Assignment 1-4-3

Written Analysis 2: Rituals and Stereotypes

Kristen Watson

HUMN240-H3WW

Assignment 1-4-3

Gregory Smith

November 25, 2012

Written Analysis 2: Rituals and Stereotypes

I would define a ritual as an activity or something that you do that is frequently repeated. This could be a celebration, special gatherings, or certain religious ceremonies. It is something that is important and has a special meaning to you. According to Ray B. Browne (2005), stereotype is defined as the generalities of life cut down to a fine point concerning a particular subject and directed usually toward a specific goal. We see this happening everyday whether we are grouping certain types of people together or singling them out for a particular reason. With both of these topics defined, we now look at how they both apply to energy drinks and what insight we might gain from them.

When I think of rituals, there are a couple that come to mind that involve energy drinks. A ritual popular among many people of all ages is pre-gaming. This ritual is very popular with football and tends to involve alcohol. It is becoming more and more popular to have energy drinks and mix them with some type of liquor. The effects of drinking the energy drink this way gives you much different results than if you were to just simply drink the energy drink by itself, however, it is a popular way to consume them.  Another ritual that I’ve noticed among people is having their daily morning energy drink. Most people wake up and drink a cup of coffee to get the day started but I’ve noticed at work and at school that there are quite a bit of people who go for a can of Red Bull or a Monster instead.

In regards to stereotyping, this is seen daily when you see advertisements for energy drinks. There are certain target markets for this product and in order to sell it they stereotype people and target the advertisements for them. The different stereotypes range from athletes, college students, shift workers, party-goers, and many more.

After connecting the two topics of ritual and stereotypes to energy drinks, I have noticed that the concept of energy drinks is being abused and used for different reasons than intended. Using the drinks to give alcohol a better taste is not what the product was originally intended for. Also, continuing your ritual of having a daily energy drink might lead to negative effects in the long run even though the short-term results are great.  

References

Browne, Ray B. (2005). Profiles of popular culture: A reader (p. 13). Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press.