Politeness - More Valuable Than You Think??

Though it does not convey an important message, polite small talk is beneficial by creating a friendlier atmosphere. Could you imagine sitting at the Thanksgiving dinner table listening only to the clinking of forks against knives? No, the chatter of relatives saying "look how much you've grown!" and "How's school?" serve to provide an awkward yet welcoming environment, as it shows interest. Polite speech may not hold any important content, but it provides a background for more productive speech to follow. Small talk communicates the intent to befriend someone, making them more likely to respond positively. The cheerful holiday atmosphere is fueled through the friendly voices chattering among each other, and some of the magic of the season would vanish if the politeness were missing. Humans are social creatures, and the absence of some sort of communication creates feelings of discomfort. In this way polite speech can act as a filler, staving off the "awkward silence" that creeps in between speaking only literally. For most people, it is mutually understood that polite speech is not actually meant to be interpreted literally and conversation flows nicely. From time to time where it IS meant literally, small talk provides opportunities to branch out and make new friends or business connections. Often business networking consists of small talk, and people can see who they would enjoy working with. While small talk as well as politeness may not provide informational conversation, it holds value in the fact that it generates a friendly atmosphere for all.

Moths - Cells or More?

When I was in 6th grade science, we looked through a microscope at a leaf, and saw the cells that it was made of. We all thought how crazy it was that leaves are made of tiny little boxes, but then our teacher took it a step further and blew our minds completely. He grabbed a toothpick, scraped the inside of his cheek, applied it to the microscope slide and put it under the microscope for us to see. We once again saw cells, and slowly we began to wonder, what else is made of cells? Eventually we realized that not just leaves or just cheeks are made of cells, but all organic matter is made of these tiny little divisions. Where cells are just a small part of life, the moths in "The Death of the Moth" are representative of a small part of society. Each day is a struggle "against a power of such magnitude", and just like the cell, the world can deal with one less moth. Woolf uses the moth to comment on how human life is treated as dispensable by big corporations, and how like a scrape, new cells can be grown back to replace previous ones. Just how the moth is bland, beige colors, factory workers dressed in beige clothes slowly work their lives away only to be replaced by the umbrella corporations. While cells might not be entirely unique, they each serve a purpose towards the whole, and each person serves a purpose towards society. Woolf uses the insignificant moth to tie the connection, and to motivate her audience to add purpose back into their lives.

Marrying Absurd - For How Long?

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, and what begins in there often ends there too. Despite the adventurous marriage options provided by Sin City, 12% of all males and 14.6% of all females living in Vegas are divorced. Las Vegas promotes a sense of living in the moment, regardless of the consequences. When I personally visited, the first step out of the airport was filled with a suffocating heat, followed by a strange sense of claustrophobia in such a large environment. Regardless of the 641,676 people living there, everything felt strange and foreign. With the mars-like terrain and distance from all other civilization, Vegas has a detached, fake feeling, leading many to do things they otherwise would never do. In Vegas everything has a nostalgic feel, as if everyone is trying to return to "the good old times". As Didion mentions, there is no real sense of time in Vegas, which is associated with no real sense of consequence. People make rash, irresponsible decisions with life altering results, and brush it off as living in the moment. Vegas is slightly unsettling, and is a boiling pot for many of the "off-limits" things in life. Many people treat it like a game, but fail to realize there are no retries. Aside from the staggering divorce rate, Vegas also has the 13th highest incarceration rates in the U.S., leading me to believe there is something fundamentally wrong with the city. From its roots in mob activity, Vegas has always been a place of rebellious behavior, and seems to be a husk of the cultural hub it sought to be.