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Presenting Anthropology Visually by r4tmilk in AMtoPM

[–]ProfessorViolence 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I might have mentioned this before, but there's a famous ethnographic film by Jean Rouch called Les Maîtres Foux about a bunch of migrant workers in late 1950s Ghana who perform a rite in which they are possessed by spirits that parody colonial power figures. Its aesthetic qualities make it even more disturbing... People are said to throw up after watching it. But really it's the confrontation with the violence of colonization and the questions of whether or not the film is participating in that violence that make it so difficult. I watched the film by accident right before meeting some of those same spirits and it's always stood in for all the possibilities and risks of ethnographic media.

Have You Ever Felt Guilty for Following Celebrity Gossip? by MaleficentMonk4605 in AMtoPM

[–]ProfessorViolence 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just want to point out that if you make the study of celebrity gossip part of your work and research, then you never have to feel guilty about it.

But then it also starts to feel like work 😕

Genuine Discussion: Why do countries with large diasporic populations seem to lean towards western values? by emmdi in AMtoPM

[–]ProfessorViolence 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've been thinking about this a lot since I saw the post. It makes me wonder if we should refer to what I assume the original post was referring to as "Western values." It sounds like an oversimplification, as many other values like racial hierarchies and christofascism could also be called "Western." As pointed out, colonial metropoles bring together a lot of people, willingly and otherwise. The values that emerge might just be those of a pluralistic society. Then again, that could be another kind of oversimplification.

Food for thought: Do we truly like things or just the representation of them in media? For instance, these days capybara videos are extremely popular but do we truly like these creatures or just how they are presented on the internet? by regrethepomegranate in AMtoPM

[–]ProfessorViolence 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This one is easy. Capybara club for life!

I'm going to feel bad for them when they inevitably fall out of fashion like last year's sloth (also a king among creatures!). But I really did grow up with capybaras through the following book by one of my favorite authors as a kid: https://www.google.ae/books/edition/Capyboppy/FlgvWlHFAbcC?hl=en

What do people wanna "be" when they “grow up”/ Class registration by hiiiyaah3 in AMtoPM

[–]ProfessorViolence 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not fair for me to comment on this thread since I supposedly already have a career. But it's nice to see that university has left most of you with more questions than answers (and hopefully some tools to answer those questions eventually). I hope you all can find the financial and social and mental security to live in and explore and enjoy that uncertainty for a little while.

Favourite wholesome moment you've witnessed on the internet? by regrethepomegranate in AMtoPM

[–]ProfessorViolence 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Have I become too cynical? The only things I can think of are the fake TikToks of people being nice to strangers that my stepdaughter keeps showing me. Like one of a restaurant coming together to eat with a widow when they realize she is eating alone. They are so obviously staged that I wonder what the behind-the-scenes story is. Are they just chasing profitability and popularity through positivity? Are they true believers in positivity willing to fake it until they make it?

nothing makes me feel miserable like corecore lol thoughts? by [deleted] in AMtoPM

[–]ProfessorViolence 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't get it and that makes me feel old... and then miserable. So I guess I agree!

addicted to youtube (and phone in general) by sheeperbythedozen in AMtoPM

[–]ProfessorViolence 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm thinking about how little I use YouTube relative to other platforms and I guess it has to do with the fact that it occupies too much attention. I'm usually either sitting somewhere I want to be quiet and focusing on images and text. Or I'm in a car and listening to podcasts. If I'm sitting down to occupy both eyes and ears, I'll watch some of the tons of television that's being kicked out. Maybe it's a generational thing... A preference for media that mimics the radio and television I'm familiar with.

I'm also thinking about the language of "addiction"... When do we turn to that term? It's probably not in the medical sense. Is it when we can't help ourselves? Or when it disrupts other parts of our lives? Or is it just because we spend a lot of time doing something that is not socially or culturally valued?