Week 6 Blog 1

Very simple for this week: Locate two sources, read them, and post an annotation for each, just like we discussed in class. So, provide the citation (i.e. how the source would be documented on a works cited page), one paragraph summarizing the source (remember, if it's a research study you need to show how the authors got their results, what their results were, and why they did the study), and a second paragraph explaining how you will use the source in your mini-ethnography.

Week 5 Blog 2

The last time I was culture shocked...Out of my element...Where I didn't know anybody...I'd say the last time I was at all shocked by someone's behavior was a long time ago. Last year, I was introduced to some people that I wouldn't have probably found on my own. They were the kind of people that you just have to get used to. Now, on occasion, I do drink. But, usually, I don't drink beer. My friends and I, when I lived in Lafayette, went over to this kids house for a party. They were beer drinkers, they listened to country, and they drove pick-ups. These are not the kind of people I'd normally get to know, because on the surface, we have nothing in common. However, that night, I got to know the guys who lived there and they were all really nice and treated me like I'd known them for years.

Week 5 Blog 1

A place that brings out strong memories for me is the living room of my grandma's old house. The last time I was there was during my grandma's passing. I realize now that the house she lived in brings back so many joyful and sad memories. I remembering visiting the house that just smelled like my grandma. And she didn't smell like an older person, either. When I look back at my childhood, most of my happy memories are of playing with blocks on grandma's floor. Being "the pet puppy" for a day or so many Easter egg hunts in her backyard. Grandma Betty was my mom's mom and I lived with her for a while during my early high school years. She was an incredibly sweet woman who helped build the foundations of the person I am today. Grandma taught me everything I know about being a lady and being confident in public. I miss her every day and there isn't a book I don't read without picturing her house as the setting. My grandma's house always reminds me of the smell of split-pea soup cooking or "Tiny Bubbles" playing on the record player. Her walls and carpets were all a creamy beige color. This will always be the house I picture when I think of Grandma Betty.

In-Class Writing

Do you feel this is an ethnographic study, a work of entertainment, both? Explain your answer. Who are the interview subjects and why are they important? What roles do the interviews play? Do they move the story along? Lend a perspective on the subculture? What are some of the attitudes, beliefs, rituals, artifacts, etc. that make this group a subculture?What is the structure of the piece? How is it organized? Does this help or inhibit your understanding of the subculture?What were some of the stereotypes you held about skateboarders before watching this? Do those stereotypes still hold true? If so, why? If not, what changed your perspective?The rhetorical triangle (ethos – do we trust what the creator of this is telling us…? What if you knew the filmmaker was also one of the skaters? Pathos – what emotional response did you have and why? Logos – how was the piece constructed?)

I think that the documentary is both entertaining and educational, because it is a look into a culture that I am not familiar with. The interview subjects are all the main people from the skateboard movement in the 70s. They were there and they were at the forfront of it all making them the best at that time. The interviews are the whole thing, along with old movies and pictures. If there were no interviews, sure the story could still be told, but with them, it is so much more interesting. It's like getting backstage passes at the concert of your favorite band...the coolest thing ever. The homemade skateboards are certainly an artifact, not to forget about the drained pools. They had rules about who could come and who couldn't and they kept themselves an exclusive group. I think that the documentary is focusing on not only the Z-Boys experience but also the facts of history that pushed these kids into starting their own "revolution." I have a lot of skater friends. Kids like that tend to hang out with kids like me, rockers, because adults riddicule us for being who we are. That, of course, just pushes kids harder to do what they want. Someone tells you no you will only want to do it more. Skateboarders get a bad rap for getting into trouble with cops, skating on private property, and not giving a damn about rules.

Week 4 Blog 1

Can you make any general conclusions about your subculture as of right now? And if so, what are those conclusions? Do you think that what you have been observing is specific to the particularly community in which your subculture resides, or do you think it would be the same even if you observed that subculture in a different community (i.e. is being a server at Ruby Tuesday's the same everywhere? Would a club like the BSU Tennis Club or Campus Crusade for Christ conduct itself in the same way at Kent State? Do the same rituals, beliefs, behaviors, etc. surround all tattoo parlors? etc. etc). Think about how geography, demographics, political and religious positions, etc. play a role in influencing members of a particular subculture.

Some general conclusions that I have reached are that everyone in the band is committed to sounding good, also, all members love music and it plays a major role in each of our lives. I think a different genre of music might produce a different set of people. However, I have noticed that most musicians tend to do the same things. They tune their instruments, set up, and when it comes to off-stage life, many musicians fall into the fate of "drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll." I think that since we are all from Indiana, we share the same mentalities on socioeconomic problems. For example, if Chris breaks his guitar, the band will suffer until he can make enough money to buy a new one. And, since we are all independent, we all would understand his situation, even though we don't play his instrument.