Today was my first (intentional) ethnography. I have been quite the people-watcher my whole life and have reflected upon some observations but never as intensely as I have done today, nor have I reflected enough to write about it so today was a different experience. I utilized what turned out to be a fantastic spot to examine relationships of all types, and mostly serious relationships in heterosexual couples as well as families. I traveled to the Northridge mall on Tampa and Nordhoff this Sunday, September 19, 2010, at about 1:45pm and began my observations by finding a place to sit which happened to be between the JC Penney and Vitamin world under a large glass dome that allowed plenty of beautiful sunlight to infiltrate and fill the space with warm light. It was a prime time during the week and during the day to see people active and energetic; cruising around the shopping mall like they were floating on a cloud with so many visual stimulants present that even a magician could be impressed. What I came to apply to many observations was Saussure’s ideas of semiotics, Simone de Beauvoir’s notions of feminism, and our author Barker’s rules of culture, among many others.
Barker claims that without language, there is no culture and vice versa. The most prominent visuals throughout the shopping mall is undoubtedly the amount of advertisements by way of signage, lighting, displays, and laborers outside their respective retail stores shouting coupon offers “Buy one get one free! Last day and limited supply!” All these signs are translated to a language that tells us “Buy our products because you need our stuff!” all the while it’s telling me “Continue on with capitalism and moving money because it helps our business, our country, and you!”
There are also plenty of literal messages. For example “Shoes, Shirts, and Socks.” For those in need of any elementary clothing item I would recommend with confidence this specific store because of their sign that lets us know they are full of these items. Directional signs let me know where to go when I wanted to find a restaurant to have a good sandwich. I found the Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill by simply following the sign that said “Restaurants ^ “letting me know in which direction to go. How simple a sign could be, but, oh! What it encourages is astounding!
That simple sign cost me $13.50 but gave me a delicious cup of chicken tortilla soup, and although the service may have been stale, I ate a great tri-tip that was cooked perfectly and dressed with a sumptuous barbecue sauce paired with a nice branch of steamed broccoli to help it all digest well all the while finding a perfect spot to relax, watch a football game which I always enjoy, and help me do my homework. I highly recommend a good sit-down restaurant with peace but conversational buzz to just enjoy yourself and take time to reflect. None of this would have been remotely possible with out me knowing my language which enabled me to interpret the sign that may have said “Restaurant this way” but really meant “Exactly what you need right now, provided you have the capital, this way.”
Having a brand is also a language of advertisement, but it takes some experience in order to interpret what you will find. For example, an inexperienced foreigner wouldn’t have a clue where to decide to shop for nice cologne if you asked him/her “Macy’s or Spencer’s?” But us as experienced capitalists know to go to Macy’s for our cologne, and Spencer’s for a gag gift because that is what each brand markets. Evolved language in advertisement runs rampant through the mall because each sign signifies what niche of culture it offers.
Now once I finally found comfort on a spot on a bench under a well-lit area with plenty of foot traffic I did my best to take in some of Simone de Beauvoir’s messages of the male sex being the Absolute, and women being the “other sex,” that could not possibly envision themselves without a male counterpart. Nothing could be further from the truth here. Women weren’t trying to keep up with men by holding their sleeve, gleefully pleading for perform favors for their men. In fact, the mall is the perfect antidote to neutralize the notion of males being the superior sex. Beauvoir claims women lack “concrete means for organizing themselves into a unit.” Well the mall seems to cure that ailment. Rarely did I see a group of men wandering, but frequently did I notice small tribes of females ranging from teenagers to grown women out and about in their groups, chatting gleefully amongst themselves. Not only were they out, organized, and energized, but I expected to see them here in the mall and when I did see a group of males without female company here some cultural influence in me always thought to raise the question, “Are these guys gay?” How it has turned on its head. For every single mother proudly leading her children throughout her shopping conquest, it was a shock to notice a single father doing the same for him and his children without the guidance of a female counterpart. There are no slave/master relationships here. Not unless you consider patrons of the shopping mall slave to the business ventures of capitalism.
