Homework 59- SOF Prom

I was part of that group that did not participate. But as junior at our school that to me is what is expected. However, I was asked to attend prom with someone. My reason for not going was because I didn't have the money to pay for it ($150 for admission, tux, limo). I didn't regret not going this year, but now I think it would have been cool to be a part of it considering for the past two weeks, all I was hearing about was prom. Next year I plan on attending prom, I’m not one to overthink it and talk about it as a rite of passage or a really important night; I just think it is a good experience to have. I feel this way because it gives you one more chance to be around everybody, all your friends, enemies, ect., from high school. You also get that at graduation (if you pass) but I think it’s different at prom because people act more like themselves without their family around. For me, that is one high school experience that I would like to have.

There are a lot of reasons not to participate as well. The cost of prom is a big one. I definitely agree that prom is pricy. Especially at our school. I have friends from other schools that attended prom this year, and their admission was only $20-50 as opposed to $150 at our school. $150 is the starting cost. Then girls normally buy a dress, which could be pricey, depending on the dress. Most guys wear tuxedos to prom, which not many own, and Internet research shows that a tux rental is around $50-150. The new average cost is up to $250. Then an important component is the transportation. Nobody wants to show up to prom coming from the subway. Limo rentals in New York City, among all places are expensive. I looked it up and it was running close to $100 a person if four couples are sharing the limo for the night. The cost with transportation is now $350. Then adding miscellaneous costs like a corsage or accessories and the total cost of the night is somewhere around $400 dollars. Which I know a lot of people can’t afford for just one night. The cost of prom is one dominant social practice that would keep me from attending.
 Next year I’ll be going to prom, paying whatever costs come my way,  and I think I’ll enjoy it, with a date from out of school, but it will still just be another prom. I don't think it will be that magical night people envision. Life is not a fairy-tale, and we don't even have prom royalties. Our prom is just prom, where for most, the after party is the highlight. 

Homework 58- Prom Interviews

Interviews:


Person that hasn’t gone to prom: John T.
   John is part of that anti-prom movement. He doesn’t want to go to prom but thinks that he might end up going. His main problem with prom is the money. He said, “It’s pointless to spend all of that money for one night. It’s $150 just to get in. It’s ridiculous.”
   He then went on to talk about how he knows a lot of people that just go to prom to get drunk and have sex, and these motives are hidden by our culture. He cleared it up by saying what we think are dominant social practices are actually dominant social expectations, and the actual practices vary from the expectations.The whole idea of prom to him is outplayed, overpriced and lame. 
Person that has been to prom: Mark
Mark, who attends a catholic school, lives in the suburbs, and had his prom last week recalled his experience with me. He began by describing his prom experience: "First, I got picked up, met my girlfriend, and we went to our friends house to take pictures with him and his date. After that we went to our school where the prom was being held. When I got there whole thing felt cheesy and kinda lame. Looking around, everybody was in the same style of attire, girls in short dresses, guys in tuxes." 
    He went on to explain that the prom wasn't all that bad, but he didn't enjoy it that much because he was thinking about the afterprom. "It's all about the afterprom." He was saying how the afterprom is where all the excitement happens. The drinking, the hookups, the REAL memories. He said if it made sense to he would have just skipped the prom and went straight to the afterprom. He added that none of this seemed strange, that prom is prom, it's all the same stuff, but the afterprom parties are what makes it unique. 
     When it came to all the "rite of passage" talk, he said he overlooked it. That it wasn't a rite of passage to him, he has other times to dress up and look nice. He added that this type of event isn't a naturally occurring event, it takes months of planning, but it is "a very superficial experience."
Significantly older person: Dave
Dave, who is my uncle from Florida, has an opinion on everything, and loves to tell stories. He grew up in Florida, and he said that prom was a big thing for him, for everyone around him.He was the quarterback of his football team, and in a suburban school that translates to the most popular. He had no problem with asking girls. So when it came to asking a girl it wasn't hard for him to find a date. He said he didn't mind any of the preparation either. He liked to dress up. He did feel like even with all the preparation the night didn't feel "special". He felt it was just something everybody does.
He said that the prom is a rite of passage for some people, and for others it's meaningless. It all depends on the persons experience prior to the events. Some people he grew up with had money, and their parents had big parties all the time so he was used to it. He said the prom is just another high school social event over everything else.
Analysis:
Everybody has their own view of prom. Some people are excited to attend, for whatever reason it may be, like Mark. Some people know they want nothing to do with prom, like John. Some people still remember their prom and see it as an important social experience. I don't necessarily agree with any of these ideas, but I can understand them.
John doesn't want to go because it is costly and there will be a lot people he doesn't want to be around. Which I agree with, prom can cost a lot of money at least at our school, considering it costs $150 just to get in. I got asked to go with somebody this year and I would have gone but I just didn't have the money. But it's true there's a lot of other things that are more worth spending the money on. It is just one night, and unless your really into it, as mark said, it's all about the afterprom.
It can't be that simple. Prom isn't a uniform thing, it changes from region to region,school to school. By saying prom is this or prom is that isn't being accurate. While there is a set of general expectations, it wouldn't be ideal to say each prom follows every dominant social practice. It really is what you make.

