#hazellee

1.       Youth gang

This is a screenshot of the single, “Falling Down” by Lil Peep and XXXTENTACION, playing on my Spotify web browser.

Miller refers the word youth gang to “a group of people, found mainly in urban areas, who are often considered a social problem by adults and law enforcement officials” (p. 144).

XXXTENTACION came to my mind instantly when I read about this word. X is a rapper that was shot dead in June this year. He was constantly in trouble for violent behavior; he was once expelled from school for beating up another student. By the time he was 17, he had already been charged with possession of a firearm, armed robbery, resisting arrest and Xanax possession. He has also violently beat a cellmate for doing “some gay shit” (Miami New Times). He is most notoriously known for abusing his pregnant ex-girlfriend. It was reported that he slapped his ex-girlfriend for listening to another rapper other than himself.

His music combines hip-hop and emo, and mostly sounded depressive. It reflected a life lived with disregard for humanity- both other people’s and his own. Miller (p.145) talks about how many gang members have a personality type called a defiant individualist, which has characteristics that X shows: intense competitiveness, mistrust of others, social isolation, self-reliance, a strong survival instinct.

2.       Secondary group

On the same level, this photo also relates to the word secondary group. Secondary group means “a group of people who identify with one another on some basis but may never meet with one another personally” (Miller, p.140).

X is part of a new wave of Internet-bred music genre known as “SoundCloud rap”- music that embraces internet culture and heavy Xanax use. Lil Peep, another SoundCloud rapper, who died from a Xanax overdose, don’t get along with X. After both deaths, the single, “Falling down” was released just recently. The co-writer of the song couldn’t wait to share this song especially after sharing an old recording of X expressing regret that he never seemingly met Peep. Both artists rap in a similar “emo” fashion, and have face tattoos too- and thus could “identify with one another”. However, as Miller has put it, they will “never meet with one another personally”. Especially since both coincidentally died within a year.

1.      Modernization

In Cultural Anthropology in a Globalizing World, Miller defines modernization as, “a model of change based on belief in the inevitable advance of science and Western secularism and processes, including industrial growth, consolidation of the state, bureaucratization, a market economy, technological innovation, literacy, and options for social mobility” (Miller, p. 264).

At first glance, the first photo seemingly shows a typical arcade amusement arcade, but is actually a part of the entertainment section of Facebook’s headquarters in Silicon Valley. Forget the cubicles, Facebook’s workplace is the epitome of a “modern” workspace. The basic idea is that employees will only have to worry about their work, while Facebook deals with employees’ basic needs from food to entertainment. This new “fun workspace” trend relates back to Miller’s definition of modernization influenced by industrial growth, when companies are making work fun. The incentive to keep employees happy is in hopes of increasing productivity and efficiency in the workplace.

If I could carry out anthropological research, I want to look into how this new model of working environment are actually creating more motivated workers or are only creating more disruptions and distractions for workers.

 2.      Invention

The definition of invention by Miller is “the discovery of something new” (Miller, p. 362). The second photo is taken at Artechouse, an art gallery in Washington DC. At the time of my visit Artechouse was holding an immersive and interactive exhibition- New Nature. Using the new invention of “cutting-edge digital tools” like motion sensors, apps that activate augmented reality, and machine learning software (I would largely focus on machine learning software for this post), the artworks create computer-generated graphics that interacted in real-time. 

The picture shows the main space creature in the exhibition.The creature is alien-looking and it looks like it could be the baby if plants and microorganisms could reproduce. Those who use the exhibitions’ app can interact with the creature by touching the screen to feed it tiny coloured triangles (the food). Or the creature can be told to move wherever by dragging it across the screen. 

I think it perfectly illustrates how the invention of machine learning software changes how we can experience art. What fascinated me the most is that when multiple people are interacting with the creature at the same time, it has the power to decide which one it would like to interact with first. This is ultimately the learning process for the user and the creature.

As an anthropologist, I would do further research into machine learning software and the bonds with the creators. My main question is to know if these creators would start to treat the software just like a human. 

