I had never really thought about rituals in that way before and I was wondering if anyone had any input on today's class. I realized at my cross country meet today that our ritual (a team cheer on the start line) had no real significance. The words in the cheer had been altered over the years and the original story behind the cheer had no meaning to anyone still left on the team but, even so, we still say it before every race. I think that even though we don't understand the cheer because it is a tradition it brings about feeling of team pride and we feel like we shouldn't change it.
-Kelsey
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As a generally socially awkward person I've never really understood most group rituals. I can't really see any practical purpose for them, so I generally don't partake in them. I do, however, have a personal ritual. Whenever I concentrate and think about something I pace continuously, for some incessantly, in a circle about a meter wide. I think the best comparison would be a broken Roomba (smoking and all), that just goes in circles. As idiosyncratic as it sounds, I think it really affects my performance. For instance, when I wrote a screenplay for a course in a classroom (wherein I must sit relatively still) I wrote, what I felt (and feel) a banal, unoriginal, worthless piece of pretentious nonsense. However, when writing it alone, with the freedom to pace in glee, I think that my material was more reflected, and genuine. Although my Prof. hated what I passionately wrote, and preferred my drivel much more.
I think that a lot of the time, the main reason people like their rituals is just becuase of the tradition of it. It's well-known that, generally, people like the familiar. Traditions are nothing more than the extensively familiar. People like to understand things, too, or at least think that they do. Rituals give people this feeling of security becuase it's a constant, understood thing in their life. Take the example of weddings, for instance- most people like the familiarity of such a ceremony. It's traditional to be married by a priest and people have grown up beliveing this. Even if it's just a drive-thru chapel in Vegas, people feel that this is a binding ceremony, even though it in no way is. It makes them feel secure, and they take solace in the familiarity of it all. Even with ridiculous rituals that are just for fun, people like them because they connect us to one another. For instance, when I was little and my dad would call when he was out, before we got off the phone he would say "One," I would say "Two," he would say "Three" and only then would we hang up. When I was nine, my best friend heard me do this and she thought it sounded like fun. So now, even though my father and I no longer do this, Olivia B. and I always do. It connects us in our own silly little way. It's old and familiar and that's why we like it. Becuase we've always done it and it's something that we share. I think people like rituals because they also establish that common ground between us. It's like an inside joke or customs that are peculiar to one culture. Take, for example, even the simplest of rituals: shaking hands when you first meet someone. But that is not so everywhere- in France it is customary to kiss the person on both cheeks. I forgot this when meeting my cousin and his friend at the airport this summer. I held out my hand to the boy just as he leaned over to kiss my cheek. The language barrier created enough awkwardness and then the familiarity of this one unconcious ritual being taken away made us both a little uncomfortable. That common ground was gone, thus creating tension and making it harder to connect to one another.
Another ritual that I thought of in class was that of the cult film Rocky Horror Picture Show. The movie gained quite a following and, though it's not as common now, when it first came out there would be a midnight showing every Saturday night. People would come dressed up as their favorite characters, sing and do the Time Warp dance and throw rice at the screen during the marriage scene. Every Saturday they would go with their friends and meet new friends and they'd have a blast. And that was the whole point. To meet up with friends and be crazy and have a good time. It was fun and people like fun. People like their rituals becuase it creates comfort and stability in their life and it's something they can rely on to always be there. And who can blame them?
~Olivia
(Sorry this was so long! Kudos to you for reading it!)
Essentially rituals are exercises in social acclimation. These all tie back to our prehistoric roots. Much like fight or flight response, they are relics that haunt us still. In the olden days (to understate) we used to stay in small, compact tribes, and were hostile to outsiders. Watch the beginning of 2001: ASO and you'll see what I mean. This outward hostility to those who are different than us is still apparent in things such as social rituals or even, as a more extreme example, racism. Like it or not, we have not evolved as much from our ancestors as we like to pretend we have. Ever feel like someone's watching you but nobody is? Exactly what I mean.
I agree that some rituals should be preserved but, what about pointless rituals that just take up time such as the pledge of allegiance? Why is their a need to daily confirm our patriotism to the U.S.A? I don't feel that reciting that pledge every day makes me more or less patriotic nor do i feel that i need to prove my love for my county through an oath. I don't understand why it was even created? Does anyone feel this way?
-Ashley Hill
In response to Ashley I think the reason that we say the pledge of allegiance every day is not to confirm our own patriotism but to honor those who serve our country and have served our country in the past. While the pledge of allegiance may just be a pattern of words that we recite without even thinking aobut what we are saying we continue to do it because it is a gesture of our respect to the American Flag ( a symbol for our country and our freedom/way of life). It is just like the singing of the National Anthem at sporting events, why do we do it? to honor and show our respect for those who have died serving our country.
Back to the main topic, I think rituals definetely give us a sense of normalcy and regimentation in our lives, as some have stated previously. During a major league baseball game in between the top half of the 7th inning and the bottom half of said inning everyone in the ballpark stands up and sings "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" for the 7th inning stretch. While most people arent feeling neccessary to stretch or have already stretched during the prior 2+ hours of watching the game but we still do it every game. We also sing the aforementioned song which in my opinion is one of the most ridiculous songs of the American culture. Though people still sing it because they are either too inebriated to care about singing it, or feel obligated in order to complete the ritual.
Humans in my opinion continue to perform rituals is the same as why humans small talk because is it socially accepted and we feel obligated to participate.
-Tyler H
Rituals are just part of routines that have been done for longer than we can remember. Since that's the way it's always been for us, it just comes as second nature after a while. We begin to not think about why we're taking part in the ritual because we've done it so many times and the words in it just become irrelevant. Since most of these rituals are old and mundane to us it provides another reason why their point/meaning are often overlooked.
Joe M.
In regards to wedding ceremonies as a ritual I think as a society we use them to show the importance of the event. If everyone just signed the papers or got married in Vegas anyone could get married at anytime. The process of planning a wedding shows dedication to the marriage coming, and gives a person time to think about their future and whether or not this is the decision they want to be making.
-Sammi
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