t lose your aim, because if you lose it, you lose the way! Go go go go, he went and didn’t make it! Take off the blindfold because now it’s my turn!”

This is a song commonly sung at parties when small children (or adults that are drunk enough) are hitting at the piñata. The piñata is hung with a rope from a high tree, and an adult holds the rope and pulls it up and down to increase difficulty (depending on the reach and age of the child at bat). The child swings a stick while blindfolded, trying to break the piñata to release the candy inside, at which point all the children swarm around to grab candy. JB explains it is something of a taunting song, but made in good spirits. Every person gets as much time whacking at the piñata as the time it takes to finish the song, thus turning the process into a narrative in and of itself. “Go go go go” refers to actually hitting the piñata, very much the way a catcher might distract someone at bat with a “Hey, batter batter batter” taunt. If the player has not succeeded in taking of the blindfold by the time the crowd reaches the end of the rhyme, they literally take off the blindfold and whoever’s next in line will shot the final “Porque sigo yo!”

I found a sense of democratization in this song. When it is played at a party, there is usually a huge attendance made up of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, other extended relatives, and friends. Thus, there might be a large number of children waiting to play. While JB didn’t relate this with this particular folkgame, he did explain that waiting your turn was a common practice in Catholic families which would include many members. As this is a children’s game, it teaches little ones the importance of sharing and recognizing when it is their turn for something. It also fosters some sense of community, as it is usually an older sibling (around twelve years old) that breaks the piñata so that the smaller children can enjoy the candy, at the same time recognizing the ability and seniority of the older sibling. The line of children to play is usually ordered from youngest in the front, oldest in the back, ensuring that the smaller children get the chance to play before an older child likely succeeds in breaking the piñata. Again, while there is some level of competition between the children to break it, the arrangement of the game reflects adults instilling familial values in the children.

Fountain Run

Nationality: American
Age: 23
Occupation: EMT, Army ROTC, Social Worker
Residence: Connecticut
Performance Date: 24 April 2011
Primary Language: English

White/Jewish

Fordham University/University of Southern California

Army ROTC, EMT, Social Worker

Military Social Work

English

Connecticut

24 April 2011

USC senior tradition – Fountain Run

“So the Senior Fountain Run is a tradition at USC for graduating Seniors. It usually takes place on the night of the last Thursday of class. Basically, all Seniors gather at their friends’ places or on the row and pre game. After getting drunk, and waiting till it’s late enough, everybody taking part starts making their way to campus. People usually are dressed in swimsuits or crazy costumes, and carry some form of alcohol with them. I even saw one girl carrying an intertube and a blow up shark. As you get closer to campus, more and more people start gathering together. By the time we got to campus, we had a group of around 50 drunk people who were just yelling and running in the middle of the street. Basically, you run around and jump in all the fountains around the SC campus and drink at every fountain. There’s something like over 20 fountains, so it takes a little time to get them all. Some of them are even really hard to find.”

HS explained that first and foremost, the Fountain run is a celebration of senior hood and the impending graduation from college. It serves as a time when every Senior can get together and have a good time. As she put it, “there are no athletes, no sorority girls, no engineers, and no geeks. Everybody is celebrating the two things they have in common: being a Senior at USC, and being close to graduation.” HS explains that it is a period of time when it’s okay for people to get a little crazy. As a graduate student, HS said she learned about the Fountain run from Senior’s in the ROTC program with her. She explained that it had been a hot topic for several days between Seniors she met. During the Run she explains that someone identified her as a none graduating individual and questioned her validity of taking part. HS explained that as a Senior at Fordham University, her school didn’t have an event like this and she felt that she missed out.

As a Senior graduating this semester from USC, I did partake in the Fountain Run. I concur with the observations of the Fountain Run that HS made. As an undergraduate at USC, I had learned about the Fountain Run my Freshman year. While writing a paper, I heard a lot of screaming and running outside my window. Looking, I saw a lot of drunken people jumping in the fountains. For a Senior at USC, the fountain run is a pretty big deal. I had heard individuals talking about it more than a week in advance. Of the people I asked, no one knew when the fountain run started. Coordinating the run was conducted primarily through Facebook. This year was unique in that the fountain run happened a week earlier than usual. The reason was that the campus was preparing for the Book Fair, and the administration warned students ahead of time. This combined with the fact that DPS officers and police officers made little effort to stop the run, shows the administration saw the inevitability of this event and made efforts to stop Senior from destroying the tents being set up. For Seniors, as a group, the fountain run is a unique tradition at USC that marks someone as a Trojan and a Senior, who is having their last hurrah. While other students from other years take part, they are largely left alone. Though this could be because most of the people there are too drunk and having too much fun to care. Below is a hyperlink of a Fountain Run from a prior year. In it you can see that people are chanting, and jumping around celebrating.

http://youtu.be/07mav_JHEXk

Pretended Obscene: That’s What She Said

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: USC Rugby
Residence: Philadelphia, PA
Performance Date: 27 April 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Italian, Arabic

Italian-American

University of Southern California

USC Rugby

International Relations

Italian, Arabic, English

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

27 April 2011

Folk Speech- That’s what she said…

The context.

So I was having my head shaved by CG, my roommate, in a chair on our porch. While he was shaving my head, I stated, “make sure you rub it (the clippers) back and forth…that’s how you finish the head.” As soon as I said this, I realized the situation I had set myself up for. And sure enough, CG responded with, “That’s what she said!” We sat in silence for a second before he stated, “Sorry dude, I had to do it.” When prompted, CG stated that he understood that what he said was supposed to be a sexual innuendo. He explained that he couldn’t really remember when he first heard it or started using it, but that it was sometime when he was in middle school.

Looking at “That’s what she said,” I can definitely state that it is a form of folk speech under the specific category of the pretended obscene. The whole purpose of saying it is to make a relatively benign statement into something inherently sexual. In no form should it be taken as sexist or offensive. I have often heard woman say, “That’s what she said.” I too, recall that it was incredibly popular during my middle school and high school years. During this period, it was not uncommon to hear it on a weekly basis or more.

Rugby Song: I Used to Work Chicago

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 “I used to work Chicago”

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

Everyone: “I used to work Chicago, I used to work the store, I used to work Chicago, I don’t work there anymore.”

First person: “A woman came into the store looking for an abortion.”

Everyone: “An abortion from the store?”

First person: “An abortion she wanted, a kick down the stairs she got!”

Everyone: “I used to work Chicago, I used to work the store, I used to work Chicago, I don’t work there anymore.”

Second person: “A woman came into the store looking for a necklace”

Everyone: “A necklace from the store?”

Second person: “A necklace she wanted, a pearl necklace she got!” (cue masturbation hand motion)

Everyone: “I used to work Chicago, I used to work the store, I used to work Chicago, I don’t work there anymore.”

Etc.

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. I have personally seen it performed with women present, and none of them seem offended. The purpose of the song is to be purposefully offensive, and specifically sexual. The fun comes from the fact that the participants are shouting things that are considered taboo. And in some sense, the women present find this attractive. CG told me, “the girls love it. We’d be singing some of the other songs and girls would request us to sing this one.” 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 larger group.

The hyperlink below is an example of some of the verses to the song.

http://youtu.be/WPyKJxSJ2TY