Johanna was obviously naive to the social stratification that takes place in the village she was studying. I find it interesting however that since she had no preconceived ideas about the Rastafarians that she was able to find friendship with a class considered undesirable by the village people of Barbados. Now I must wonder what to truly think about the Rastas. Are they actually nice spiritual people who mind their own business or are they lazy, dirty, thieves like the village people describe them as? It seems to me that the Rastas' reputation for smoking marijuana, dancing naked, and living in caves has given them a bad name amongst the villagers. I think that maybe the Rastas aren't that bad of people, they are just a completely different culture and class within the villages and since parents don't want their children smoking marijuana, being lazy, or joining a different group of people they practice a very strict norm of not socializing with Rastafarians. But, who I am to know what's really going on between social classes in Barbados?
To begin with, I found that the article was very engaging and interesting. However, I was somewhat unsympathetic to Johanna's plight. She knew how the people in the village felt about the Rastas but she still continued to associate with them. I feel as if the shunning she experienced from society was to be expected because she thought that she could change the opinions of the villagers about the Rastas. I do not think the Rastas were bad people. According to Johanna, they simply wanted to live their own lives and were unconcerned with the opinions or activities of the villagers, and were wrongly judged by the villagers. In my opinion, the most naive thing Johanna did was to try and change the views of the villagers, when they clearly have customs concerning the Rastas that they have no interest in breaking.
First off, I found the article interesting. It clearly showed the culture differences in Barbados and the United States. I was surprised that Johanna engaged with the Rastas because she was aware of the class differences in the village. It said that Johanna had previously read about the Rastas, so she must have known that the villagers would not act in a good manner. It was naive for Johanna to try to change the opinions of the villagers about class. She was there to observe Barbados and the culture of the village. She needed to be more careful about her actions in the village. Personally, I do not think that the Rastas are bad people because according to her journal entries they were nice and harmless, but she should of thought about the culture she was living in and not let her own culture get in the way of her work.
I found this article to be very interesting. Though the situation was not completely Johanna's fault, she was to blame for some aspects. It was fortunate that her mentor could discuss things with her host family. While reading through her journals, he found that Johanna had been warned about apending time with the Rastas. She reflected on her times with him in public and that people would stare at them. Her host even asked her to stay away from them because the village was gossiping about her. Honestly, Johanna should have respected the foreign culture and the integrity of her host family. Even though we are taught in America to treat people as equals, this was not the case in their culture. The Rastas are probably misunderstood people but Johanna should have been more careful and not let her emotions get the best of her.
This story was quite interesting, and being a foreigner myself i can understand a little bit the frustration she had. It's true that every country have their own norms or cultures. It would have been easier for her if the woman where she was staying had explained to her a little bit about their norms and how things work there. Johanna being naive didn't know about how things are there, but she should have tried to ask questions and find out about their cultures. I guess she didn't do it since she's a anthropologist and thought she should find out by herself because that's what they do. The villagers themselves should have known that her being a foreigner probably did not know what she was doing.
I found this article interesting and true to form when visiting a foreign country. Johanna reminds me some of naïve Americans I have meet when they visit another country in a professional mode. They are so focused on the job at hand, collecting data and investigating that they fail to recognize and take the time to understand their host country’s social norms, traditions and protocol. By asking her mentor about this could have prevented this embarrassment or better yet she should have been briefed beforehand. Even though Johanna’s methods were crude, lack of field notes, preparation, disrespect for her host family and truthfulness, she did acquire the bias between the village people of Barbados and the Rastas. By visiting the Rasta’s cave and inquiring about their daily routine she did gain insight and “felt’ that they were misunderstood by the villagers. Was it a misunderstanding between the cultures or was there truth in it. Were Rastas lazy and smoke marijuana or was it something else. Further study would be necessary and a long-term relationship would need to be established to build up trust.
This article is very interesting. I can't imagine how scary it would be to be completely out of your element and to unknowingly violate the norms of the culture you are studying. Johanna was unaware of the differences in the social classes of Barbados and was shunned after associating with the Rastas that the locals had an extreme distaste for. She learned the lesson the hard way in Barbados, but maybe now in future assignments, she will learn to recognize the difference in the social struture of different cultures.
I found this article to be a very interesting read. In the beginning the article talks about naïve realism and how we grow up shapes our view of the world. I think Johanna feel victim to this because she failed to realize (despite warnings from villagers) how strictly they followed the class system. While, she was warned I really don’t think she understood the full consequences of her actions at the time. It was fortunate for her that her teacher was able to make some amends and her host family allowed her to stay ;however , some of the damage was to much. Everyone in the village continued to shun her until she left. I also feel bad for the host family as I am sure they had to feel the fall out from this for longer than Johanna. The whole situation is really unfortunate and I do hope she learned that in the future she should take the advice of the people she is with very seriously.
I think Johanna was not naive in what she was doing. She knew how the village felt about the Rastas and wanted to do her own thing instead of living like the people she was with. She should have explicitly spoken with her host family about going off with the Rasta. She should have just learned about the neighborhood people's feelings about the Rastas, not actually go to the Rastas' home. I thought it was interesting that she faced so little repercussions for her actions. My opinions would be different depending on if her assignment had been different.