It’s incredible what information is possible to gather by just seeing a person and reading certain signs. Every assumption and pre-conceived notion conjured by my thoughts today depended all on Saussure’s concepts of semiotics. Without A there is no B and there is only A because there is B. Applying this to my observations, there is no wife without the husband, are there are no parents without the company of children. This stood out no more prominent then when I noticed a group of three walking about, one man and two women. The possibilities of their relationships shot off in my head like fireworks. I know the two on the right are in a relationship because they are holding hands while one single female walks casually at their pace moving forward, head angled so that she can talk eye to eye with the couple. She is single because the other two are together. The three of them are not all friends because the two in the relationship are not just friends, they are something more. This signal of a deeper relationship tends to make company in the immediate presence uncomfortable, mostly if their company is not in a relationship. This automatic negative feeling is felt by the majority of the population when seeing a situation like this and to be the one in the line of critical fire, like the single woman is here, is likely to want to be avoided. Sometimes we are forced or coerced into being that person, that ‘third wheel.’
But to let other observers know we are not a perennial nuisance, buzzing around and destroying the intimate moments of a couple by just being single, many don a sign that tells others, ”I, too, am in a committed relationship. No need to judge my capability of being desirable.” It’s a little gold band at the base of, cleverly enough, one’s ring finger and it is called an engagement or wedding ring. The use of the wedding ring, according to Wikipedia, traces its roots back to Roman times. According to the prayer book of Edward VI, after the words 'with this ring I thee wed' follow the words 'This gold and silver I give thee', at which point the groom was supposed to hand a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride (Kunz PhD. DSc., George Frederick (1917). Rings for the Finger). Obviously in this culture most of us don’t have the resources to afford a bag of gold for our spouse, but the symbolic ring has stuck around and proves to all that you have an eternal bond. De Beauvoir’s “Woman as Other,” has stuck out yet again and tried to prove her message by introducing the engagement ring. Both man and wife will wear the wedding band as a symbol of eternal companionship to one another but only will a female wear an engagement ring, the symbolic gesture of “I promise to promise.” Earlier, in the 20th century and before, a woman had to earn the engagement ring by proving she was fit to be alongside a man as proof she was not so inferior to be incompatible. This, however, has evolved into a more equal, if not feminine dominated gesture. Today, the man not only has to earn the privilege of female companionship and earn her trust to consider marriage, but now the engagement ring not only has to be present, but has to be good enough. That’s what else the mall is for. After spending a few minutes by the jewelry store I noticed a couple ogling the shiny jewelry. Unsure of whether it was a ring she desired or a different accessory, it was clear to me she was there to shop and he was there to buy. De Beauvoir’s message is being received by Los Angeles culture and women are gaining their power and influence to even the playing field. Unfortunately I don’t see it being done here on an intellectual level, but through a capitalist level. “Prove to me your worthy enough by showing me what things you are capable of getting…and give them to me.” Many kids are growing up with the feeling today that true love and the meaning of companionship is a Mercedes C Class and a diamond ring big enough to scratch one’s eyes while wiping away the tears of a failing relationship. Sorry to be cynical.
If there is no A without B, my observations proved that all A’s stick together as much as all B’s stay together as well. When I saw a white man in a relationship, what followed was a white woman, and when I saw an Asian woman paired with someone, that someone was always an Asian male. Biologically, all A’s beget A’s. In other words, if each pair had a family with them in the form of kids, the kids were naturally the same race and possessed similar features of the parents. This would lead me to believe if the children grew up seeing and A with an A (Asian with an Asian, or a Latino with a Latino), it would be defective to see an A with a B, the B in this case being a man or woman of a different race, let’s say white. Although I saw an even spread of different cultures and races throughout my observations, I made a point to distinguish each inter-racial couple. I may have seen a hundred different couples today, but only two couples stood out to me as inter-racial, the first being a black man with a white woman, and the second couple while I ate was a white man and an Asian woman. These were the most prominent of “mismatches” I failed to recognize as consistently as I had hoped for. Even people of the same style stick together. It is arguable that once a man or woman finds a suitable partner, he or she tends to adopt certain traits and styles of their partner, but that is when a B becomes an A. The young couple I saw were both rocker-types with several facial piercings between them, tight jeans, and loud designs decorating their t-shirts. The couple in the jewelry stored both dressed in business attire, the man confidently wearing a sport coat and button-up shirt with slacks as his lady dressed effortlessly in a quality-material blouse and appropriate length skirt with heels. I even noticed a couple who happen to be a bit different in personal appearance but made up for that discrepancy because they were both in a wheel chair, wheeling about observing what the decorated windows had to offer their tastes. Saussure might have argued that each A as well as each B and C depend on each other to be defined, but my evidence suggests while this may be true, each sign of A, B, or C are not always fixed nor eternal. Race is fixed, style is not. Language is fixed, but communication styles can evolve. These traits and signs are all defining features of the relationships that thrive in the Northridge mall.