I found this mural in P street, Logan Circle (near to Wholefoods). This mural shows buddha with glowing halos, in various hand poses

The artist tag (@10000buddhas) at the bottom led me to find the artist, Amanda Giacomini, on Instagram- who is “working on a project to create 10,000 buddhas in the world”. For this mural, she worked for 14 hours a day in 95-degree heat, and overcame her fear of heights. There were also monks who offered to come to meditate and chant as she painted Buddha after Buddha.

1.      Religion

Using the image of many Buddhas sitting together, the artist’s intents to evoke the idea of “the ability within all us to become enlightened”. Miller defines religion as consisting of “beliefs and behaviors related to supernatural being and forces.” (p.195) It is important to point out that there is a common debate of Buddhism being a religion or a way of life.

Miller suggests in the textbook (p.195) that religions do not necessarily have a concept of a supreme deity. For instance, Buddhism surrounds the teaching of Buddha, which is seen as a “teacher” and less of a “God”. The Buddha’s teachings are referred to as the Dhamma (or Dharma in Sanskrit), which literally means the ultimate truth or the truth about reality, and the Buddha encourages followers to investigate his teachings for themselves. However, Buddha’s discussion of reincarnation, and other metaphysical aspects of reality, makes Buddhism subtly a religion.

2.      Religious pluralism

I was fascinated to learn that this art project in DC is the artist’s one and only kind. She said on her Instagram that “What was new and different about this wall is that the owner of the building was from Ethiopia and… he asked if we could make it more inclusive of all religions”. So, in between each figure of the Buddha, she stenciled symbols like the Jewish star, the Christian cross, the Hindu Om, the Islamic crescent and star, Native American four directions. Not to forget, there are also hearts, peach symbols and mystic spirals in between of Buddha.

The artist also wishes that her hope and prayer with the wall is that it offers a message of peace and tolerance. The Miller textbook (p. 204) gave the definition of religious pluralism as the “condition in which two or more religions coexist either as complementary to each other or as competing systems”. This mural, and the story behind it, is the epitome of religious pluralism coming together. In this case, the wall becomes the bridge, rather than the divider.

1. Balanced exchange

This is a picture of the flu medicine that I gave to my sick roommate. As exchange students, we’re assigned to 1959 E St but however the “freshers’ flu” has hit our residential hall too. The recent flu, apparently known as the “Thurston plague” has made GW students skip classes and stay at home.

Miller (p. 61) defines balanced exchange as “a system of transfers in which the goal is either immediate or eventual equality in value”. As she is my roommate, I gave her these medicine with no expectations in return, after knowing she has been in bed all day watching Netflix. However, upon introspection, I realized that I could have given her the medicine only in hopes that I wouldn’t get sick too. Miller explains in the textbook that there are two categories of balanced exchange: generalized reciprocity and pure gift. This example, I think, is a generalized reciprocity- defined as “a transaction that involves the least conscious sense of interest in material gain or thought of what might be received in return, and when” (Miller, p.61). This trade-off benefits the both of us- she gets better, and I could rid myself from sickness.

If I could conduct further sociological research, I would want to answer the question of whether there is such a thing as gift with no expectations, challenging it with the psychological nature of human nature.

2. Consumerism

This picture shows the Amazon Wish List, that users are allowed to “save for later” the things they like on Amazon. Sometimes, the Wish List can be used to let people (next of kin, friends or the public) know what gifts you’d like to receive.

As defined by the Miller textbook (p. 58), consumerism is “a mode of consumption in which people’s demands are many and infinite and the means of satisfying them are insufficient and become depleted in the effort to satisfy them”. Online shopping sites, like Amazon, showcases a plethora of items that can be viewed and added to our wish list. A Wish List is different from a Shopping List: The former consists of things that we wish we could have; things that will not fulfill basic essential needs. As people know what gifts you’d like”, this create new desires, consequently making our thirst “infinite” as mentioned by Miller.

I would want to learn more about how the Internet changes the economic climate, in terms of what we consume and buy. I would do this especially in the context of camgirls, Twitter e-girls, Twitch stars, strippers, and their Amazon wish lists.