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vovatA recent episode of Real Time with Bill Maher brought up purity balls. I hadn't heard of them before, but apparently they're pretty common. Basically, a father and daughter go through a process a lot like a wedding (sometimes involving cake and rings), and the dad signs a "covenant" to protect his daughter's virginity until she gets married. I remember ranting a few years ago about a growing movement of fathers deciding whom their daughters could date, and this is the same kind of thing, but with a disturbing ceremony mixed in. I haven't heard of anything comparable involving boys and/or mothers, so it's obviously quite patriarchal. Why there are still a significant number of people who are cool with the idea of women being one step away (or, in some extreme cases, not even one step away) from being property is beyond me, but I guess it ties into the Golden Age mentality. For that matter, I've never been particularly fond of the idea of marriage as a magical line in the sand, either. If someone is in a committed monogamous relationship and NOT married, the only real difference seems to be that they didn't pay an official and sign a legal document. Since it's mostly religious people who have this view of marriage, the logical conclusion seems to be that God is in favor of bureaucracy. And given the evidence, I can probably believe that. {g}
Seriously, marriage does work for many people, and I have no problem with that. But this ties into another topic I've been thinking about recently, which is the importance of ritual in human life. Religions generally tend to mix ritual with belief in a higher power, but I don't think the two HAVE to be joined together like that. I find myself wondering how many people participate in prayers, sacraments, and religious observations because they really think it's how to get right with God; and how many just do these things because, well, they're just what you do. The thing is, I know plenty of atheists, but I don't know if there are very many people who don't have SOME kind of ritual in their lives. So what's my point? I'm not sure. Maybe that ritual is actually a more important aspect of religion, or at least of just generally being human, than faith? I don't know.
And this survey comes to you courtesy of![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
obsessical.
1. Would you chew gum after someone else already has?
Um...no.
2. What describes your relationship status?
In a committed long-term relationship
3. What is the worst cover song of all time?
I don't think I really have an answer to that, as there are just too many bad covers. One that comes to mind, however, is Tori Amos's version of "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," which was particularly disappointing because I quite like both her music in general and the original song (which the cover barely even resembles).
4. What is your least favorite word and why?
If I can come up with an answer to this one, I'll get back to you.
5. Ever been skinny dipping?
No.
6. Why is this survey missing questions?
It isn't anymore, and I didn't even have to add them this time!
7. Who have you talked to most today?
Today? Probably my supervisor at work.
8. Three frogs are sitting on a log. One goes home and hangs himself. What say you to this?
No soap, radio!
9. Friend of the opposite sex that lives closest to you?
Dorothea lives in the room next to mine.
10. Color of your shirt?
Kind of a...maroon, maybe?
11. How many years have you taken a language?
Fünf
12. How old were you when you stopped asking for the kids menu and the crayons at restaurants?
I can't remember. I'm not sure I ever actually ASKED for those things. I think most places that have just bring them when kids are present.
13. We place a living cat into a steel chamber, along with a device containing a vial of hydrocyanic acid. There is, in the chamber, a very small amount of a radioactive substance. If even a single atom of the substance decays during the test period, a relay mechanism will trip a hammer, which will, in turn, break the vial and kill the cat. If the cat remains unobserved, we cannot know if the cat has been killed. THEREFORE, IS THE CAT SIMULTANEOUSLY DEAD AND ALIVE?
No, we just don't know which it is until we've observed it.
14. Do you wish on 11:11?
No, nor do I wish upon stars.
15. Good advice if you ever go camping?
Don't try to put up a tent in an ice storm, like my dad did once.
16. Are you a bad influence?
Bad influence, my ass! How many times have I told you? Never listen to your mother!
17. What color are your eyes?
Blue
18. What currently makes you very very happy?
Well, what WOULD make me happy is getting my taxes done, but that hasn't happened yet.
19. Would you do anything for someone?
I think there are always limits.
20. Are your toes cold right now?
No, I'm wearing socks, and I'm indoors.
21. Favorite color?
Red
22. Do you use smiley faces on the computer?
Sometimes, but I use the more old-fashioned {g} more often.