(Works cited)
Barker claims that without language, there is no culture and vice versa. The most prominent visuals throughout the shopping mall is undoubtedly the amount of advertisements by way of signage, lighting, displays, and laborers outside their respective retail stores shouting coupon offers “Buy one get one free! Last day and limited supply!” All these signs are translated to a language that tells us “Buy our products because you need our stuff!” all the while it’s telling me “Continue on with capitalism and moving money because it helps our business, our country, and you!”
There are also plenty of literal messages. For example “Shoes, Shirts, and Socks.” For those in need of any elementary clothing item I would recommend with confidence this specific store because of their sign that lets us know they are full of these items. Directional signs let me know where to go when I wanted to find a restaurant to have a good sandwich. I found the Wood Ranch BBQ & Grill by simply following the sign that said “Restaurants ^ “letting me know in which direction to go. How simple a sign could be, but, oh! What it encourages is astounding!
Having a brand is also a language of advertisement, but it takes some experience in order to interpret what you will find. For example, an inexperienced foreigner wouldn’t have a clue where to decide to shop for nice cologne if you asked him/her “Macy’s or Spencer’s?” But us as experienced capitalists know to go to Macy’s for our cologne, and Spencer’s for a gag gift because that is what each brand markets. Evolved language in advertisement runs rampant through the mall because each sign signifies what niche of culture it offers.
Now once I finally found comfort on a spot on a bench under a well-lit area with plenty of foot traffic I did my best to take in some of Simone de Beauvoir’s messages of the male sex being the Absolute, and women being the “other sex,” that could not possibly envision themselves without a male counterpart. Nothing could be further from the truth here. Women weren’t trying to keep up with men by holding their sleeve, gleefully pleading for perform favors for their men. In fact, the mall is the perfect antidote to neutralize the notion of males being the superior sex. Beauvoir claims women lack “concrete means for organizing themselves into a unit.” Well the mall seems to cure that ailment. Rarely did I see a group of men wandering, but frequently did I notice small tribes of females ranging from teenagers to grown women out and about in their groups, chatting gleefully amongst themselves. Not only were they out, organized, and energized, but I expected to see them here in the mall and when I did see a group of males without female company here some cultural influence in me always thought to raise the question, “Are these guys gay?” How it has turned on its head. For every single mother proudly leading her children throughout her shopping conquest, it was a shock to notice a single father doing the same for him and his children without the guidance of a female counterpart. There are no slave/master relationships here. Not unless you consider patrons of the shopping mall slave to the business ventures of capitalism.
It’s incredible what information is possible to gather by just seeing a person and reading certain signs. Every assumption and pre-conceived notion conjured by my thoughts today depended all on Saussure’s concepts of semiotics. Without A there is no B and there is only A because there is B. Applying this to my observations, there is no wife without the husband, are there are no parents without the company of children. This stood out no more prominent then when I noticed a group of three walking about, one man and two women. The possibilities of their relationships shot off in my head like fireworks. I know the two on the right are in a relationship because they are holding hands while one single female walks casually at their pace moving forward, head angled so that she can talk eye to eye with the couple. She is single because the other two are together. The three of them are not all friends because the two in the relationship are not just friends, they are something more. This signal of a deeper relationship tends to make company in the immediate presence uncomfortable, mostly if their company is not in a relationship. This automatic negative feeling is felt by the majority of the population when seeing a situation like this and to be the one in the line of critical fire, like the single woman is here, is likely to want to be avoided. Sometimes we are forced or coerced into being that person, that ‘third wheel.’
