21st century anthropology

If I were an anthropology grad student, I would do my thesis on how the websites people bookmark as their "Favorites" define them. What does it say when someone's Favorites consists entire of gardening resources? That they smoke a lot of dope, or that they like to stop and smell the roses? How about if there is a myriad of sites on the topic of tooting? Are their bowels in a sad state, or do they just have a really bad sense of humour? Such questions probably have nothing to do with anthropology, and real anthropologists are likely rolling their eyes at me right now, sneering that anthropology is about entire cultures and the general condition of humanity, not individual people, thank-you very much. But to them I say: suck it. This is my blog and what I say - no matter how ignorant or ill-informed - goes. However, since I am sure real anthropologists have better things to do with their time than read my ramblings, this confrontation will likely never need to take place. (Which I thank god for, since I heard those anthro types are a real surly bunch.)

Any-hoo, I reckon that what people read regularly on their computers says at lot more about them than the books they have on the shelf in their living rooms. Everyone knows that the more pretentious the literature one keeps in plain view of their company, the more intelligent and worldly they are. Like duh! The trashier pulp fiction - the Harlequins, the Star Magazines, the National Posts - these are relegated to in between the mattresses, and away from the judgmental eyes of one’s closest friends.

Which is why I was fascinated by the sites I noticed my parents had bookmarked when I was visiting them last week. Ever the nerdy engineer, I wasn’t surprised to see my dad’s bookmark for Conversion Factors (whatever those are). Nor was the site on Ethyl Mercaptan a particular shocker, given pa's business is bringing natural gas to the good people of Nova Scotia (and evidently Ethyl Mercaptan is the substance you put in natural gas to make it smelly. Kind of like what it smells like at night under your covers after a long hard day of eating egg salad sandwiches). Of course, there were also the old stand-by sites of prairie people who are just a little home sick. The Regina Leader-Post. Archway Home Plans in case they ever call that city home again. Indonesia Furniture to fill said house, because just because you’re a prairie person doesn’t mean you’re not worldly.

And I for sure wasn’t surprised to see a bookmark for Trafalgar Tours, since my parents are desperately deserving of a vacation this year, it being my dad’s 50th and all. That is, if my parents can accept that they deserve to spend a little money on themselves. Though they seem intent on squirreling their moola away for retirement, they should know that they can’t take it with them when the inevitable happens, and if they leave too much of it, we’re going to spend it all – and poorly.

So book that trip already you two! But – please – not on a trip to Iraq, which I’m concerned you might be planning on, since you also had Aljazeera Weather site bookmarked. Ireland – where you can sing that song you had in your Favorites – would be a much better choice. You really don’t want to stay at home all year just reading your daughter’s kick ass blog, which I noticed you also had bookmarked – twice!