23. You have 18 hours to assassinate any celebrity of your choice. Who do you kill, why, and how?
I don't think I could kill anyone, no matter how annoying they were.
24. Are your grades good?
They were pretty good throughout most of my school career.
25. Do you ever think people hate you for filling these out?
I don't think so, but I'll bet a lot of people don't read them.
26. Would you date anyone on your top friends?
I already am!
27. Does your best friend have a myspace?
Yeah, but neither she nor I use it much at all.
28. George Bush: great president or GREATEST president?
Oh, so this must be one of those Fox News polls I heard about on Countdown! Honestly, I'm not sure you'd find too many people who would choose the latter option, because even the few remaining staunch Bush supporters seem to like Reagan even better.
29. Where do you stand on frilly toothpicks?
I don't. They'd probably break if I did that.
30. You wake up one morning and —wouldn't you know it?— you've got two penises, in place of whatever used to be there. What is the first thing that you do?
Freak out, probably.
31. Have you ever enjoyed listening to Jack Johnson?
I don't even know what he sings. I do know he has one of the most boring names of any musician, and I suspect his music is about on the same level.
32. Have you ever seen or enjoyed watching the O.C.?
No.
33. Do you have one or more Britney Spears C.D.s?
No.
34. Who loves gold more?: Pirates, leprechuans, or Donald Trump?
I quite enjoyed Ren's answer, so I'm just going to reproduce it here: "Pirates love BOOTY. Which is like, gold and pearls and other shit. Donald Trump loves MONEY, which is like, coins and cash dollar bills. Leprechauns love PURE, UNBRIDLED GOLD in big ol' pots. So I'd go with leprechauns."
35. Speaking of leprechauns, is Dennis Kucinich secretly a leprechaun? (Admit it, he totally is.)
Are you sure you're not thinking of Ross Perot?
36. Still have pictures of your ex?
I don't have an ex.
37. Do you have a song by Ozzy Osbourne in your library?
Doesn't look like it, but I do have "Ozzy And I," by James Kochalka.
38. Alanis Morsette?
No, nor do I have anything by Alanis MORISSETTE.
39. Do you watch Family Guy regularly?
Oh, my, yes.
40. Do you ever correct small grammatical errors on surveys?
I think I just did.
41. Did you ever have imaginary friends?
I've spent a considerable portion of my life in my imagination, but I never really brought anything from my imagination into my real life, as I get the impression that people with imaginary friends do.
42. What's your motto?
Nothing! What's a motto with you?
43. Have you ever gotten the urge to do something outrageously random and inappropriate in public? What/where was it?
Yeah, the time I danced on Dracula's grave. But then he came back to life and made me part of his army of the undead. So that should be a lesson to always behave yourself in public.
44. Describe your last karaoke experience.
I sang the Weird Al song "Since You've Been Gone" for my senior year high school English class.
45. Have you ever watched a little kid's show?
Yes.
46. Rock, paper, scissors. Pick one.
Paper.
47. bear vs. hammerhead shark: Who would win?
Probably the bear.
48. Take your chosen winner of #47's competition and put them up against Chuck Norris: Who would win?
The bear. Now, if it were Mr. T instead of Chuck Norris, that would be a different story.
49. Have you ever written a poem or story about your life?
I'm sure I've had to for school. When given the choice, though, I much prefer to write fiction.
50. Have you ever spent over an hour thinking about nothing but a certain person?
I don't think the human brain works that way.
51. Have you ever liked someone solely because of their appearance?
I've been INTERESTED in people solely because of their appearance, but I can't really say I've LIKED them.
52. Do you eat all the servings in the food groups on a daily basis?
No, I'm a lousy eater.
53. Are you ever a freak about cleanliness or organization?
In certain instances, but I'm a slob in more of them.
54. Have you ever been to South America or Africa?
No.
55. Unicorns, club sandwiches, or ninjas? PICK ONE.
Unicorns
56. Water balloons, peanut butter, or yoga? PICK ONE.
Water balloons. They're also better than sex. No, wait. I'm not Michael Jackson.