 |
| We've all been there |
But to let other observers know we are not a perennial nuisance, buzzing around and destroying the intimate moments of a couple by just being single, many don a sign that tells others, ”I, too, am in a committed relationship. No need to judge my capability of being desirable.” It’s a little gold band at the base of, cleverly enough, one’s ring finger and it is called an engagement or wedding ring. The use of the wedding ring, according to Wikipedia, traces its roots back to Roman times. According to the prayer book of Edward VI, after the words 'with this ring I thee wed' follow the words 'This gold and silver I give thee', at which point the groom was supposed to hand a leather purse filled with gold and silver coins to the bride (Kunz PhD. DSc., George Frederick (1917). Rings for the Finger). Obviously in this culture most of us don’t have the resources to afford a bag of gold for our spouse, but the symbolic ring has stuck around and proves to all that you have an eternal bond. De Beauvoir’s “Woman as Other,” has stuck out yet again and tried to prove her message by introducing the engagement ring. Both man and wife will wear the wedding band as a symbol of eternal companionship to one another but only will a female wear an engagement ring, the symbolic gesture of “I promise to promise.” Earlier, in the 20th century and before, a woman had to earn the engagement ring by proving she was fit to be alongside a man as proof she was not so inferior to be incompatible. This, however, has evolved into a more equal, if not feminine dominated gesture. Today, the man not only has to earn the privilege of female companionship and earn her trust to consider marriage, but now the engagement ring not only has to be present, but has to be good enough. That’s what else the mall is for. After spending a few minutes by the jewelry store I noticed a couple ogling the shiny jewelry. Unsure of whether it was a ring she desired or a different accessory, it was clear to me she was there to shop and he was there to buy. De Beauvoir’s message is being received by Los Angeles culture and women are gaining their power and influence to even the playing field. Unfortunately I don’t see it being done here on an intellectual level, but through a capitalist level. “Prove to me your worthy enough by showing me what things you are capable of getting…and give them to me.” Many kids are growing up with the feeling today that true love and the meaning of companionship is a Mercedes C Class and a diamond ring big enough to scratch one’s eyes while wiping away the tears of a failing relationship. Sorry to be cynical.
 |
| 53% of Bridal Magazine's agree that two months salary is the minimum to spend on an engagement ring (Source) |
If there is no A without B, my observations proved that all A’s stick together as much as all B’s stay together as well. When I saw a white man in a relationship, what followed was a white woman, and when I saw an Asian woman paired with someone, that someone was always an Asian male. Biologically, all A’s beget A’s. In other words, if each pair had a family with them in the form of kids, the kids were naturally the same race and possessed similar features of the parents. This would lead me to believe if the children grew up seeing and A with an A (Asian with an Asian, or a Latino with a Latino), it would be defective to see an A with a B, the B in this case being a man or woman of a different race, let’s say white. Although I saw an even spread of different cultures and races throughout my observations, I made a point to distinguish each inter-racial couple. I may have seen a hundred different couples today, but only two couples stood out to me as inter-racial, the first being a black man with a white woman, and the second couple while I ate was a white man and an Asian woman. These were the most prominent of “mismatches” I failed to recognize as consistently as I had hoped for. Even people of the same style stick together. It is arguable that once a man or woman finds a suitable partner, he or she tends to adopt certain traits and styles of their partner, but that is when a B becomes an A. The young couple I saw were both rocker-types with several facial piercings between them, tight jeans, and loud designs decorating their t-shirts. The couple in the jewelry stored both dressed in business attire, the man confidently wearing a sport coat and button-up shirt with slacks as his lady dressed effortlessly in a quality-material blouse and appropriate length skirt with heels. I even noticed a couple who happen to be a bit different in personal appearance but made up for that discrepancy because they were both in a wheel chair, wheeling about observing what the decorated windows had to offer their tastes. Saussure might have argued that each A as well as each B and C depend on each other to be defined, but my evidence suggests while this may be true, each sign of A, B, or C are not always fixed nor eternal. Race is fixed, style is not. Language is fixed, but communication styles can evolve. These traits and signs are all defining features of the relationships that thrive in the Northridge mall.
(Works cited)
Chris Barker, Cultural Studies - Theory & Practice 3rd Ed.(2008)
Ferdinand de Saussure, Course in General Linguistics (Based on Saussure's lecture's at Univ. of Geoneva),(1906-1911)
Simone de Beavoir, The Second Sex, "Woman as Other" (1949)
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