Source: Personal experience
Relation: Personal identity is an extremely important participle of one's culture. Culture is the medium through which Anthropology is studied
It is often touted that one's identity is the result of their past experiences, their opinions, and their physical appearance. But I've come to realize, as I grow older, that it is by a person's actions that he solidifies an identity. Today I went for a ride on my bike, as I do as often as I can. People in cars always glare at cyclists here in Humboldt county, they represent instability, and danger on the road. However, other cyclists would wave and even say hello to me as they passed by. And naturally I found myself associating with the cyclists. I imagined a world in which cyclists and automobile drivers were at war, and I chose the half that pedaled to work. Not only that, but I soon learned to look down on cars and the people who drove them. They were pollutant, obnoxious, and dangerous. The actions and activities that I was taking part in were shifting my personal identity, partly because of how others were perceiving me as I continued said activities I believe this is a common phenomenon.
Drinking, drug-abuse, and drug-dealing are prime examples as well. People drink because they want to "loosen up", and because they want to be perceived as an individual that can have fun. As they continue drinking, they start to believe that they are entertaining, but only with a bottle in hand. Thus their opinion of sober life has lost credibility, and the party-life has been glorified in their minds. Drug-use works much in the same way, except that there are several kinds of drugs, and a drug-user identifies best with people who use the same substances. Soon, people start to believe that themselves. Finally, people who sell drugs do it not only for the money, but because it marks you as a guy who knows people, a resourceful guy who can get what you need, and perhaps most important, it launches you into social situations. Many drug-dealers are social outcasts that seek to wedge their way into complex social dynamics. Once they do, they take on the persona of a businessman, socialite, and tough-guy. And yep, they start to believe it.
ANTHRO ACADEMY - Making Connections, Breaking Misconceptions
Friday, December 9, 2011
Friday, December 2, 2011
The dichotomy of small-town racism and big-city racism in the United States
Sources: Personal experiences.
Relation: Robbins Chapter 7, pg. 162
Regardless of how you perceive racism in America, you must admit that it still thrives. While the focus and intensity of racism may have diminished, there are still people struggling under the weight of their stereotypes, and nearly every town has them. You might ask why a practice that is widely considered ignorant is still in motion, but the answers are vague. We must think about the perceptions of success in America, and how we weigh success by measure of intelligence. Many people claim Asians are smarter, Blacks are more athletic, and Whites are more privileged. Racism may be ingrained into our social hierarchies, so it may be here to stay (Robbins, pg. 162). Some claim that comedic media only perpetuates the racial barriers that they try to make light of; Dave Chapelle had to leave his entire life behind when he realized people were laughing for the wrong reasons. Others might say that stereotyping is a practice of the Government, which hands out specific scholarships, gratuities, and profiled responses to people of mixed or foreign background. We are subconsciously predisposed to give reason to the action of those around us, and if a large group of colored men walk by wearing purple and carrying baseball bats, chances are you'll chalk it up to their similarity in skin color and think "gang" before you even begin to unravel the true reason for their action (baseball team?)( Just eight dudes having fun?). But what is curious, is the relationship between concentration of people and the amount of racial aggression.
Small towns are believed to be backwater places, you know, hillbillies, farmers, white trash, and the like. And these stereotypes are deemed abnormally racist, compared with city folk. Having come from both a small town, and a Bay Are city, I can conclude that these assumptions are somewhat inaccurate. The town I lived in
was called Middletown. It had a population of 3,000 people and was almost entirely populated by people who would be considered hicks or hillbillies. Yet I was continually surprised as to the lack of true, hateful racism. There may have been one or two old drunks spouting drivel about the effects of Mexicans on the small-town economy, but other than that, it was a tolerant atmosphere. Through careful observation, and a bit of common sense, I've isolated two possible reasons as to why this is. Firstly, there is not a very high concentration of non-whites in Middletown. When you see one black guy walking down the street, he's a person. But when a group of a people of color walk down the street, a racist person begins to think by numbers, and personal safety. If a minority does not pose a threat, then a racist does not see the need to retaliate. But there is another reason: shame. In a small town, everyone knows practically everyone else's business, and that means if a town as a whole despises racism, then a town as whole will keep quiet about racism. To be different is to be scrutinized, and in a small, California town, to be racist is to be hated. But what of cities, how do they compare? Well, cities like San Francisco, and pretty much any large city in America, has to deal with the problem of segregation. How many times have you passed through "Chinatown" or "Little Italy"? Cities play host to vast sections in which certain races congregate. Latinos will stay in one area, just as blacks in another, and whites in yet another. While the separation of races does decrease the friction, geologically, it does not help conquer stereotypes or misconception. In fact, it may increase them. You can only ever know half a man until you've been to his home, and what despicable eccentricities would the home of another culture contain? Also in cities, are stores and shops both themed and run by minorities. People generally find salesmanship distressing, and to put a person of a different ethnicity behind the counter may only increase the tension between a man of one race to another. While this is in no way a scientific study or one based on much more than observation, I feel it may be relevant. If anyone has some ideas, or wants to call me out on my probable ignorance, I encourage you to comment below.
