"I can live with doubt and uncertainty and not knowing. I think it is much more interesting to live not knowing than to have answers that might be wrong" (Richard Feynman)
HammerSickle February 24, 2007 YouTube-Outcome Of Consumerism And Pop Culture
"Intention of this video is to show how pop culture and consumerism are making people superficial and stupid. People in 1st world use resources five times more than people in 3rd World but their level of knowledge and understanding is far lower than any 3rd world country" (More info from YouTube). Most citizens are clueless about the basics. At one point the interviewer asks about the "Coalition of the Willing" and the anwers are humorous but our ignorance is what keeps the core's hegemony and imperialism in place.
Cultural Anthropology: Quoted from http://www.aaanet.org/about/WhatisAnthropology.cfm
"In North America the discipline's largest branch, cultural anthropology, applies the comparative method and evolutionary perspective to human culture. Culture represents the entire databaseof knowledge, values, and traditional ways of viewing the world, which have been transmitted from one generation ahead to the next — nongenetically, apart from DNA — through words, concepts, and symbols."
"Cultural anthropologists study humans through a descriptive lens called the ethnographic method, based on participant observation, in tandem with face-to-face interviews, normally conducted in the native tongue. Ethnographers compare what they see and hear themselveswith the observations and findings of studies conducted in other societies. Originally, anthropologists pieced together a complete way of life for a culture, viewed as a whole. Today, the more likely focus is on a narrower aspect of cultural life, such as economics, politics, religion or art." [For your mini-ethnographies: even narrower units of observation are expected]
"Cultural anthropologists seek to understand the internal logic of another society. It helps outsiders make sense of behaviors that, like face painting or scarification, may seem bizarre or senseless. Through the comparative method an anthropologist learns to avoid "ethnocentrism," the tendency to interpret strange customs on the basis of preconceptions derived from one's own cultural background. Moreover, this same process helps us see our own society — the color "red" again — through fresh eyes."
We can turn the principle around and see our everyday surroundings in a new light, with the same sense of wonder and discovery anthropologists experience when studying life in a Brazilian rain-forest tribe. Though many picture cultural anthropologists thousands of miles from home residing in thatched huts amid wicker fences, growing numbers now study U.S. groups instead, applying anthropological perspectives to their own culture and society.
For example, why do Americans have customized urinals like the one to the left? Or what drives the popularity of the video game Grand Theft Auto? Other cultures would surely see these as senseless. But an ethnographer is interested, willing to be interested, in how it makes senses to its users through the ethnographic method.
Use the ethnographic method as often as possible from here on out.
ABOUT CHRISSIE and LEARNING ABOUT SEX vs. GENDER I noticed a lot of reactions among both men and women about collapsing sex and gender OR about some worry or concern that if someone like Chrissie exists (born with internalized male organs but looks like a man) the whole notion of sex or gender is threatened. The reaction itself is a kind of ethnocentrism. It leads to fear and even violence in places and contexts where such threats seem to threaten community or societal values and persons become targets. They are targets used to maintain the social constructed nature of cultures. This is from the collapsing of biological notions with learned ways of being--culture.
Anthropologists can use there participant-observation methods and the power of ethnography to LEARN HOW SUCH CULTURAL REACTIONS WORK. Why is this such a threat? What triggers the threat? What dissolves the threat? Why are so many of you more threatened that Chrissie seems to be? Remember the high percentage of women who are sexually men in Australia is particular to Australia. Notice how no one asked why that is? Why Australia?
Here's a video I am showing in each section today before the group presentations. Posted on YouTube by male user tencups on June 28, 2006. Tencups is short for Ten Cups Golf Channel. George the actual user from Austin (I believe Texas) and he calls himself a "certified golf nut." With his own hidden camera video he supposedly confirms "the superior consciousness of women". The video titled Why Women should be in Charge has a low number of views (3,801) relatively speaking for being on since 2006. I posted a video about 4 months ago and I have over 700 views. What's interesting is that youtube marketers insist that anything with women's sexual bodies or "T&A" (tits and ass) will get lots of views on YouTube. What if the George of Ten Cups is missing the actual context of why women ARE NOT in charge? How could this video support that conclusion?