57. Whose moustache is the king of all moustaches?
Mario's
58. Wait, is it spelled "moustache" or "mustache"? Have I really been spelling "moustache" wrong this whole time?
I believe both are acceptable.
59. When you open your closet, what is the dominant color?
Hmm...maybe green?
60. Baskin Robbins or Coldstone?
I don't think I've ever been to a Coldstone.
61. I'm still kind of tiffed about not knowing how to spell "mustache". Have people been mocking me this whole time?
No, they've just been mocking your mustache. Or is that "moustache"?
62. I'm gonna do an impression now, okay? Okay:
[ahem] "Sock it to MEEEEE?"
WHO AM I WHO AM I WHO AM I?
That depends on whether or not you're a crook.
63. Is there any one commercial you can't stand, even though their product is amazing?
I can't recall ever liking a commercial for Goldfish crackers, but I eat a lot of them.
64. If you're life were one big episode of "Happy Days", who would be the Fonz and why?
bethje's cat Wally, because he's cool.
65. Commitment or casual dating?
Commitment
66. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars?
I like all three, but I'd probably rank Harry Potter the highest at present.
67. Fly or road trip?
Road trip
68. Starbucks?
No, see, a question needs a verb, or at least the implication of one.
69. What is your favorite Disney movie?
Return to Oz
70. Have you ever bought clothing at Sears?
I probably have, but not recently. But I buy a lot of clothes at Kmart, and they own Sears now.
71. Does WikiPedia really need an article about nature's tastiest birds?
Wikipedia needs articles about EVERYTHING.
I'm behind on reading my friends list and replying to comments. Hopefully I'll get back on track after my taxes are out of the way, but I'm not promising anything. (Yeah, like anyone really cares.)
Seriously, marriage does work for many people, and I have no problem with that. But this ties into another topic I've been thinking about recently, which is the importance of ritual in human life. Religions generally tend to mix ritual with belief in a higher power, but I don't think the two HAVE to be joined together like that. I find myself wondering how many people participate in prayers, sacraments, and religious observations because they really think it's how to get right with God; and how many just do these things because, well, they're just what you do. The thing is, I know plenty of atheists, but I don't know if there are very many people who don't have SOME kind of ritual in their lives. So what's my point? I'm not sure. Maybe that ritual is actually a more important aspect of religion, or at least of just generally being human, than faith? I don't know.
 Hmmm... Tastes like Chicken.Am I chicken? Am I a frog? Am I human? All unfamiliar meats taste like chicken, and that's what I am, an unfamiliar meat. What Flavour Are You? |
And this survey comes to you courtesy of
obsessical.1. Would you chew gum after someone else already has?
Um...no.
2. What describes your relationship status?
In a committed long-term relationship
3. What is the worst cover song of all time?
I don't think I really have an answer to that, as there are just too many bad covers. One that comes to mind, however, is Tori Amos's version of "Happiness Is A Warm Gun," which was particularly disappointing because I quite like both her music in general and the original song (which the cover barely even resembles).
4. What is your least favorite word and why?
If I can come up with an answer to this one, I'll get back to you.
5. Ever been skinny dipping?
No.
6. Why is this survey missing questions?
It isn't anymore, and I didn't even have to add them this time!
7. Who have you talked to most today?
Today? Probably my supervisor at work.
8. Three frogs are sitting on a log. One goes home and hangs himself. What say you to this?
No soap, radio!
9. Friend of the opposite sex that lives closest to you?
Dorothea lives in the room next to mine.
10. Color of your shirt?
Kind of a...maroon, maybe?
11. How many years have you taken a language?
Fünf
12. How old were you when you stopped asking for the kids menu and the crayons at restaurants?
I can't remember. I'm not sure I ever actually ASKED for those things. I think most places that have just bring them when kids are present.
