Month: May 2013

Know Thy Data

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One of the most fascinating parts of our consumer culture is the stuff that is behind the scenes: the insights about our attitudes, values and lifestyles that companies unearth (part of my "day job") as well as the data they collect about us to figure out now to get more of our hard-earning spending cash. … Continue reading Know Thy Data

A Day Without A Blog…

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...seems like no day at all.   Baby steps away from the internet and into my "real life"  for a night. One observation that is probably stating the obvious to anyone who clicks on a blog titled such as this:  I believe we have expanded the boundaries of what counts as of "real life" to the … Continue reading A Day Without A Blog…

Narcissistic Reflections on a Blog Experiment: Day 365

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 3 Comments

Today is the last day of a 365-day commitment I made to myself (without consulting my wife, which in hindsight might not have been a good idea) to post a blog every single day. I did it for a number of reasons: to be more disciplined about practicing the urgent work of noticing, to become … Continue reading Narcissistic Reflections on a Blog Experiment: Day 365

Variations on a Theme: What A Narcissistic Consumer Anthropologist Can Do With A Blog

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 5 Comments

Today is day 364 of my 365 blog-a-day commitment. Instead of focusing today's post on a sappy recollection of my experience (don't worry, that will happen tomorrow) , I thought I would take some time to have a look through all the things I've written about in the past year and see what kind of … Continue reading Variations on a Theme: What A Narcissistic Consumer Anthropologist Can Do With A Blog

New “big bang” theory for men

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 1 Comment

I like this take from the other side of the pond on commercial formation of the masculine ideal - given the relevance to topics I am pursuing in research right now about American Men... Related articles Decoding masculinity: Q&A with Robb Willer, professor of sociology (stanforddaily.com) Conversations About Masculinity: Who Is The American Male? (thenarcissisticanthropologist.com)

In Jeans We Trust: Celebrating 140 Years of Levi’s

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 3 Comments

If I asked you where Jeans were invented I be your first guess would likely be AMERICA! Or maybe it would be China - given where most of the things we buy are made. Fact is you would me mostly correct. Even though the fabric that today we call Denim comes from Nimes, France - … Continue reading In Jeans We Trust: Celebrating 140 Years of Levi’s

Conversations About Masculinity: Who Is The American Male?

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 5 Comments

About once a year for the past several years I have had projects come across my desk that involve taking a closer look at the American Male consumer to help with one marketing, product development or otherwise strategic initiative or another.   In most cases of work designed to unearth consumer insights, the focus is typically … Continue reading Conversations About Masculinity: Who Is The American Male?

Honoring The Drive-In: An American Cultural Tradition

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Tonight, I'm going to the Drive in for the first time this season.  It's not something I do often, but about once or twice in the Spring / Summer months a bunch of us girls drive our SUVs out to the east side of town, pack up coolers and camp chairs and tailgate at the … Continue reading Honoring The Drive-In: An American Cultural Tradition

Guest Post: Homelessness

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Evidence of one generation’s intentions to make the world better: A Millennial perspective on homelessness with some sociocultural support. Great read!

So-Called Millennial

By Michelle Adams, Contributor

A man in the street begging for money, a women on the side of the road holding up a piece of cardboard saying “Homeless, Will Work for Food,” a family sleeping in their car, a tent city underneath a bridge—all these images represent homelessness.

Most people, millenials included, have certain stereotypes about homelessness. They view people who are homeless as lazy, dirty and mostly suffering from drug problems. Homelessness pervades all aspects of culture and every walk of life.

These views about homelessness were collected from teenage volunteers at South Oakland Shelter during Global Youth Service Day.

Some of these views are actually accurate views of homelessness, while some represent misconceptions throughout society. Many people view that homelessness can be easily solved by giving people money or food. Others believe that homeless people can attain jobs easily. If there are part time jobs available, why not…

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