Response To Lead Blog October 23

language is a fascinating thing. It can bring strangers together andbe the material of amazing conversations. In all honesty, this video was rather difficult for me to understand. I imagined that it would switch from people speaking English to other people speaking different languages. However, it seemed like the people were mostly speaking in English. My confusion resulted from not being able to access the subtitles when foreign languages were spoken. Despite this, I do understand the beauty of being bilingual. I speak Arabic and English fluently, and I believe that it is a wonderful thing to speak multiple languages. It adds a unique aspect to your life. I can switch between the languages accordingly. Whenever I tell anyone that I can speak Arabic, the reactions I get are priceless. Some people are stunned. Others just think it's really cool, and others ask me to say something in Arabic. Also, being bilingual allows me to more easily learn a new language. I am learning Spanish right now, and I find it easy to learn. It's also nice to be able to speak two languages because if I needed to convey a private message to someone, I could say what I need to say in the language I find appropriate. For example, if I am having a personal phone call with a family member, I may speak in Arabic in order to keep it private. These are just some of the advantages of being bilingual. I am thankful that I am able to speak more than one language.

Response To Lead Blog October 16

I've never really thought much about Whole Foods. I've been there a few times, and the only product I am familiar with is their fruit tarts. They are rather delicious, and I recommend them to anyone who loves some good desserts. Moving on, I thought the article was hilarious. Before reading it, I wasn't expecting to get a good laugh out of it since I don't know much about Whole Foods and what all they sell. I think the way the author exaggerated the events of her experience made the article all the more entertaining. That's the talent comedians possess. They are able to turn an every day experience into a funny story. I also agree that it is mind boggling how gullible human beings are. We believe anything that is said to have good for us. The idea of a machine that tells you how "ugly" you are sounds utterly ridiculous to me, and I couldn't tell if the author was serious or if she was just joking.  I think that this article was meant to satirize human tendency to easily fall into trends. It's interesting to hear some one's perspective on this topic. It's hard to pick which theory actually applies to this situation.

Response to Lead Blog October 9

Mean girls is one of those movies that I've heard about so much that I wonder what all the buzz is about. People quote it all the time, and honestly, I feel that these references don't sound like anything people wouldn't usually say. I haven't actually seen this film, but I have heard of the characters. However, I found this clip rather entertaining. I got the impression that it was a montage of different scenes put together. The ridiculousness of some of the lines was definitely chuckle worthy. To me, high school dramas are kind of ridiculous in general. I've been through high school, and life doesn't revolve around the "popular people." In fact, I never noticed distinct cliques at my school. Despite this, it's interesting watching the unraveling of plots of stories like this. Mean girls seems like a highly exaggerated portrayal of high school. I personally found it hard to pinpoint an exact humor theory that made this clip funny. Perhaps it was the sheer silliness of it. Relief theory could be the winner because the viewer might be relieved that high school isn't really the way it is portrayed in the movie. Either way, Mean Girls is still funny, however, I don't understand why it is considered classic.

Response to Lead Blog October 2

I've never been a fan of these types of videos. Every "Try Not To Laugh" challenge video I've attempted to watch has been visual. It's usually one of those videos with music and pictures. However, I was pleasantly surprised at this one. The style and structure was similar to that of a game show. I appreciated the presence of a host because it allowed me to somewhat understand what was happening. Unfortunately, even with the assistance of my mom, who tried to describe the video to me as much as she could, I was still confused. It seemed that each reaction lasted only a few seconds to a minute, and most of the time, the videos to which the people were reacting didn't seem to be audible to the viewer. However, I did enjoy some parts. My favorite moment was when the clip of the baby calling for his dad was shown. It was hilarious when the mail hit him in the face. Admittedly, I felt kind of bad for laughing about it because that poor little kid was probably shocked out of his mind. I think that both incongruity and superiority theory apply to this clip. As Kirsten said, no one would have expected the kid to get hit in the face. also, the laughter was sympathetic. We laugh because we feel bad for him. Another aspect of this video that I enjoyed was the participants' commentary on the clips they were shown. I found the comments they were making funnier than the videos themselves. Contrary to what I said before, I love watching reaction videos. The best ones are ones which include passionate, genuine reactions. I sometimes get the impression that people are exaggerating their reactions because they know that they are on camera. Reverse psychology is an interesting concept. When one is told not to perform a certain action, they feel compelled to do it just because they were told not to. I was laughing before I even clicked on the video. Throughout it, Iwas suppressing a smile. That may have been how the participants felt. As a whole, the video had its positives and negatives, but it gave me something to think about.