13. We place a living cat into a steel chamber, along with a device containing a vial of hydrocyanic acid. There is, in the chamber, a very small amount of a radioactive substance. If even a single atom of the substance decays during the test period, a relay mechanism will trip a hammer, which will, in turn, break the vial and kill the cat. If the cat remains unobserved, we cannot know if the cat has been killed. THEREFORE, IS THE CAT SIMULTANEOUSLY DEAD AND ALIVE?
No, we just don't know which it is until we've observed it.
14. Do you wish on 11:11?
No, nor do I wish upon stars.
15. Good advice if you ever go camping?
Don't try to put up a tent in an ice storm, like my dad did once.
16. Are you a bad influence?
Bad influence, my ass! How many times have I told you? Never listen to your mother!
17. What color are your eyes?
Blue
18. What currently makes you very very happy?
Well, what WOULD make me happy is getting my taxes done, but that hasn't happened yet.
19. Would you do anything for someone?
I think there are always limits.
20. Are your toes cold right now?
No, I'm wearing socks, and I'm indoors.
21. Favorite color?
Red
22. Do you use smiley faces on the computer?
Sometimes, but I use the more old-fashioned {g} more often.
23. You have 18 hours to assassinate any celebrity of your choice. Who do you kill, why, and how?
I don't think I could kill anyone, no matter how annoying they were.
24. Are your grades good?
They were pretty good throughout most of my school career.
25. Do you ever think people hate you for filling these out?
I don't think so, but I'll bet a lot of people don't read them.
26. Would you date anyone on your top friends?
I already am!
27. Does your best friend have a myspace?
Yeah, but neither she nor I use it much at all.
28. George Bush: great president or GREATEST president?
Oh, so this must be one of those Fox News polls I heard about on Countdown! Honestly, I'm not sure you'd find too many people who would choose the latter option, because even the few remaining staunch Bush supporters seem to like Reagan even better.
29. Where do you stand on frilly toothpicks?
I don't. They'd probably break if I did that.
30. You wake up one morning and —wouldn't you know it?— you've got two penises, in place of whatever used to be there. What is the first thing that you do?
Freak out, probably.
31. Have you ever enjoyed listening to Jack Johnson?
I don't even know what he sings. I do know he has one of the most boring names of any musician, and I suspect his music is about on the same level.
32. Have you ever seen or enjoyed watching the O.C.?
No.
33. Do you have one or more Britney Spears C.D.s?
No.
34. Who loves gold more?: Pirates, leprechuans, or Donald Trump?
I quite enjoyed Ren's answer, so I'm just going to reproduce it here: "Pirates love BOOTY. Which is like, gold and pearls and other shit. Donald Trump loves MONEY, which is like, coins and cash dollar bills. Leprechauns love PURE, UNBRIDLED GOLD in big ol' pots. So I'd go with leprechauns."
35. Speaking of leprechauns, is Dennis Kucinich secretly a leprechaun? (Admit it, he totally is.)
Are you sure you're not thinking of Ross Perot?
36. Still have pictures of your ex?
I don't have an ex.
37. Do you have a song by Ozzy Osbourne in your library?
Doesn't look like it, but I do have "Ozzy And I," by James Kochalka.
38. Alanis Morsette?
No, nor do I have anything by Alanis MORISSETTE.
39. Do you watch Family Guy regularly?
Oh, my, yes.
40. Do you ever correct small grammatical errors on surveys?
I think I just did.
41. Did you ever have imaginary friends?
I've spent a considerable portion of my life in my imagination, but I never really brought anything from my imagination into my real life, as I get the impression that people with imaginary friends do.
42. What's your motto?
Nothing! What's a motto with you?
43. Have you ever gotten the urge to do something outrageously random and inappropriate in public? What/where was it?
Yeah, the time I danced on Dracula's grave. But then he came back to life and made me part of his army of the undead. So that should be a lesson to always behave yourself in public.
44. Describe your last karaoke experience.
I sang the Weird Al song "Since You've Been Gone" for my senior year high school English class.
45. Have you ever watched a little kid's show?
Yes.
46. Rock, paper, scissors. Pick one.
Paper.
47. bear vs. hammerhead shark: Who would win?
Probably the bear.
