Thirteen

For this weeks blog we were asked to write about the social lives of objects. Basically, I think it depends on how each individual views an item. Everyone is different therefore objects become different meanings depending on a person and their lifestyle. What may be crap to me may be a treasure to someone else. I think it also depends on the function of an item. If something is more functional then it automatically becomes valuable because it serves a purpose. For example in mexican culture we use corn husks to make a food called tamales. It's a traditional food and the corn husk serves a vital purpose in making sure the tamale stays in tact through the cooking process. It's a pointless object in many cultures and is often tossed in the trash, however it is very important in mexican culture. Another example would be piñatas. A paper/cardboard object formed into a character meant for holding candy or toys. This may be a party attraction, however it is a vital part of mexican culture. The construction and ability to form these characters into a piñata is not easy and is a job for many mexicans and is also a main source of income. Though many take it  for granted and just break the piñata it is a object that leads to money which makes it valuable. These may not be the best examples of social lives of objects but like every blog I relate it to my life and being half mexican these were the first two things I thought of. Both items, especially the piñata, are not only at mexican parties. I have been to many parties hosted by many none mexicans and there was a piñata, it has been globalized!