When I was a senior in college, my last semester a took a class about dogs. It was an English class and we read books about dogs. I cannot remember the name of the class, but it was catchy because it was a Tom McBride class and I think he spent a lot of time naming his classes. The final paper for the class was to be about how we like dogs (and cats too) because they bring us closer to nature due to the fact we name them thus giving them agency.
In all honesty I was not all that into this class for various reasons, one simply being it was an English class and I had found out a few days into my first college English class that I hated English classes. I took the class for two reasons: 1) I needed another class to round out my schedule and 2) It was Tom McBride and I knew he'd let me into the class because he liked me (even if I thought for a long time he was freaked out by me because he found me one spring day my junior year murdering a paper with a pair of scissors). Anyways, on the last day of class, Tom McBride began talking (and talking) about how we humanize dogs (and cats too) because we name them, making them like us and thus bringing us closer to nature.
And the only thing I could think was: OMG! I totally made my computer humanized because I named it! My computer (who is named Jess) had agency because I named it. I have it a personality! I connected the the computer a deeper level because I gave it a name! However, as I laughed at this in my sleep deprived state on late May, I realized that Jess did not bring me clo
ser to nature by giving it a name, which was why Tom McBride claimed we named dogs and kept them around. And, no matter how much social construction I give the computer, in the end he is still a computer no matter how much personality he displays to me (and my dad). I went on with the final paper babbling about how dogs and cats connect us to nature and tragically no matter how many electoric items I name, they will not bring me closer to nature.
This paper seemed a fitting end to my college career for various reasons. One, senior year was the year I began naming things left and right. I had always sworn objects (almost all objects) had some sort of personality. My first cell phone had a mind of its own, thus it was nicknmaed the Getto Phone (spelled wrong because that was how strange the phone was). It would claim I had text messages, when I was unable to recieve them. For days on end it would claim I had voice mail, when I never did. It would turn itself off, ring for no reason, and once for a whole week it just stopped working all together for no reason that was ever explained. Since I was a small child I talked to things that would not talk back. I have always spoken to the computer, the printer, the radio, the car. However, one day while trying to figure out why my laptop of a year was acting like a teenage, broody boy it hit me he was acting like the Jess character from Gilmore Girls. Thus, I just started calling him Jess. My dad started calling him Jess. My friends started calling him Jess. We all acted like Jess was a person, as I swear to god he can hear me.
I came across a few people in my days that do not believe that Jess has a personality. I have had many arguments with them that my electoric objects do have personalities and they just think I am nuts. I think maybe Tom McBride thought I was nuts while reading my final essay of my undergraduate career. It was about my computer. And dogs. I ended the paper with the suggestion that I maybe should get a dog or cat, as all Jess did was bring me frustration rather than joy, as a cat or dog would.
It is three years later. I still have Jess (he seems to behave better in his later years now and gotten over the fact he is a Dell computer with an Apple sticker over the Dell logo) and I do not have a dog, or cat. I did baby sit a dog this past weekend (or dog sit.) Thus, it got me to thinking about my computer essay.
In all honesty I was not all that into this class for various reasons, one simply being it was an English class and I had found out a few days into my first college English class that I hated English classes. I took the class for two reasons: 1) I needed another class to round out my schedule and 2) It was Tom McBride and I knew he'd let me into the class because he liked me (even if I thought for a long time he was freaked out by me because he found me one spring day my junior year murdering a paper with a pair of scissors). Anyways, on the last day of class, Tom McBride began talking (and talking) about how we humanize dogs (and cats too) because we name them, making them like us and thus bringing us closer to nature.
And the only thing I could think was: OMG! I totally made my computer humanized because I named it! My computer (who is named Jess) had agency because I named it. I have it a personality! I connected the the computer a deeper level because I gave it a name! However, as I laughed at this in my sleep deprived state on late May, I realized that Jess did not bring me clo
ser to nature by giving it a name, which was why Tom McBride claimed we named dogs and kept them around. And, no matter how much social construction I give the computer, in the end he is still a computer no matter how much personality he displays to me (and my dad). I went on with the final paper babbling about how dogs and cats connect us to nature and tragically no matter how many electoric items I name, they will not bring me closer to nature.This paper seemed a fitting end to my college career for various reasons. One, senior year was the year I began naming things left and right. I had always sworn objects (almost all objects) had some sort of personality. My first cell phone had a mind of its own, thus it was nicknmaed the Getto Phone (spelled wrong because that was how strange the phone was). It would claim I had text messages, when I was unable to recieve them. For days on end it would claim I had voice mail, when I never did. It would turn itself off, ring for no reason, and once for a whole week it just stopped working all together for no reason that was ever explained. Since I was a small child I talked to things that would not talk back. I have always spoken to the computer, the printer, the radio, the car. However, one day while trying to figure out why my laptop of a year was acting like a teenage, broody boy it hit me he was acting like the Jess character from Gilmore Girls. Thus, I just started calling him Jess. My dad started calling him Jess. My friends started calling him Jess. We all acted like Jess was a person, as I swear to god he can hear me.
I came across a few people in my days that do not believe that Jess has a personality. I have had many arguments with them that my electoric objects do have personalities and they just think I am nuts. I think maybe Tom McBride thought I was nuts while reading my final essay of my undergraduate career. It was about my computer. And dogs. I ended the paper with the suggestion that I maybe should get a dog or cat, as all Jess did was bring me frustration rather than joy, as a cat or dog would.
It is three years later. I still have Jess (he seems to behave better in his later years now and gotten over the fact he is a Dell computer with an Apple sticker over the Dell logo) and I do not have a dog, or cat. I did baby sit a dog this past weekend (or dog sit.) Thus, it got me to thinking about my computer essay.
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