Table 4. List of conversation topics compiled from MTV's The
Real World: Seattle
girlfriends
boyfriends
goodbyes
new roommates
sexual innuendo
missing friends
masturbation
being unmarried and having children
foreplay
manipulation within relationships
getting directions
commitment
black and white; racism
reading someone else's notes
upper vs. lower class
resolving issues
going out together
misunderstandings
having a date expect "something"
temptation
gossip
chiropractors
stress
aspirations for going to college
military school
honor
working at a radio station
familiarity level
alternative music
70s music
blonde girls
escort services
marriage
opening lines
climate
vanity
the local music scene
being funny
roommate dynamics and judgments
being up front
zodiac
psychics
difficulties at work
parties
missing girlfriends or boyfriends
getting close with guys or girls
virginity until marriage
teamwork
people deciding not to go to work
carpentry and contracting
dynamics of a new friendship when the girlfriend is far away
observing possible sadness
Valentine's Day
parents' being against what I'm doing
exes
confrontation with roommates
feeling the outsider
respect and disrespect
resolving conflict
mass marriage
getting a license over the Internet
male bonding
overcoming loneliness
gay vs. straight vs. bisexual
pigeons flying into the house
what's macho
telling rumors at work
feeling better about new friends
keeping secrets about relationships from your friends
birthdays
announcing birthdays to friends or keeping them a secret
playful romance
pissing off friends
conflicts of interest
relationships at work
giving up a job for a relationship
snowboarding
bumper stickers
throwing fish
skipping work
laughing as sarcasm
compromise
starting a relationship
being to work on time
advertising
getting shots
family: "They're all I have."
getting sick in a third-world country
death of a father
trekking equipment
smoking
hospitals
burial vs. cremation
closure
culture shock
funerals
a helicopter ride to Mount Everest
fainting
altitude sickness
connection between God and Nature
What scares you?
insecurities magnified
visiting a school
visiting someone's house and being appropriate
drinking too much
self-change due to a trip
displaying or showing a feminine body
whitewater rafting
being thankful for good life
getting robbed
losing four dollars
thinking before speaking
getting sick away from home
washing elephants
boycotting the circus
understanding poverty
happiness through culture
prayer flags
being a little dot on Earth
apologizing
new job
competing for the same job
girlfriend coming to visit
girlfriend threatened by female roommate
practicing hard
creating a radio show
getting criticism
hearing your own voice
female bonding
being late
"I'm all about learning."
seeing self-improvement
getting married
fortune cookies
"Honor is the reward of virtue."
body language
dealing with disappointment
working at a fish market
descriptions of "cute"
giving ownership to students
bossing people around
establishing rolls/boundaries in a new job
family coming to visit: proving to them your goals
dating when you're there a short time
Korean food
a girl being with the women of the family
having a person in your face all the time
pretending not to be at home when the phone rings
preparing to perform
girl/guy things; male-female competition
the learning curve
being honest with people facing unrequited love
single mothers getting pregnant
giving birth in your 40s
having step-dads
child abuse
screwing up at work
picking fights
hitting women
meeting unknown family or relatives
not knowing one's own father
single motherhood
poetry as catharsis
deadbeat fathers
military code: honor
showing appropriate dedication
having a C-section
news of possible negative consequences,
e.g., getting fired
leaving a message at the hospital
difficult strangers on the other end of the phone
mother having a baby
creativity in a job
giving messages
interviewing a rock band
what you imagine in a husband/wife/partner
losing important articles at work
hiding one's own illness
writing commercials
making deadlines
being messy
friends acting strangely when they're ill
Lyme disease
telling people you're very ill
Passover
Easter
controlling anger
fitting in
leaving a project unfinished ahead of time
stealing a roommate's property
hitting
asking for help
admitting mistakes
getting over embarrassment
taking responsibility for one's own actions
skydiving
death of a parent
full communication with relationships
suicide
how to be there for friends
grieving
friends with cancer
setting schedules
calling an ambulance
smoking in bed
passion in music
recording a CD
drinking
self-confidence
sleeping through an alarm
fear of the future
imagining a life-long partnership with someone
the timing involved in admitting guilt
last day of work
the value of self-criticism
reminiscing
change through away-from-home experiences
ending a project
saying goodbye