Homework 57- Initial Thoughts On Prom

Bubble: Is prom actually an important event or just hyped up?
     Prom affects people on different levels. For some people, it is a rite of passage, a special night. To others, it is just another night to go out, have fun, drink, do whatever. At our school Prom isn't that big of a deal. It almost got cancelled this year and I don't think that too many people would have been disappointed if it had. I think that a big part of this feeling has to do with where we are from. Most of us have grown up in New York City, and because of that we live our lives a more fast paced then people in the boondocks or the suburbs. I know people from the suburbs treat prom differently then at our school. Then again, it could just be our school. I think that getting mugged for the first time is a bigger rite of passage then prom. Prom doesn't reflect the real world for most people. Prom is just one last gathering before people go their separate ways. One last night to remember from high school.
     Prom's real significance is about everybody (that would like to participate) to have one last memory before they leave. It goes hand-in-hand with graduation, but I feel like graduations are about reflecting on the last four years they spent at this school.  Prom is another thing that's reflected one during graduation. It's like going out with a bang.
    One thing I look forward to, that I probably shouldn’t is riding in a limo. Whenever I see a limo my first thought is: what famous person is inside there? What rich person is in there? This is a time where I’ll be that rich person, even if I’m not rich. It’s just an unconscious desire to be involved with flashy social symbols representing wealth.
            There is one distinct image that comes into my mind when thinking about prom. It’s when people walk through the doors and everyone has a reaction. I know that image comes into my head because it is portrayed in a cliché way in many different movies, tv shows, ect.
     Prom is what you make it. You can get caught up in having a perfect night, having a dream date, or just expecting prom night to be a life-changing experience. If you don’t take it seriously and don’t have high expectations, it is just another night. I think by analyzing prom this much; we might just be feeding the hype. By putting labels like “rite of passage” and “a night of high importance” it is trying to add more then what’s actually there.

Questions:

How does the significance of prom change for different areas?

When did this prom tradition start? What was its original purpose compared to what we see prom as now?

If prom is supposed to be one grade making memories together is it acceptable to bring outside dates?


All of the other units (besides birth) aren't optional, but prom seems like it is, so is it actually optional, or somehow does everyone get involved somehow?

Homework 56- Cumulative Project Comments

To Jasper
Jasper's Project
For a project that doesn't really prove anything, you did a good job writing about it. You wrote a decent amount, and in that amount you started to make some insights. What you didn't do was expand on the insights you started to make. You could have talked more about the serious feelings that you felt and the dress code that you noticed.
What your blog did do: It was entertaining. It was like Seinfeld, about nothing, but at the same time the way you wrote made it more interesting then most other projects with heavier content. It was definitely more interesting then my project.
What you should have done is reflected on the experience. You could have wrote about what you learned through your failure. There was a couple of things you could have talked about learning but you failed to do so.


