A New Type of Caste System?

TOPIC: Caste

SOURCE:  The last assignment that I had to do in my history class brought up an interesting radio program with a Dr. Michelle Alexander on how the prison industrial system in the US is our own form of a caste system. 

RELATION: “The population is stratified by a caste system, in which individuals are assigned at birth to the ranked social and occupational groups of their parents (Anthro 156).”

DESCRIPTION:  I believe that Dr. Alexander’s main thesis in both her book, “A New Era of Jim Crow”, and the radio discussion was that our present idea that young black men have to be dealt with emerges from our penal system; the penal system is a redesigned caste system for racial segregation in the United States that is similar to the way Jim Crow laws were enforced.  The way that our penal system is set up now is once you are in it becomes increasingly harder to ever get out, especially if you are a male of color.  Once someone has been branded a felon, it becomes nearly impossible for them to find legitimate employment because they have a criminal record.  Statistics that Dr. Alexander shared in her book stated that a white man with a criminal record is more likely to be hired than a black man without a criminal record. 

COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS:  So imagine if you are a black male trying to find work with a record?  When someone is released from prison, more often than not they have no money and nothing to go to.  What kind of an opportunity is that to start your life over on a fresh track? It becomes very very difficult, and many people have to return to their old habits just to make a livelihood. I support Dr. Alexander’s thesis because I too have personally dealt with the preferences of the legal system, I just happened to fall on the right side of the line being a white female college student.  If a black or Latino man had been in the same situation that I had been in, they probably still would have been incarcerated, while I got off with 6 months of informal probation.  I believe that there is a huge discrepancy in our legal system and that it does not have its priorities in the right places at all. 

Goodbye and Good Luck

TOPIC: Rites of Passage

SOURCE:  The transition from living at home for the first 18 years of my live to now living on my own for the past two years. 

RELATION: “In a classic work, Arnold van Gennep introduced the concept of rites of passage.  These rituals mark a person’s passage from one identity to another (Anthro 139).”

DESCRIPTION:  Growing up we all knew the day would come when it was time for us to move out of the house.  When we were really young this idea seemed scary, then in our teenage years we could wait for nothing else.  But when that fateful day comes, your entire childhood living at home flashes before your eyes.  You think of your mom cooking you breakfast on Sunday’s and your dad helping you fix your car.  You think of all the things that your parents have been doing for you that you now have to do on your own.  You are an adult now, and you have to take responsibility for your own life.  Oh, crap.

COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS:  I believe that moving out is one of the most common rites of passage in American society.  Once you graduate high school, you then move on to college or a job and ultimately, out of your parents’ house.  Living on your own marks the beginning of adulthood for many people, it is the time in your live where you finally have to just stand up and do things for yourself.  Once you live on your own, no one is there to do the grocery shopping for you, no one is there to do your laundry, your dishes, cook, clean, pay the bills…  It’s all on your back now, and from my own experience, I know that it can come as a bit of a shock.  But living on your own is when you really discover who you are, what you like, and how you want your life to be.  This is the time when you can make all of your decisions for yourself, without always having to consult your parents or someone else beforehand.  It is a time of personal discovery and growth.  It is a time to put everything our parents taught us to use to make our own lives a little easier.  This is the transition from childhood to adulthood; you’re on your own now.   

The More the Merrier

TOPIC: Ideal Family Forms

SOURCE:  Living in a household with extended family. 

RELATION: “Families in other societies may be composed very differently (Anthro 111).” 

DESCRIPTION: I went through two different experiences in my life where my family lived with my father’s parents, my Oma and Opa (that’s Dutch for grandma and grandpa).  The first was the summer between second and third grade.  My family demolished our house and during the process of rebuilding it we moved in with Oma and Opa at their house in Mission Beach.  All I can remember from that time was good memories.  I was so happy to have my grandparents around all the time, plus, it was right near the beach.  My sister and I would be out all day playing on the boardwalk with our neighbors; my little brother sometimes would tag along too.  At night I would help my Oma cook dinner and my Opa would wrestle with us until we cried.  I have to say that the summer I spent living with them was one of the best in my memory.

The second experience was after our house was complete and, sadly, my grandparents decided to sell the house on the beach.  Then they moved in with us.  This time around I was at the beginning of my teenage years and, at first, I was not quite sure how I felt about it.  It was during the time when I treasured nothing more than my privacy and more people in the house did not help with that.  I can’t even say how many years they lived with us but it was for quite a few years, until they bought a house boat on San Diego Bay about 3 years ago.  I remember in the mornings my Oma would make delicious Dutch pancakes and my Opa would sit and read the paper, drinking coffee.  Every Thursday we would watch Survivor and eat Beef Stew and bon bons for dessert.   

COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS:  Going from living with just my nuclear family to having extended family move in with you was an interesting experience that I overall enjoyed.  I liked being able to see my grandparents more often than I did before.  It was a great way to get to know them better and it gave them more of a chance to share their stories and knowledge with us.  I believe that families who live with their relatives tend to have a stronger bond.  You not only have your mother and father for advice or help, but your grandfather and grandmother, or aunt and uncle are there too.  Although it can become overwhelming having so many people in a house, I think that it has rich benefits with keeping families close.  Unfortunately, now I get to see my family even less than I ever have before, but that is was makes me appreciate it more. 

Modern Meatballs

TOPIC: Tradition

SOURCE:  I first started making old family recipes at home with my grandparents.  Now that I am living on my own, away from family, I am able to make these recipes and share them with my friends here in Arcata.  

RELATION: “Modern societies have not been kind to groups that have maintained or tried to retain a way of life that is thousands of years old” (RR p. 51).  

