Chapter 1&2

Chapter one starts off by describing how Hollywood has ‘glamorized’ what an anthropologists is like. I agree, but at the same time I disagree. In Jurassic Park, people die. Death is not glamorous. They also have a plot for the third movie where paleontology is falling by the wayside. People will have to find a new hobby. There is nothing great about that situation. However-with this being said, archaeology, paleontology and any research about prehistoric human things (culture, origins, diversity, etc.) falls under anthropology. There are four types of anthropological study. Some argue there is actually five types. The two most interesting fields out of the ‘five’ are applied anthropology and cultural anthropology. It is cool to go back into history and find how and why things change. Why does a society just disappear off a map? How was this society able to outlast another?

Evolution is also part of anthropological studies. So many arguments, so many theories. When it comes to evolution, when you have heard one argument, you have heard them all. The only time evolution sounded remotely interesting is in Jurassic Park, Jeff Goldblum makes the famous quote of “Life finds a way”.  Sometimes it is crazy to think of how things evolve, and how some things sustain through dramatic changes.

Linguistic anthropology becomes very interesting, especially in the technology era we live in today. There are languages that are extinct now. They do not exist. The only people that may know how to speak certain languages are experts, or descendents of a tribe of the language that is deemed to be extinct. I compare this to our technology age, because we as a technological society has developed a new language. We have ‘lol’, ‘haha’, lmao’, etc. Obviously this is for either texts, instant messages and email. Does this show as a society that we do not like to have one on one interaction anymore? And, for some people, this language or ‘lingo’ is very foreign. No different then going to another country where you have no clue what is being spoken.

When it comes to cultural anthropology and culture in general, we all belong to one (culture). Whether it is a big group of people you are joined with, or a small group. The United State of America has so many cultures within itself. We all abide by the same laws (Constitution) and the same freedoms. However, we are all free to express ourselves in ways we feel is comfortable. People from others countries are shocked when they come here and see the expressions overflowing. Just like we would be shocked if we went to a place and wondered why people were acting the way they did. Here we have freedom of religion, and that is a big part of culture. The belief systems are all over every state in the country. What foods we eat can define what culture we belong too. In America we have vegetarians and vegans. We also have people who eat anything they want. In some countries it can be disrespectful to your belief system to eat meat, or certain kinds of meat. So right there food and religion intertwine. If you fast for a period of time due to your beliefs then you belong to a culture. Sports, or fans of sports teams/players belong to a culture. I belong to the football, golf, tennis, nascar and wrestling culture. I’m a fan of those sports. I’m like a lot of people in America when it comes to technological advances, I was against some of the change, but now I embrace it, and I put stock in some of the materials that come along with it. Televisions, blu-ray movies, cell phones, and computers are a part of the materials.

Culture is learned. Our values and morals are taught us by someone or observation. With your beliefs it is though two things plus reading texts (if your belief has a text). It is no different than learning how to swing a golf club or ride a bike. You practice your skills until you reach a point of where you know what you are doing. You will not need someone there to show you your flaws. You will know what they are. Also, Americans are taught that we are the best country in the world, and we can do anything we set our minds to. I believe this. We are an ethnocentric society, but we do not suppress people who want to succeed like other countries. Some countries do not have the freedoms that we share as a country.

Chapter two is about the research of culture. I had an anthropology teacher who would go to the Middle East for research work, and the stories he told were incredible. To see the pictures of excavation sites of things from thousands of years ago were incredible. It is amazing how preserved some things are after thousands of years. He also leads excavations in Montana and the Midwest of the United States. They look for dinosaur remains. He is how Alan Grant was in Jurassic Park, real researchers look in the ground for bones. If there was an island that harbored dinosaurs back to life, I could see him going for the spectacle, but he knows real research is done in the field of excavation.

The professor also taught our class that you want to respect the things in the field, as well as the country you are in. If you are in a foreign place, you do not want to overstay your welcome. When he talked to us about the Middle East, he told us he would not go back until peace was brought back to the area where he had been doing research. He knew that as an American in the place he was in, he could be in danger. That was something I never thought abut from a research standpoint. Some places may not want you there. You have to respect it, whether you agree with it or not.