Observations Pt. VIII

Chairs

To be found in practically every building, chairs are some of the most normal things to be found. Rarely do we stop and think about what an odd shape and what expectations chairs have for us. Why have we "chosen" to sit in a certain shape? Why isn't this idea of "sitting" a different shape? Do we make the stair-like shape because of our environment and the expectations that chairs hold, or is it a biologically decided shape?

Groupy
As much as teenagers complain about cliques, they form them. As much as they hate stereotypes they become them. For some reason, adolescents have a tendency to clump, grouping towards those with a common interest and beginning to identify themselves with it, changing who they are. They allow this title to begin to define them and their actions. But why does this happen, where does this clumpy-ness come from? Why does this happen, despite the claims of dislike of it? And why do people allow such groups to define them or be an explanation for why they do something?

Expectations
The expectations and ideas of what it is to be a teenager, and what comes with that, differs greatly per country, one of which being employment. In some foreign countries, it is expected that by the time you are 15 or so you have some sort of part-time job, while here this is not necessarily the case. Why is that so? Why are there these expectations of employment in other countries but not here, in a country that has high college tuition and believes in personal responsibility? Is it because of the history of a country that this is established? Or does it have to do with time and how teenagers nowadays choose to spend it?

Observations Pt. VII

Flowers
White tablecloth, shiny silverware, a vase filled with flowers. Go to a fancy restaurant or special event and you're bound to see these colorful plants on the table. Why do we do this though? Why do we kill plants and put them in the center of a table for all to admire? We might as well cut off the heads of animals, attach some machines to keep them from "wilting" for a few days, and place them as center pieces at a fancy dinner. Animals are beautiful, come from the natural world, have life, are colorful, and are diverse as well! Yet, for some reason, this doesn't sound quite as appetizing. But why then, I may as well ask, is it ok to stuff animal heads and hang them from walls?


Buttons
In a society as technologically and technically advanced as we live in, why is it that some of our most daily actions are governed by "old-fashioned" ways. Take, for instance, jeans. Most still are closed using a button and buttonhole, something invented hundreds of years ago. Yet we still use it, and don't even stop to think about how simple and basic it is compared to everything else we encounter these days. Aren't there more effective, more modern ways to close jeans, like there are continuos improvements made to the iPad? It is almost rare to find something that hasn't been updated much since it was invented—this is definitely one of those few, rare things.

Disappearing Differences
The countries in which social media seems to be used most are all western, democratic countries. The rich, first-world countries, where individualism, capitalism, and personal choice are prized—they're the ones who have access to the internet, take selfies, worry about their Instagram feeds, shop online, laugh at memes. And slowly, the youth culture of the numerous countries in the western world become more and more alike, all being influenced by the same internet posts. These democratic peoples are coming closer and closer to all looking and acting in the same way. Isn't what a communist society hopes to look like—everyone the same, everyone equal?