48. Take your chosen winner of #47's competition and put them up against Chuck Norris: Who would win?
The bear. Now, if it were Mr. T instead of Chuck Norris, that would be a different story.
49. Have you ever written a poem or story about your life?
I'm sure I've had to for school. When given the choice, though, I much prefer to write fiction.
50. Have you ever spent over an hour thinking about nothing but a certain person?
I don't think the human brain works that way.
51. Have you ever liked someone solely because of their appearance?
I've been INTERESTED in people solely because of their appearance, but I can't really say I've LIKED them.
52. Do you eat all the servings in the food groups on a daily basis?
No, I'm a lousy eater.
53. Are you ever a freak about cleanliness or organization?
In certain instances, but I'm a slob in more of them.
54. Have you ever been to South America or Africa?
No.
55. Unicorns, club sandwiches, or ninjas? PICK ONE.
Unicorns
56. Water balloons, peanut butter, or yoga? PICK ONE.
Water balloons. They're also better than sex. No, wait. I'm not Michael Jackson.
57. Whose moustache is the king of all moustaches?
Mario's
58. Wait, is it spelled "moustache" or "mustache"? Have I really been spelling "moustache" wrong this whole time?
I believe both are acceptable.
59. When you open your closet, what is the dominant color?
Hmm...maybe green?
60. Baskin Robbins or Coldstone?
I don't think I've ever been to a Coldstone.
61. I'm still kind of tiffed about not knowing how to spell "mustache". Have people been mocking me this whole time?
No, they've just been mocking your mustache. Or is that "moustache"?
62. I'm gonna do an impression now, okay? Okay:
[ahem] "Sock it to MEEEEE?"
WHO AM I WHO AM I WHO AM I?
That depends on whether or not you're a crook.
63. Is there any one commercial you can't stand, even though their product is amazing?
I can't recall ever liking a commercial for Goldfish crackers, but I eat a lot of them.
64. If you're life were one big episode of "Happy Days", who would be the Fonz and why?
bethje's cat Wally, because he's cool.65. Commitment or casual dating?
Commitment
66. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars?
I like all three, but I'd probably rank Harry Potter the highest at present.
67. Fly or road trip?
Road trip
68. Starbucks?
No, see, a question needs a verb, or at least the implication of one.
69. What is your favorite Disney movie?
Return to Oz
70. Have you ever bought clothing at Sears?
I probably have, but not recently. But I buy a lot of clothes at Kmart, and they own Sears now.
71. Does WikiPedia really need an article about nature's tastiest birds?
Wikipedia needs articles about EVERYTHING.
I'm behind on reading my friends list and replying to comments. Hopefully I'll get back on track after my taxes are out of the way, but I'm not promising anything. (Yeah, like anyone really cares.)
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 04:49 pm (UTC)You know, that wasn't my experience? I found that living together monogamously held different expectations and behaviors than being married. It just feels different; the stakes are higher. More of the mother-father relationship I and he witnessed in our own families leaked into our relationship. Of course, that was me, and I am a very small sample. :P
no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 04:57 pm (UTC)God, can you imagine getting a father-in-law who made his teen daughter pledge not to have sex until marriage? A father who demanded that level of control over family? Imagine voluntarily joining that family by marriage.
Jebus, there he'd be every Christmas, meddling in his daughter's life, making sure you were treating his little princess right. ARGGGHHHHHHHH! That would eventually give me a stroke.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-13 01:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 04:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 06:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-13 01:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 07:43 pm (UTC)All you've been missing from my posts for the past week have been me announcing that I'm still here, still pregnant, and really getting tired of it, so in other words, you're not missing much.
6. Why is this survey missing questions?
It isn't anymore, and I didn't even have to add them this time!
Amazing! Maybe you're rubbing off on people.