To Lucas
Lucas' Project
Funny. Entertaining. Well-written.
Just some words that describe this post. While it isn't 5 pages of writing or some breakthrough in the care of the dead industry, it was a good summary of the failed project attempt, and it showed what you learned. I feel like this post and your elevator speech add up to make a project worth reading about.
You and Jasper had similar projects, if you haven't read his already. I think yours had more reflection and professional language, which really balanced out how interesting your writing was with the content.
I do feel like you could have wrote about what you expected to learn. And what you didn't learn that you expected to. Reflection on what could have been done differently would have been nice too. But overall this was a good post. It turned an unsuccessful experience into a project.


To Beatrice
Beatrice's Project
I think that this post is thorough and insightful. It is also very fitting for you. No suggestions, it seems pretty perfect.


To Martyna
Martyna's Project
I thought your project is maybe the most interesting in the grade.
You took something that we haven't even discussed in class. I think that the steps you made are understandable and logical.
What this project is lacking is analysis. You could have analyzed each step and given examples for everything.
The illustration that you included also adds to the project because it interests the reader. I know it interested me.
I'd say overall this is a very interesting, well written project. It included concise explanations and was easy to read. Good work.
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From Martyna:
You summarized the process of embalming and presented an overview of the industry around it. Your work is very clear and to the point in a way which keeps the reader interested.
Its great that you actually decided to write a paper (against your own will) after your original plan didn't work out. I think you did a good job with your research, bearing in mind this was a last minute idea.
What shocked me most was that some people consider embalming an art. In my opinion, thats taking it all a bit too far. But still, people can have many different views...

From Chris:
YEAHH!!! EMBALMING. I think embalming was hyped up by Andy to be very gruesome and some sort of of miserable thing. Although it seems very violent how can you say this when the person is dead. Also it isn't always like the person doesn't know their dead body is going to be involved. It is not grave robbing and stripping the body for organs. Anyway back to this, I think you decided to right a very factual paper that gives clear alternatives and doesn't just complain about a problem. Its a paper but maybe in person you can tell me why you decided to write about this. I think this was actually pretty interesting and the best part in my opinion was the alternatives.


From Leon. Dad, Mentor:
This project was less insightful then the last, but better written. It did do a good job of explaining the topic of embalming, and provided clear alternatives. I do think that you could have explained more about the effects of formaldehyde rather then just say it is toxic. You could have also gone into why the process is bad outside of the environmental effects. You started to discuss about the funeral homes being greedy. It would have made the project a little more insightful if you built upon that and made it a second focus. Overall this is a solid project and it is well written. 


From Jose. Friend, Protege:
I liked reading about this because I know almost everybody in my family has been embalmed. It's just something that you don't think twice about, and this is trying to get people to see they should think twice. Everything was short and concise, so you don't get lost. I agree that your best section was the Alternatives, as chris said above. I think this was a strong project and very interesting.

Extra Credit 1: Cemeteries

For this assignment, Chris, Jasper, and I went to visit two cemeteries. Both of the ones we went to were downtown near the world trade center- St. Pauls Cemetery and Trinity Church Cemetery. Both cemeteries are historic, and I was surprised that there were a lot of other people walking around and taking pictures. These cemeteries are tourist spots. Which isn’t the original purpose of the cemeteries, as people aren’t going to grieve anymore, they want to see people like Alexander Hamiltons grave. Though I must admit, I’m not much better then these people because I wouldn’t have been there if I weren’t getting credit for it. If I had the chance I would have had a more fulfilling experience where I visited some of my families graves, but because they are all far out in long island, or not in New York, that wasn’t really an option.
Walking around, it almost didn’t feel like a cemetery, or what I imagine from cemeteries. It was loud, there were people walking around looking at random graves and it was just very casual. There was no grieving, no remembrance, no emotion. I think it was just that the cemeteries are so old. Most of the headstones, at least the ones that were legible were from the 1800’s. Nobody that is a live knew these people, and because of that these two cemeteries aren’t even cemeteries, they’re just historical landmarks.
I think that the experience if the cemeteries weren’t in a busy part of the city, they weren’t so old, it was night, or I knew somebody buried there. The quietness would have allowed for reflection, the night would be adding intensity. The nighttime factor for me seems pretty important. A lot of times people associate the dark with death, and just bad connotations in general. Which is why I believe that there is an added intensity for being in a setting like a cemetery at night. Knowing somebody buried there would have drawn me in more to the assignment, evoking a lot more reflection. I would look at somebody’s tombstone and read it and assume things, whereas for this I looked at a tombstone and saw a breaking rock.
This wasn’t a very deep experience for me. But it did teach me a couple of things. 1. Anything that is old enough can become a tourist spot. 2. If you want a good experience don’t go with two of your friends.
St. Pauls:

 Trinity:

Extra Credit 5: Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under
Character synopsis:
Nate Fisher : Eldest child, lives in Seattle, for most of his life tried to stay away from his family.
David Fisher: Middle child, dedicated to the family business, closet homosexual, and generally angry person.
Claire Fisher: Youngest child, in high school, rebellious and problem.
Ruth Fisher: Widow, has repressed feelings, has a hard time keeping the family together.
Keith Charles: David's gay lover, level headed, police officer.
Brenda: Nates' newlymet partner, witty, keeps Nate in check.


Episodes:
"Pilot." Six Feet Under. HBO: 03 Jun 2001. Television. 16 May 2011.


The owner of a funeral home dies, leaving behind his family of four. This episode introduces this central family consisting of sons Nate and David, widow Ruth, and daughter Claire. This episode consists of everybody finding out about, and reacting to their father/husbands death.


This episode shows how no two people grieve the same way. It displays that nobody is immune to the effects of death. The show is interesting because it incorporates humor, fantasy, and drama to show what this family is going through. It also takes this complex issue of how people who are around death all the time deal with it.


"The Will." Six Feet Under. HBO: 10 JUN 2001. Television. 17 May 2011.


The will of Nathaniel Fisher, Sr. appoints Nate and David co-owners of the Fisher and Sons funeral home. Ruth receives insurance compensation. Claire has a trust fund that will pay for college. At the same time as the Fisher family struggles with their internal issues, they also have to deal with somebody having a funeral at their home with no money to pay for it. 


This episode shows the aftershocks of death. Moving past the initial shock of the death, inheriting what's left of the will. It shows a lot of the pain people go through when death occurs, it even shows how it can tear families apart. It again uses humor and drama, and this time also incorporates outsides peoples struggles with death. 




"The Foot." Six Feet Under. HBO: 16 JUN 2001. Television. 17 May 2011.
Moving on past the initial trauma of Mr. Fisher dying, the show turns it's focus towards a new conflict. Because the owner just died, there has been an offer to buy the funeral home. After first deciding that this would be the best idea, Nate decides that they should keep it and run it as a family. A second conflict arises as they are taking care of Mr. Romano who got chopped up in a giant dough mixer, and they lose his foot.


All of the episodes use the same techniques to display what happens when dealing with death. Humor and Drama. What this episode does compared to the first to is it moves away from the death of Mr. Fisher, but still shows the side effects of the death. This episode also takes the viewer deeper into the deathcare world, as it discusses centralization for funeral homes, and how they aim to maximize profit. 


Show Analysis:
I like this show a lot. It combines the truth of the deathcare industry, with belivable grief. It is raw, funny, and speaks the truth.  From episode 1 of this show, you can see a lot of the real issues we've been talking about in class. David mentions numerous times, "this is a business." 


In episode 3, "The Foot.", when a large cooperation is trying to buy out this single, independent home, the whole basis is to maximize profit. It was like something right out of The American way of Death by Jessica Mitford. This show really brings to life some of the issues with the care of the dead in America. As a fictional series, I still think it can be used to show how greedy our system is. One of the things that isn't good about this show to show real-world issues is that it's so good. It challenges some of the dominant social practices appropriately but it's easily overlooked because of all the drama. You get the specific situation, not the big picture.


This show also captures the way people are broken down when their loved ones die. It tries to stick with the different ways people deal with grief and I think it shows it well. Overall I think the show captures death well at its best and its worst. 

Homework 55- Cumulative Project Part 2: Embalming

Embalming: What it is, its effects, and its alternatives.

