Ethnography

Ethnography
Eng 313, 11:00am
9/21/10

Well just through observation there is a clear distinction between every human being, always something physically that makes them different than another. When it comes to different races, people always believe them to look like one another, like “all Asians look alike” but that’s not necessarily true. They may have similar characteristics in basic features but there’s always something that distinguishes one from the other. The observation spot that i chose was at the Glendale Galleria food court, where many people go. In my opinion the area where the most people gather at the mall is the food court. It’s always full. Food seems to be a significant way for humans to interact with one another. No wonder there are so many holidays that focus more on the sharing and making of food than anything else. There are several families, sometimes lacking a mother or father figure to make a complete pack (perhaps due to work or un-involvement or disinterest). There are several teenagers all around usually with friends, never alone. Going to the mall is never fun when alone, so attachment to peers is common and reasonable. No one seems to be alone at the food court today, it’s not like there frequently is that type of phenomena. It’s a basic fact that no one in this planet like to be alone, unless that certain individual lacks social interaction, or is mentally ill somehow. But most people with sense clearly do not like being alone. I have seen a few couples pass by, not as many as I might have thought to roam around the mall, but some are holding hands but there are also those serious indifferent looking couples that don’t even seem to like each other, but are merely together just so they won’t be alone in this world. I have seen several of those types of couples. Perhaps they were in a fight or they haven’t been having the best of days, I cannot be too sure of that. I can personally put myself in that position because I have also been “that” serious couple that isn’t talking to my significant other, just walking looking ahead with apathy in my face. I can never tell what another human being is thinking, but maybe they are happy but just don’t show it. Humans are extremely emotional beings but somehow our society makes it difficult to convey that aspect of our deep down selves.

There were various ethnically different people at the Glendale food court from Asians, whites, a particularly high percentage of Hispanics, very few African Americans, and the rare Indian person. There are several branches of every ethnicity but it’s cumbersome and very difficult to actually know what specific ethnicity someone belongs to, so large groups of various people are categorized and stereotyped into easy to remember titles. Most people seem to express usually a couple of emotions and expressions like being happy, nonchalant, young teens with parents always look bored with their parents, while in contrast older teenagers look happy with freedom when around their own friends, probably because they have more in common with their peers than their parents. Most of the people at the mall seem to be middle class people. All or most are in appropriate going out garments, not many eccentric people, everyone looks fairly normal from their outer exteriors. But you never know what is under the hidden interior, just like in the film American psycho where Patrick had a disturbing way of thinking that he did not portray in his exterior.

Like I said before, everyone at the mall do not seem particularly fond of being alone. No one likes to be a loner, and I know too well what loneliness feels like, and it is definitely not a walk in the park. Like it says in the book “Cultural Studies by Chris Barker, we are people that live with an ideology of consumption. People seem to define themselves best by how they present themselves physically, by what they wear, or what brands they must have in order to fit into the society they belong to. One common brand of clothing I observed people wear were Abercrombie and Fitch, Hollister, Aeropostale, Gap, American eagle, and so on. I can tell what brands they wear by the company logos they advertise on their clothing. People nowadays love to look good, they like spending money to have new clothes, perfume, cosmetics, shoes, hair care and accessories. Consumption or capitalism is part of the American identity or more its ideology, because when the media and government try to influence the masses and throw advertising at them at every corner in every place they go its difficult to actually say no, especially when everyone else is jumping the bridge. The modern people, regardless of race or gender, have a common ideology of consumerism.

Why are people so keen on pleasing society? The rules that it has set on the masses? My opinion is (like I have mentioned before) is the fear of human loneliness. That fear of being alone makes people want to please others, to fit in, and not be seen as “others” or different somehow, or unacceptable. It is a lot more challenging for colored people to have a slice of acceptance from society so it is usually those people that must assimilate to the standards of a white supremacist land in order to “fit in”. The white powerful leaders are the ones who have dictated every aspect of our society and the rules and regulations that people must follow. Marxists always believed that whoever has power has control over society, the rich and powerful are the ones who decide what kinds of products are produced, imported, what important events in history get published in History books, what speech or words the masses use to communicate have certain meanings or value. All of us like in a pre-existing world with no say in what rules would be established in our society, so in the book Cultural Studies, what Barker says is that people do not have a true self identity, no matter how much we believe we do or know ourselves, our “identities” are always adapting to our current situations, environments, people interactions, it is never set or absolute. We are all layered selves, no true self. We are all mere products of capitalism.

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