Conversation Partner: and so it begins

My conversation partner is great. If you asked me to describe her in five words: Has. Only. Experienced. South. Korea. Her name is Yenyoung. She is extremely enthusiastic about learning the English language and about American culture. I met her in the first floor of the BLUU, feeling like I was on a blind date because we exchanged information about our clothing color (I felt like I should have been holding a rose), I notice her stop talking to someone midsentence to come greet me. She insisted on buying me coffee, and I insisted otherwise. After an awkward pause, because she didn’t understand why I wouldn’t want someone to buy me something, we sat down and began to introduce ourselves.

She is married and has a family consisting of a fifth and seventh grader. They reside in Keller, TX, and will be there for a total of two years for her husband’s job transfer. She shops at the Asian market three times a month to stalk up. Her kids love spaghetti, but she doesn’t understand it.  Americans like bread. Her two kids, who’s names I can’t pronounce, are assimilating to America very well and have a lot of friends here. She was an elementary school teacher back home.

It is so much fun talking to her because even though she still isn’t super strong in the language, she is so confident in herself and anxious to learn. She fired questions at me: about school here, about the variety of cultures the US has in different regions, about the large portions of food served at restaurants, how to cook food, and if I had a boyfriend (not trying to stereotype, but she sounded exactly like Anjelah Johnson’s impersonation of “nail salon” lady on YouTube – it was awesome). She was incredibly personable and excited to talk more.

When leaving our first meeting, we were setting up a place to meet next time and she offered to pay me to bring friends, because she wanted to meet more people. I told her I would love to bring friends, but there was no need to pay. She still didn’t seem to understand that, and insisted she pay at least four more times. Finally plans were made, but the one problem was I couldn’t understand where she wanted to meet next time. It sounded like she was saying “Ace-staynce“ to me, and despite her repeating it three times, I couldn’t figure it out. I told her to text me the name and address, and I would make it there.  Today she texted me saying, “see you at Einstein’s on University”.  See you tomorrow Yenyoung! 

Library Research

Advertisement. The magazine is full of it. By looking at the advertisements of the time, you get a good sense of the people they are selling to. Life magazine has a very broad audience, thus their advertisement would be a good picture of the average consumer in America at the time.

The year is 1937, the October 4^th issue of Life. One of the first advertisements a reader would come upon is for the Remington Noiseless typewriter. The concept behind selling this typewriter is asking the question if parties and a job mix; well don’t fret, because the Remington can “handle both!” In reality, dancing at night has no effect on whether or not your typewriter is quiet and functioning well, nor vice versa. However, this ad campaign sold typewriters. This advertisement, along with one for Maxwell House coffee that “keeps them on top”, plays off the fear of public acceptance and different social anxieties many consumer Americans had in the late 1930s. Today, we would look at these ads and know that drinking Maxwell coffee is not the pivotal point of staying at the top of social hierarchy, even Starbucks for that matter. So it forces the question, have these social anxieties gone away, or are advertisers targeting them differently in today’s world?

The thought of social anxieties going away is almost laughable; I don’t think they ever will. People are always going to be concerned about what others think, about making a good impression, about being able to impress someone. It is in our faulty flesh to think that way.  In the 1930s, the main sources of these anxieties seem to come from what one owned and used to make them presentable. Where as today, that is still a factor, but in advertisement we see a lot more focused on body image. I read an advertisement in Life for Listerine’s treatment of dandruff. The advertisement was very scientifically driven making claims such as “76% got relief” and “kills pityrosporum ovale...” using language an average American wouldn’t understand. Listerine made claims that it was clinical proof, cured rabbits, and it provided relief in two weeks. When I first saw this ad, I thought it was ridiculous and over the top for dandruff relief. Yet looking at it a second time, I was quick to realize that it is very similar to weight-loss advertisements we see today. There are all sorts of new magic diets and pharmacy approved extreme weight loss pills. These use the exact same antics to target the same audience: the American consumer with social anxieties, probably one of the largest and most profitable targets.

So really, as different ads seem to be in different time eras, the means of our culture hasn’t changed. It is our culture the ads adapt to in order to speak to a different generation, but bottom line, it is always the same thing happening. Some ads make this point more clear. Coca-cola had an ad I found interesting in Life that closely resembles the Coke ads of today. It depicted a family drinking together declaring, “Happy moments make a happy family.” This Coca-Cola ad could have the logo blurred out, but I would still know it was for Coke. Different times, same message.

So all of this makes you wonder, is it our need to consume what motivates the advertisers, or is it the advertisements that instill a deeper want to consume? It is a chicken or egg question that we will probably never truly know the answer to.

On a slightly different note, I found it interesting how many of the articles were more consumed with pictures then words. I felt like the advertisements had more to say with their words then the articles did. Yet, two articles that really caught my eye based on content was an article talking about the “spectacular Nazi Congress” and another about the women of the KKK in a church in Washington. Of course there is a picture revealing the scene being talked about, and it was that picture that included a flaming cross at the front of a church, that really caught me off guard. I’ve learned about the KKK in school, and have seen it replicated in movies, but have never seen a true account. The image is shocking, especially in the fact that it is women that are part of the Klan. During this time men were still clearly seen above women (advertisement helps verify by targeting all vacuum cleaners and kitchen supplies to women), yet women were allowed in the Klan and seemed to play a significant role. It’s sad they would play such a large part in degrading a race, yet they themselves aren’t even considered equals in their own home. I found that article very eerie.

Overall, I really enjoyed looking at the 1937 edition of Life. It is cool to see how our generation relates to the people of that time and how our cultures overlap. It is interesting how true that is considering the vast difference of what was happening then compared with now. Even though we have evolved in many ways, there is always going to be a story to report and a product to sell.