The importance of ritual! Like the importance of myth! How cool! I don't know how important ritual is to religion when you think about it that way-- I think maybe it's two different things, maybe: Religion is a set of rituals based around beliefs, and Faith is beliefs, period, with or without ritual? I know I personally keep some separation between the two-- as a practicing Catholic I enjoy and take part in (at least before sitting in a pew for longer than ten minutes became so difficult) the rituals of that religion, but my actual faith or beliefs veers off from that, into some sort of liberal Episcopalian or something (and I only say Episcopalian because that's what Madeleine L'Engle is-- maybe her faith is a little off from THAT, too). So it really is two different things. And then, like, whenever I attend a Presbyterian service with other family members, I know their beliefs are basically the same as mine, especially considering I've always had Presby influence on my beliefs growing up too, but the comparative lack of ritual freaks my Catholic self out, and I sit there thinking, Okay, has the service started yet? When's it going to OFFICIALLY start? It HAS started? It's been going on for twenty minutes already? WHAT? Yeah, I appreciate a bit more ritual.
But as for ritual and marriage, that brings back the question of what the heck business of the government is marriage anyway? I still say it should be two separate things: a legal, government-regulated paperwork issue that basically states that These two people (whatever their relation to each other) are running a household together and sharing in the expenses and taxes and so forth and should they ever decide to stop it might require legal action to figure out who gets what; and separate rituals based in people's beliefs on marriage that actually cover marriage on the emotional side. It would solve everybody from arguing, if they'd only stop arguing long enough to think about it.
But dude, seriously, the dad vows to protect his daughter's virginity until marriage? How does he honestly intend to accomplish that? Lock her up until she's eighteen and then see that she is married off immediately? I get this image of a medieval guy on a horse riding up to would-be suitors and holding them at swordpoint. Anyway I always thought it was the job of an older brother to defend his sister's honor by way of fistfights in back alleys and whatnot. Ah well. But seriously, if the ceremony really worked, then they really ought to spread it out to cover every other possible vice a person could pick up, so parents vow not to let their children become thieves and murderers and so forth, too. That would be really beneficial to society. Right from birth parents should sign papers saying "I promise that this kid will do EXACTLY WHAT I SAY until the age of eighteen or as long as they are living under my roof." I mean that would solve everything, wouldn't it?
no subject
Date: 2007-04-14 01:07 am (UTC)Perhaps. It's sort of two different things that are always mixed together, I suppose.
I don't really know that much about Episcopalian beliefs aside from the fact that the monarch of England is head of the Church, and I doubt that's the part that either you or L'Engle emphasize. {g} Actually, as far as ritual goes, I seem to recall learning in one of my history classes that they view communion as somewhere in between the Catholic idea of transubstantiation and the Lutheran belief that it's all symbolic.
I think a large part of the Protestant movement was the emphasis of faith and the actual words of the Bible over ritual. And that's good in a way, because it made it so that Catholicism was no longer the Only Game In Town. The problem came when other forms of Christianity started declaring THEMSELVES the Only Game In Town, and persecuting both Catholics and each other. It's one thing to say, "Hey, you don't HAVE to go through the Catholic sacraments to be a good Christian," but quite another to take the Jack Chick approach and say that going through the sacraments is a sure-fire route to Hell. Of course, in matters of religion, there's usually no way to prove whether any particular belief is the right or the wrong one, but some are certainly more conducive to getting along with others.
But as for ritual and marriage, that brings back the question of what the heck business of the government is marriage anyway?
I would have to agree. It really seems to me to violate the separation of church and state. I think part of the reason why people are arguing to keep the government and religious ideas of marriage intertwined is that they see it as a foot in the door for getting the government to support their religious beliefs in other areas. And since these people vote, a lot of politicians are going to cater to them, First Amendment or no First Amendment.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 12:53 am (UTC)31. Have you ever enjoyed listening to Jack Johnson?
I don't even know what he sings. I do know he has one of the most boring names of any musician, and I suspect his music is about on the same level.
Actually, you might like Jack Johnson. His lyrics aren't as overwhelmingly witty as most of your favorite musicians' but they're still decently clever, and the music is catchy and kind of mellow at the same time. I think his most recent stuff was the soundtrack to the Curious George movie-- seriously-- but I have some older stuff from my sister that is good too.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-14 07:42 am (UTC)