DESCRIPTION: Although my family recipes may not be thousands of years old, I still feel it is important to keep them alive for everyone to enjoy.  When I was younger, and still today, my grandparents have enjoyed sharing, teaching, cooking, and eating old family recipes with my siblings and me.  As a young child, I just thought it was fun to cook and spend time with my grandparents.  We would go up on the weekends and make food for the family, always with tons of leftovers to bring home.  Just recently, my grandfather shared with me two family recipes from both of my great-great grandmothers for Italian meatballs. The first recipe, from my great-great grandmother Mary Scarpelli, is a traditional meatball with ground beef and various seasonings, cheese, and herbs.  The second, from my great-great grandmother Rose Esposito includes all of that plus raisins and pine nuts and are shaped like an egg.  A few days ago I finally had the chance to make both recipes at home, and share my Italian culture with my roommates. 

COMMENTARY/ANALYSIS: When I was young making recipes with my grandparents, I never really thought much about it; it was just a fun weekend activity.  However, now that I am older and living away from my family, it is nice to be able to have and share the familiar taste of home.  Not only am I learning recipes that I can continue to pass on to my children as their great-great-great grandmothers recipes, but I am sharing my culture with my peers of this generation.  As the quote from our Cultural Anthro textbook above states that modern societies, such as our own, have made it difficult for very traditional elements of a culture to stay alive.  During the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries was waves of immigrants from all over (mine from Southern Italy) were arriving in the United States, there was a great effort to assimilate them to the “American Culture”.  This effort made it hard for the immigrants to fit into their new country, while keeping their old alive as well.  I am lucky enough that my relatives have kept these old recipes alive and that I am able to share them with others today.   

Understanding Founders Hall 118

Topic

Political Anatomy

Source

The search for a seat in Founders Hall 118, I know we’ve all been there whether we like it or not!

Relation

This relates to the discussion of political anatomy in our textbook RR chapter 1, page 3 where it states: …”The shaping of a human body as ‘political anatomy,’ a way that people’s bodies are controlled by others to operate with the necessary speed and efficiency.”

Description

I’m sure that many of us have had classes in Founders Hall 118, but for those who haven’t, let me describe it for you.  This large lecture hall, I believe one of the largest in the school, is located in the north east corner of Founders Hall. At the front of the classroom, there are two large screens for the computer, an empty desk sitting in the middle, and the computer controls are over on the north side.  When you turn to the west, you see rows and rows of burgundy stadium like chairs (there must be at least 15 rows of seats), staggered up, all facing forward.  All of the seats have little fold out desks to put your papers on, some on the left hand side and some on the right, depending on which row you sit in. 

So far, of my four semesters here, this is my first semester that I have not had a class in Founders Hall 118.  I must say that I am happy about this.  From three semester’s worth of trying to find the right seat, I believe I have some insight.  Now, as many of us already know, the first three rows are dedicated to the “smart kids”.  Typically, these students stay engaged in the lecture, ask the professor questions, and most likely get good grades in the class because of this.  The next section is the middle rows, let’s say row 4-12, and these students are typically your average student.  They are usually somewhat engaged and come to class fairly regularly.  They arrive on time enough to choose a seat, and generally do okay in the class.  This section, I believe, is the broadest.  The next section is the last few rows, let’s say 13-16.  These students are often not as engaged as the students further down the slope.  The often bring their laptops to class, chat quietly with their friend, or sleep.  These students are here because they have to be, this is probably just a GE course for them.   They often arrive late, coming in through the back door, and sometimes leave early.  They rarely ask questions.  The last section of seating is the people who sit on the steps alongside the chairs.  These kids were often too late to get a seat, even in the back.  This is kind of a limbo area, often times they are about the same height level as the first or middle set of rows, yet I have observed that they have more of the tendencies of the students seated in the back.  The steps are for students who aren’t quite sure about the class, it is probably a GE course, but they may still want to get a decent enough grade, but arriving to class on time can often pose a difficulty.  

Commentary/Analysis

The way that Founders Hall 118 is set up is a result of political anatomy, a way that bodies are positioned for the most optimal speed and efficiency of the situation.  As anthropologist, we can observe many things about our own culture by simply examining this classroom.  The way it is set up was not coincidental, it has a specific purpose.  The front few rows, as discussed earlier, are intended for the ‘engaged’ student.  They are on the same level as the professor, they can look directly and evenly into their professor’s eyes.  By being in close proximity to the professor they are set up to be called on and speak more in class, just because they are right there in the professors face.  It is hard to ignore the students in the front row.  The middle rows are for you average students.  They comply with the rules by attending class.  They are slightly higher up out of the professors vision so they usually are not called on, or participate in class discussion not quite as much as those in the first rows.  These students want to blend in, just be the norm and sit in the middle.  They know what they are there for, and usually just want to get it done while still withholding some of the information in the class.  As for the back rows, these students are not in the line of site of the professors.  Usually to get the attention of the professor, they have to wait and see if they make a circulation of the room.  But, if students are up here in the first place, they usually are not trying to be at class.  The students on the stairs, as stated earlier, are kind of caught in between. Depending on how high up they sit on the stairs, it determines how much they are planning on paying attention.  

The setup of Founders Hall 118 is very strategic.  It is made so that all students must look at the teacher because the chairs are all facing in that direction, yet depending on how close you sit to the professor is really how the students are judged.  I think that it is set up in this manner to allow the students that want to pay attention to do so, and those who don’t can just pretend that they do because they are already set up in a position where it looks as if they are paying attention.