-T Brierly
Relation: Robbins Chapter 7, pg. 162
Regardless of how you perceive racism in America, you must admit that it still thrives. While the focus and intensity of racism may have diminished, there are still people struggling under the weight of their stereotypes, and nearly every town has them. You might ask why a practice that is widely considered ignorant is still in motion, but the answers are vague. We must think about the perceptions of success in America, and how we weigh success by measure of intelligence. Many people claim Asians are smarter, Blacks are more athletic, and Whites are more privileged. Racism may be ingrained into our social hierarchies, so it may be here to stay (Robbins, pg. 162). Some claim that comedic media only perpetuates the racial barriers that they try to make light of; Dave Chapelle had to leave his entire life behind when he realized people were laughing for the wrong reasons. Others might say that stereotyping is a practice of the Government, which hands out specific scholarships, gratuities, and profiled responses to people of mixed or foreign background. We are subconsciously predisposed to give reason to the action of those around us, and if a large group of colored men walk by wearing purple and carrying baseball bats, chances are you'll chalk it up to their similarity in skin color and think "gang" before you even begin to unravel the true reason for their action (baseball team?)( Just eight dudes having fun?). But what is curious, is the relationship between concentration of people and the amount of racial aggression.
Small towns are believed to be backwater places, you know, hillbillies, farmers, white trash, and the like. And these stereotypes are deemed abnormally racist, compared with city folk. Having come from both a small town, and a Bay Are city, I can conclude that these assumptions are somewhat inaccurate. The town I lived in
was called Middletown. It had a population of 3,000 people and was almost entirely populated by people who would be considered hicks or hillbillies. Yet I was continually surprised as to the lack of true, hateful racism. There may have been one or two old drunks spouting drivel about the effects of Mexicans on the small-town economy, but other than that, it was a tolerant atmosphere. Through careful observation, and a bit of common sense, I've isolated two possible reasons as to why this is. Firstly, there is not a very high concentration of non-whites in Middletown. When you see one black guy walking down the street, he's a person. But when a group of a people of color walk down the street, a racist person begins to think by numbers, and personal safety. If a minority does not pose a threat, then a racist does not see the need to retaliate. But there is another reason: shame. In a small town, everyone knows practically everyone else's business, and that means if a town as a whole despises racism, then a town as whole will keep quiet about racism. To be different is to be scrutinized, and in a small, California town, to be racist is to be hated. But what of cities, how do they compare? Well, cities like San Francisco, and pretty much any large city in America, has to deal with the problem of segregation. How many times have you passed through "Chinatown" or "Little Italy"? Cities play host to vast sections in which certain races congregate. Latinos will stay in one area, just as blacks in another, and whites in yet another. While the separation of races does decrease the friction, geologically, it does not help conquer stereotypes or misconception. In fact, it may increase them. You can only ever know half a man until you've been to his home, and what despicable eccentricities would the home of another culture contain? Also in cities, are stores and shops both themed and run by minorities. People generally find salesmanship distressing, and to put a person of a different ethnicity behind the counter may only increase the tension between a man of one race to another. While this is in no way a scientific study or one based on much more than observation, I feel it may be relevant. If anyone has some ideas, or wants to call me out on my probable ignorance, I encourage you to comment below.
-T Brierly
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