What I find even more fascinating and somewhat predictable about this video are the range of YouTube Comments. Take a sample and notice what doesn't get said. We shared about this in class.
he probably only showed the ones were the man messed up and there were 500 women who screwed the whole test and hes such a liberal minded arse he didnt want to disgrace his vagina
Tencups is a liberal baby-boomer loser. His generation produced a bunch of self hating men. Can't wait for them to die off so we can let the real men take over. Worst generation EVER!
Strange, in my experience men and women are surely diffent but exacly the other way around. Its the women that always fail to read and follow the instructions. I dont know why!
This is really interesting. While maybe not a reason women should be "in charge" it proves that men do things differently. My guess is the men dismiss most of this writing as advertising. It is true women are more observant, especially regarding human emotions.
well youd think theyd see all the arrows and atleast look at it though you do have a good point it just doesnt make much sense im kinda thinking that guy may have set it up but then again what would he get out of it??
Okay... what was the point.? Men don´t read signs.? We do logical conclusions. What´s logical about a place where there´s "self-service" and you have to pay, although nobody is checking if you do.
Also check out the YouTube videosMen's Power In Society or see Buffet tag about his secretaries.
AGREE TO BE OFFENDED As many of you know, one of the things that matter to me is transforming the converations of race and racism not only in the US but in the world. This was how I began promoting the practice of AGREE TO BE OFFENDED (and stay in the conversation anyhow), which was a gift from a young Korean woman in a hip-hop class I taught at NYU in 2005. We got that people always take things personally and that the groundrule of agreeing to be offended allowed us to openly say so and stay connected. This allowed the possibility of transforming any barrier between people. I am playing to transform racism.
As a professor of anthropology and as a singer-songwriter, I can make a difference in practicing and sharing a new kind of courage and compassion for anothers' worldview. I can combat ethnocentrism by not being ethnocentric myself and inviting others to call me on my own if it surfaces. Most of us did not LEARN to have a capacity for all of humanity however it shows up, esp. when it does not conform to our worldview. Especially when my worldview, not theirs, leads to fear and hatred. It's my worldview I must be vigilant against not others. I've been noticing how fear impacts me not only around race/racism but in how often I hear the fear around this financial crisis. Even in parts of the world where there is NO money to be found, invested or stretched, humans beings have a remarkable spirit to survive and tolerate difference in times of war and poverty.
FEAR-MONGERING IN THE US ELECTION ColorofChange.org (Changing the Color of Democracy) has captured evidence of McCain and Palin race-baiting the issue of Obama being a terrorist at rallies and evidence that supporters at these McCain/Palin rallies have yelled "kill him,"1 "terrorist,"2 "traitor!"3 and "off with his head!"4 about Obama. There videos and other references to this evidence are listed below.
What I find most interesting is how the U.S. media is underreporting the actual evidence and only commenting on the possible race-baiting involved. Meanwhile the English version of the Arabic-language news network is breaking the news quite effectively in this video. Al-Jazeera English TV is the only independent Middle Eastern news outlet. featuring great background pieces and global reactions to current news. How ironic. This Islamaphobia that has invaded US whisper campaigns has many non-muslim or non-Arab citizens and immigrants unwilling to investigate the veracity of not only the claims against Obama but to insist our national media outlets and the McCain campaign stop this hate inciting speech among white working class Americans who fear Obama will make America 'black'.
FROM WIKIPEDIA: Al Jazeera (Arabic: الجزيرة, al-jazīrah, IPA: [aldʒaˈziːra], meaning "The Island," referring to their status as the only independent Middle Eastern news station[1], is a television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel with the same name, Al Jazeera has since expanded into a network with several outlets, including the Internet and specialtyTV channels in multiple languages, and in several regions of the world.
American citizens have never have heard of AlJazeera before it broadcast Osama bin Laden's videos, and guilt by association, is not a democratic value. This video reveals aspects of American culture we rarely see on CBS, NBC, or ABC News soundbytes this election season. Thank godness for the Web 2.0 era where many alternative and even ordinary broadcasters can get the message out.
References
1. "Unleashed, Palin Makes a Pit Bull Look Tame," Washington Post, 10/07/08 http://tinyurl.com/3wmg4c
Check out these short videos by Studio4Learning that offer overviews of some key concepts, themes or practices like the research process: Research Process-- Framing the Research Question
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