Say Whaaaaaat??!!

This week’s readings dealt with the topic of ethnography and fieldwork. All of the readings gave many reasons and examples of why fieldwork can be difficult and the many challenges a researcher may face when emerged into another culture. The purpose of ethnography as Lassiter puts it is to get data from the “native's point of view” and although that is the goal, it is also the difficulty. It especially difficult when as a researcher you don’t have a trusted friend, that’s why an informant is important, especially in communication terms. I think in the last two articles by Lee and Bohnnan really represent how key communication is in the big picture although both of these articles were about two separate incidents one with an insulted outsider and another with a very frustrated outside storyteller, they both show the importance of communication and understanding how it is used, and the difficulties that different interpretations and customs bring to a conversation, story, or act. I think all the online articles are also good examples of how acceptance and trust and gaining these things are a big part of ethnography and getting good data, for example in the Chagnon article the Yanomamo totally lie and the research is basically false because in their culture it is unacceptable to speak of the dead, so all of the genealogy research being done was completely taboo. All of the stories and articles provided examples of the many difficulties faced in fieldwork including communication, trust, ethics, and culture shock.
Many of these moments in the reading I would call “Say Whaaaaaat??!!” moments in my everyday life. A “Say What??!!” is something, someone, or somewhere that surprises you, disgusts you, frightens you, etc. (depending on the inflection in your voice) in everyday life. As an ethnographer you are likely to encounter these moments all the time, for example in the Lee article when he found the biggest bull and all the townspeople said no it’s too skinny, I would say “Say Whaaaaaaat??” in astonishment, because it’s not the reaction I would expect or any custom I am used to. Even within my own culture I find myself saying this phrase for example a few years back remember purple and green ketchup, when I saw that commercial I can promise you the first two words out of my mouth were say and what!! It’s those tiny culture differences that catch you off guard or that you don’t understand that cause you to question “Say Whaaaaaaaat??”. Communication is so important too that when I don’t understand something, like an explanation or definition, this phrase comes in handy in getting people to repeat or explain differently. So I guess my connection to the reading with my little phrase and so call moments is this: As an ethnographer I would have a lot of “Say Whaaaaat??!!” moments! The reason for this would be because the challenges of ethnography including culture shock and communication are so fervent as the many articles we read proved. The study and action of fieldwork is filled with surprising information all the time and as much as it is interesting, it can also be difficult to comprehend and adapt to causing one to think “Say Whaaaaaat??”!!!