The Sociology of Watermelon
Honestly, being a sociologist really does color one's perception of the world. Nothing just is anymore - it is nearly always an indicator of something else. For instance...I was looking at Harris Teeter's weekly specials just now. I see that they have "personal watermelon" on sale for something like $3.99 each. After musing over what in the world a personal watermelon is, I start thinking about watermelon, and how genetically engineering a "personal" one changes the nature of the watermelon in society, When I think of watermelon, I think of summer parties on porches and under pavilions. I think of kids running around getting all dirty, and then looking so cute with a huge slice of watermelon. I think that purchasing a watermelon has always been like purchasing a big green ball of social goodness. Watermelons were meant to be shared with big family gatherings, church picnics, graduation parties, etc. Watermelons are not meant to be shrunken down into "personal size" so that we can futher cloister ourselves in our solitary lives. While it may seem nice to have a watermelon small enough for just my husband and me, it somehow takes away from the inherent quality of the watermelon. Isn't it so much more fun to call over a few friends, and say, "Hey, you want some watermelon?"
Maybe next time I'll tackle the meaninglessness of the "grapple".
3 comments:
Is that some sort of mix between a grape and an apple?
You know, in Japan they've been genetically engineering watermellons for years to be both rectangular and small so that they can easily fit into the refrigerator. You might research the effect this has had on the social conception of what Watermellon "is" or relates to in the mind of a Japanese person to see what effect this change in size and shape has caused.
If you get bored with that, you could always grapple with the meaninglessness of 'tackle'.
I think that individualism has been the engine that has driven American productivity for the last hundred years. Our focus has been empowering groups--women, blacks, unions, students--and then the individual. Our songs talk of pursuing dreams, not letting anyone stop you, and controlling your emotions and feelings. But you're right--even as this has propelled us to sweet superpower status on the world stage, it has resulted in (somewhat) of a loss of a sense of community, as we really don't have to depend on each other for our needs or wants anymore. Computers and phone trees take care of us. So, I say now that individualism has taken us this far, we radically embrace a new sense of community and forcefully eschew personal watermelons, be they round, square, Japanese, or otherwise. ESCHEW!
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