My Ethnography

Jeffrey Vandenburg

English 313

September 19, 2010

Ethnography

            For my ethnography, the setting I chose to observe people living out their daily lives was, I believe, quite a unique place: a karate studio.  Doing my ethnography at a karate studio was convenient for me because I currently work as an instructor, and there are usually a lot people for me to observe when I have some down time.  But the people I watched were not the students taking class.  Instead, I have decided to focus on the parents of the students, waiting until their children are done with their classes.  As I sat back and wrote down whatever the parents were doing, I began to notice a few common habits with the parents, several patterns of behavior among these parents, and a few things that stood out in my eyes.  Here are the many things that I saw.

            The first few actions I saw from the parents were simple actions that most of us do on a daily basis.  During the first ten minutes, most of the parents were sitting down and looking around.  Their eyes were on the kids, and then they’d look at pictures on the walls, at themselves in the mirror, and so forth.  On occasion, they would even look at me, probably wondering what I was doing sitting in the corner, cross-legged and writing whatever it was I was writing in a notebook.  I assume they thought I was doing my homework, or writing the rough draft of an essay.  Another act the parents engage in while their kid is taking class is socializing amongst each other, and I found that the biggest topic they bring up is about their children; not necessarily their own children, but the children of the parent they are communicating with.  A few common subjects would be praising about how cute their kid is, talking about how much their child “loves going to karate,” or about their own lives.  Most of the parents would watch class, and what was interesting was how I was able to get an idea of what they thought about the class.  I can tell by their facial expressions and body language.  If they slouched over with their heads forward, hands together and eyes wide, they watched the class with what seems to be of great interest and intent.  If they leaned back with their heads against the wall and eyes half-way open, they watched the class but seemed bored or indifferent; simply waiting for their kid to be done.  Overall, the parents in the karate school do average, mundane activities that any of us would do if we were waiting for something.  They would bring a book to read, or they would bring paperwork to finish—I assume they were paying bills, or doing homework for those who have kids and are in school at the same time.  I realized that the most common activity these parents do is that many of them would use their phone.  Whether they were using their phone to text message, go online, or call someone remains unclear, but what I do know is that I found a strong correlation between people who would use their phones in the karate school, and people using their phones everywhere in society—they’re on their phones during classtime, or when waiting for their appointment at the doctor’s office.  I can recall that at one point during my observation, more than half the parents were sitting, head down and eyes on their phone, completely oblivious of what their child is learning.  This quickly made me realize how much we, as human beings, have become dependent on technology.  With the boost of text messaging, we no longer have to be social animals in order to stave off boredom.  Interaction with your fellow peers is no longer necessary when you have your phone to keep you company.  I found a small connection between people with their phones, and Brick with his liquor from “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.”  Instead of socializing with his wife and the people in the house, Brick would much rather spend his time drinking alcohol.  He even states during the end of the play that he is a man who is “married to his liquor.” (Williams, 1954).  In this case, it is the parents who are married to their technology.  During my observation, I have theorized that there is one thing these parents all have in common: they are on their best behavior when waiting for their child.  How they interact in the studio is most likely not the same way they interact within their homes.  When in the karate studio, these parents have given themselves a social identity that we perceive them as.  A dad who comes in the studio wearing a tie and slack is probably perceived as someone who works at a high end position, e.g. manager for a software company, or even a lawyer.  As Chris Barker points out, “Identity is expressed through forms of representation.” (Barker, 2008).  When they are present in the studio, they seem to be following an unwritten rule on how to act, on what to do, and how to be.  (Barker, 2008).  

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