Category: Rituals

Wearing Your Heart On Your Sleeve – Or Your Skin? Sociology of Style on How we Show Devotion Through Personal Adornment

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ Leave a comment

Marks of Devotion   "Tis too much proved — that with devotion’s visage and pious action we do sugar o’er the devil himself." –Shakespeare, Hamlet A woman recently tattooed her “boyfriend’s” name on her face as a symbol of their “eternal devotion.” (To be fair, they’d met and been madly in love for a full … Continue reading Wearing Your Heart On Your Sleeve – Or Your Skin? Sociology of Style on How we Show Devotion Through Personal Adornment

21st Century Manners: Socializing Behavioral Norms for a New Generation

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 1 Comment

Lest you think Millennials don't value etiquette, think again.  As a matter of fact, rethink what you think entirely and realign your thought processes. Because, if you look at the nature of Millennial motivations:  to make meaningful connections with other humans and to lead a well-rounded, successful happy life with the support of your peers … Continue reading 21st Century Manners: Socializing Behavioral Norms for a New Generation

Creepy Consumer Culture Rituals: Pictures With Santa and The Easter Bunny

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 23 Comments

I don't know If I share this opinion with most Anthropologists or not, but I know I share It with many of my other fellow humans. And that is, Americans do some weird sh*t for our holiday traditions - mostly because of how fervently we have integrated our religous holidays into consumer culture and vice … Continue reading Creepy Consumer Culture Rituals: Pictures With Santa and The Easter Bunny

How To Survive A Bar Crawl

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ Leave a comment

Every year for her birthday, one of the "girls in the group" has a ritual bar crawl. Even for those who don't go in for the whole "sh@t show", it's a great way to get everyone together and catch up on the various exploits of our increasingly domesticity and-career-driven-lives. It's also a great reason to … Continue reading How To Survive A Bar Crawl

Rituals Empowering Nurture: An Example From Elementary School Theatre

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ Leave a comment

We often hear people say things about "kids these days" and how "everyone gets a trophy" and that we should encourage our kids to truly compete and only reward them for actually achieving, not just playing. I don't necessarily disagree that we should be training our kids for life in the real world by allowing … Continue reading Rituals Empowering Nurture: An Example From Elementary School Theatre

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ Leave a comment

So you think houligans with tattoos are something new? Think again. Interesting article / perspective / antique book review from “across the pond” on body modification…

Special Collections and Archives / Casgliadau Arbennig ac Archifau

P1190836Those of us who have been left bemused by the sudden rise of high-street botox booths, tanning shops, nail salons and eyebrow bars can take some comfort from this curious work by John Bulwer which suggests that, even as far back in 1653, people have always been astonished at the lengths to which some would go to transform their bodies in the name of fashion.  

P1190832In Anthropometamorphosis: Man Transform’d, or The Artificial Changeling, Bulwer’s aim, according to the full title, is to expose the “mad and cruel gallantry, foolish bravery, ridiculous beauty, filthy fineness, and loathsome loveliness of most nations, fashioning & altering their bodies from the mould intended by nature”.  Bulwer describes in detail how people around the world artificially modify their appearance, noting that every nation has a “particular whimzey as touching corporall fashions of their own invention.”

The book is divided into 23 sections covering all types of…

View original post 168 more words

A Visit To Colony Point Part 3: The Flea Market Excavation

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 1 Comment

Perhaps my favorite outing (aside from hanging with the old gals at the pool) was the trip I took with my mother and two of her "snowbird" friends to the bi-annual flea market at the local senior center. One thing I loved about this flea market was its almost entirely contextual nature. What I mean … Continue reading A Visit To Colony Point Part 3: The Flea Market Excavation

The American Jewish Pilgrimage: From New York To Florida

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 2 Comments

In a few hours I hope on an airplane to go visit my parents for the weekend. My parents are of retirement age and native New Yorkers: both born and raised in the Bronx, having lived the bulk of their adult lives in the New York metro area. So, it stands to reason (according to … Continue reading The American Jewish Pilgrimage: From New York To Florida

Surrounding Ourselves With Sound and Other Modern Household Survival Requirements

~ thenarcissisticanthropologist ~ 4 Comments

Flash back to before we established a "civilized" industrial-to-knowledge-to-conceptual economy such as we have been used to in modern times.  Survival was a matter of basics and most humans resided firmly in the very bottom layers of Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid: In absence of safeguards, systems and conveniences like government-supervised municipal programs, a regulated … Continue reading Surrounding Ourselves With Sound and Other Modern Household Survival Requirements