Tag archives for Taboo
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Everyday, millions of Americans go to work. Most have traditional careers and strive for a life of normalcy and creature comforts. However, there are some people that have professions that are on the fringe. Dynamic jobs that many would find strange, and even, taboo. Here are some of the odd jobs that we’ll be talking…
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Collecting is a human trait and people have been building collections of objects since ancient Egypt. Collections are a means of expressing passions and personality and their arrangement gives people a since of order. In fact, most people collect something, whether it be figurines of their favorite animal, memorabilia from their favorite sport’s team However…
In this week’s episode of Taboo: Changing Gender viewers meet a wide array of people who have chosen to change their gender or even live outside of the binary gender choices. However, gender can actually be a complicated question when it applies to all aspects of a human being. There are many of variables outside…
In Western Culture people have two choices when marking their gender on the census or any other legal documentation. You can be male or female, nothing else. However in cultures all across the world other genders have been traditionally and still are recognized. While not common, it is not unusual for individuals to have a…
There are several definition of the word “fetish.” In psychology, one definition is that a fetish is an “object” that provides sexual gratification. It can be an object or bodily part whose real or fantasized presence is psychologically necessary for sexual gratification. It may even interfere with “normal” sexual encounters. However, there are many accepted…
Attraction still mystifies scientists, why one person is attracted to certain people or even objects and not others. However, science is getting closer to identifying the components that equal desire between two people. As seen in this week’s Taboo: Strange Passions, what a person desires is sometimes not what other people consider normal. Is it…
While the human divorce rate skyrockets, many people look to animals, especially our pets, as a better example of how to love and treat one another. Do animals really know how to have long-term meaningful relationships with one another? In this week’s episode, Taboo explores some weird weddings, including one that is specifically for dogs.…
What’s a weird wedding without unique, or at least nontraditional, wedding attire? This week’s episode of Taboo explores the world of strange weddings and viewers will get a gander at a few interesting ways to dress up (and dress down) an unusual wedding. In the United States we normally expect brides to walk down the…
In this week’s episode of Taboo, the show explores the world of people who do jobs that most of us would never want to do, no matter the pay. Some of these jobs are so disgusting that they fall under the realm of taboo. However, some of these nasty jobs are incredibly important to society.…
According to the Environmental Protection agency, in 2010, Americans generated about 250 million tons of trash. That is 4.6 pounds of trash per person, per day. In other countries, the rate of trash generation is similar and there are fewer regulations in some places for how this trash is managed. One man’s trash truly is…
This Week in Taboo: Stubs the Cat Mayor, The Rich Kids of Instagram, and Reality TV-Induced Hysteria
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It’s been a busy week for all things Taboo. First, we had Stubs the Cat celebrating 15 years as mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska. That’s right, many years ago the people of Talkeetna, underwhelmed by their official options on the ballot, banded together to select Stubs the Cat as their write-in candidate. He won the election,…
Perceived beauty is said to be a matter of facial symmetry. In early times, people whose faces were perfectly symmetrical were more likely to be healthy. Scientists theorize that because of this, humans are more likely to choose mates or at least who we find especially attractive based on symmetry. Beauty is narrowly defined, but…
Cosmetic surgery can make a huge difference to the self-esteem and lives of individuals who have been disfigured or feel that they have an issue with their appearance that is insurmountable. Cosmetic surgeons argue that even though beauty comes from the inside out, we all have to look in the mirror and be comfortable with…
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In honor of this month’s Summer Olympics, we’ve got some truly special competitions for you. Outside of their communities, people may find these sports weird, crazy or even taboo. But to the participants they mean skill, bravery, high art and entertainment. India’s rural Olympics: Lifting iron plows with your teeth, pulling vehicles with your hair,…
The question of when children should be allowed to experiment sexually has been asked since the beginning of civilization. Parents are seen as the protectors of a daughter’s virginity. Yet, attitudes toward sex can be drastically different in cultures around the country and can also change with the times. Taboo: Teen Sex explores the wide…
In this week’s episode, Taboo looks at the sometimes questionable and even dangerous effects that alcohol can have on some individual’s lives. The way people interact with booze has much to do with culture as well as individual behavior. Alcohol consumption is met with different expectations and limitations from country to country. Most countries however,…
Self-mutilation, often referred to as self-injurious behavior or SIB, is the act of deliberately harming your own body, such as cutting or burning yourself. SIB is not meant as a suicide attempt, but often seems to be a way to cope with emotional pain, intense anger and frustration. In this week’s episode of Taboo: Strange…
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By: Simon Heath, Field Producer We arrived in Anaheim for what we all knew would be probably the most unusual wedding we would ever attend. Gabriela Zuniga is a charming suburban mother with a gorgeous five year old daughter and another baby on the way. We’re here because today she’s about to marry her childhood…
Hoarders – people who don’t own their stuff, their stuff owns them – have been around for centuries. And right now there could be as many as 12 million hoarders living in the United States. But what makes a hoarder, and what happens when they’re forced to address this behavior? Several symptoms that can differentiate a…
In a poor, remote village on the Thai-Burmese border, many local Kayan women carry an item of great value – brass rings – around their necks. These shiny collars can weigh up to twenty-two pounds, disfiguring the bodies of those who wear them. This tradition has been part of Kayan culture for nearly one thousand years, and ancient…
Taboo: Strange LovePremieres Wednesday 10P et/pt Child Weddingsby Kiran Krishna ShresthaProducer Marriage in Nepal and anywhere else in the world is a happy, colourful and exciting occasion. Growing up in Nepal, we heard of child marriages but actually witnessing these little ones tying the knot were uncomfortable moments for me and the Nepa-laya crew. As…
In tonight’s episode of Taboo, Narcotics, we explore how drugs are used around the world, sometimes to the chagrin and sometimes to the celebration of the surrounding society. To Santo Daime followers, ayahuasca is not a drug, but a path to the Divine. Watch Video >> Medical marijuana use is on the rise in California — and…