“Old-fashioned equipment, poor or marginal ventilation, non-protective latex, timeworn procedures, careless attitudes, use of high index/high exposure formaldehydes in many forms, absurdities such as gasoline/chlorinated solvents/toxic sprays, petrochemical based clown makeups, chemical overdrive by necessitation of formaldehyde repair chemicals, disposal nightmares by massive amounts of chemicals and incompatibilities such as bleach, etc., absurdities such as kerosene for maggots and gasoline/hexane based dry washes, hideously appearing rock hard/dehydrated bodies that destroy the natural lifelike appearance and require painting up with greasepaint mortuary cosmetics – all combine to make the embalming process needlessly dangerous, of marginal value and ridiculous in the eyes of modern society.”

-James H. Bedino, Chemist/Director of Research, The Champion Company

What is embalming?

Embalming is the process of temporarily preserving corpses to make them presentable for display at funerals.

The process:

Embalming is generally known as a 5-step process. The first step is preparing the body, where the face is shaved, and a disinfectant is sprayed to clean the skin, eyes, and mouth.

The second step is putting the body into its final position. This involves setting the face in a way that looks good. They put eye caps underneath the eyelids because the eyeballs usually set in. Sometimes the eyelids are glued together.

The embalming fluid, which is usually formaldehyde mixed with water, is injected into the arteries, while blood drains from the heart and veins. At the end of this filling/draining process, everything is tied up and the incisions are sutured shut.

After the arterial embalming is completed, the mortician completes the cavity embalming. This involves using a trocar, or a sharp spear-like object to puncture all of the internal organs. The body is then drained of all the remaining fluids before a stronger, more concentrated embalming mix is used to fill the torso.

After this process is completed the body and the hair are again washed. Make-up is applied and the body is dressed for the viewings.

Embalming rates:

The cremation rate in the United States was 36.02% in 2008. That leads to around 60% of people who died in 2008 to be buried. The overwhelming majority of people who get buried are also embalmed. This means that more then half the people that die each year in the United States are embalmed.

Embalming Risks:

Because embalming doesn’t actually stop bodies from decomposing, they just slow down the decomposition temporarily; the chemicals are released into the earth. As mentioned earlier, the main chemical used in embalming, formaldehyde, is toxic. With over half the people that die being embalmed with this fluid, the earth is constantly being polluted.

Alternatives to Embalming:

While many people chose embalming because it provides a desirable way to present the body. It makes the dead look alive but asleep.  It is also a long and gruesome process with many negative effects. On top of that, it doesn’t even do what people expect it to.

What people don’t know is that they don’t know is that there are other options to temporarily preserve the body. The cheapest, least harmful method is refrigeration. Refrigerating the body has almost the same effect as embalming. It allows for them to apply make-up and make the body look good, while saving the chemicals and the dangers. A big issue is that funeral homes make a lot of money off of embalming, as it is even considered an art. It requires a lot of work and materials. With refrigeration, it requires almost no work, and no materials, but funeral homes still want to maximize profit (an overarching problem to deal with) so they charge the same amount for refrigeration.

This isn’t fair because refrigeration is a viable, cheaper, healthier, and effective alternative. But even if it cost the same amount, it is still the better choice because it doesn’t harm the environment.

Final Statement:

Embalming is a commonly used process that is not only unnecessary, but also unhealthy. There are alternatives that are readily available and should be taken advantage of.

Works Cited:

Cremation Association of North America, August 2009 Report: "2007 Statistics and Projections to the Year 2025: 2008 Preliminary Data."

Bedino, James. "JUSTIFYING EMBALMING AND APOLOGIZING FOR FORMALDEHYDE: THE NEVER-ENDING DISINFECTION, PRESERVATION, RESTORATlON DEBATE IN THE FUNERAL INDUSTRY. ." N.p., 2009. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.themodernembalmer.com/pdfs/20080829justifyembalm.pdf>.

"The 5 Steps Of Embalming." Listverse. N.p., 08 Nov 2007. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://listverse.com/2007/11/08/the-5-stages-of-embalming/>.

"The Embalming Process." American Society of Embalmers. American Society of Embalmers, 2005. Web. 16 May 2011. < http://www.amsocembalmers.org/docs/embalming-process.pdf>