http://www.wabashstories.com/lore-and-traditions/the-bench%e2%80%99s-special-place Stories By and For Wabash Men Wed, 03 Mar 2010 19:22:20 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 http://www.wabashstories.com/lore-and-traditions/the-bench%e2%80%99s-special-place/comment-page-1#comment-31 Matthew Ripley Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:41:01 +0000 http://www.wabashstories.com/?p=596#comment-31 As a folklorist and as a Wabash man I had the privelage to look at the act of painting the bench as a ritual for a class on folk belief. There are some very interesting symbolic elements to bench painting. First is the act of painting. This mirrors the way the bench is used to help create bonds. A group creates a temporary monument together which is reflected in the act of painting. Second is the concrete bench itself. The bench is made of concrete much as the bench cements relationships between Wabash, pledge-class or group. Third is the way the bench expresses emotion. Nothing says I am a ________ better than painting it out for the world to see. The bench has numerous ritualistic elements and a number of truly interesting parallels to rituals across the world. If anyone wants they can email me for further information and I will send them my paper. As a folklorist and as a Wabash man I had the privelage to look at the act of painting the bench as a ritual for a class on folk belief. There are some very interesting symbolic elements to bench painting. First is the act of painting. This mirrors the way the bench is used to help create bonds. A group creates a temporary monument together which is reflected in the act of painting. Second is the concrete bench itself. The bench is made of concrete much as the bench cements relationships between Wabash, pledge-class or group. Third is the way the bench expresses emotion. Nothing says I am a ________ better than painting it out for the world to see. The bench has numerous ritualistic elements and a number of truly interesting parallels to rituals across the world. If anyone wants they can email me for further information and I will send them my paper.

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