I do not think that Johanna was fully aware of the differences between the societies. It was very naive of her to run off with a Rastafarian even though she knew that the villagers did not like them. She was not intending on causing problems with the villagers that she was staying with. What surprises me is that she does not quite realize why they "turned on her" and is shocked by the villagers' reactions.
I found this article very interesting. Through her experiences, Johanna received a very difficult lesson in fixed class structures that are very foreign in America. Like many people who are immersed into a foreign culture for the first time, she was still operating under American cultural values and motivations. Through Johanna's experience, the reader can learn how serious cultural class structures are, and how necessary it is for those rules to be followed. As well, the reader can gain an understanding of how foreign cultures operate. Most Americans believe that all people are equal and no one should be treated differently or kept out of society because of what they believe or the way they are. But many cultures have defined class and social barriers that separate certain groups of people, which can be very difficult for foreigners to accept and treat as the social norm. Although Johanna's experience was very difficult for her, it proves to be a very valuable lessons for many students and travelers who follow in her footsteps.
Even though Johanna had harmless intentions while she was in Barbados by learning about the Rastas and the villagers in Freeman Hill by trying to learn about the way that both people in each group lived, however after having been warned by the villagers that they did not like her talking to the Rastas she continued to do so. I think this actually shows a little bit of Johanna thinking that American culture was superior to the culture in Barbados because there really is no class distinction in America, and she wanted to learn about the Rastas with Joseph, she decided to not obey the social rules in the village and stick with her own beliefs.She thought that even though the villagers she was staying with told her not to associate with the Rastas that she would do it anyway and maybe change their culture to fit hers so they would accept what she was doing. It is a great lesson for people to realize that just because of the way we are in America does not mean that everyone wants their culture to be like ours and we have to respect that.
Johanna was obviously naive to the social stratification that takes place in the village she was studying. I find it interesting however that since she had no preconceived ideas about the Rastafarians that she was able to find friendship with a class considered undesirable by the village people of Barbados. Now I must wonder what to truly think about the Rastas. Are they actually nice spiritual people who mind their own business or are they lazy, dirty, thieves like the village people describe them as? It seems to me that the Rastas' reputation for smoking marijuana, dancing naked, and living in caves has given them a bad name amongst the villagers. I think that maybe the Rastas aren't that bad of people, they are just a completely different culture and class within the villages and since parents don't want their children smoking marijuana, being lazy, or joining a different group of people they practice a very strict norm of not socializing with Rastafarians. But, who I am to know what's really going on between social classes in Barbados?
ReplyDeleteTo begin with, I found that the article was very engaging and interesting. However, I was somewhat unsympathetic to Johanna's plight. She knew how the people in the village felt about the Rastas but she still continued to associate with them. I feel as if the shunning she experienced from society was to be expected because she thought that she could change the opinions of the villagers about the Rastas. I do not think the Rastas were bad people. According to Johanna, they simply wanted to live their own lives and were unconcerned with the opinions or activities of the villagers, and were wrongly judged by the villagers. In my opinion, the most naive thing Johanna did was to try and change the views of the villagers, when they clearly have customs concerning the Rastas that they have no interest in breaking.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I found the article interesting. It clearly showed the culture differences in Barbados and the United States. I was surprised that Johanna engaged with the Rastas because she was aware of the class differences in the village. It said that Johanna had previously read about the Rastas, so she must have known that the villagers would not act in a good manner. It was naive for Johanna to try to change the opinions of the villagers about class. She was there to observe Barbados and the culture of the village. She needed to be more careful about her actions in the village. Personally, I do not think that the Rastas are bad people because according to her journal entries they were nice and harmless, but she should of thought about the culture she was living in and not let her own culture get in the way of her work.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be very interesting. Though the situation was not completely Johanna's fault, she was to blame for some aspects. It was fortunate that her mentor could discuss things with her host family. While reading through her journals, he found that Johanna had been warned about apending time with the Rastas. She reflected on her times with him in public and that people would stare at them. Her host even asked her to stay away from them because the village was gossiping about her. Honestly, Johanna should have respected the foreign culture and the integrity of her host family. Even though we are taught in America to treat people as equals, this was not the case in their culture. The Rastas are probably misunderstood people but Johanna should have been more careful and not let her emotions get the best of her.
ReplyDeleteThis story was quite interesting, and being a foreigner myself i can understand a little bit the frustration she had. It's true that every country have their own norms or cultures. It would have been easier for her if the woman where she was staying had explained to her a little bit about their norms and how things work there. Johanna being naive didn't know about how things are there, but she should have tried to ask questions and find out about their cultures. I guess she didn't do it since she's a anthropologist and thought she should find out by herself because that's what they do. The villagers themselves should have known that her being a foreigner probably did not know what she was doing.
ReplyDeleteI found this article interesting and true to form when visiting a foreign country. Johanna reminds me some of naïve Americans I have meet when they visit another country in a professional mode. They are so focused on the job at hand, collecting data and investigating that they fail to recognize and take the time to understand their host country’s social norms, traditions and protocol. By asking her mentor about this could have prevented this embarrassment or better yet she should have been briefed beforehand. Even though Johanna’s methods were crude, lack of field notes, preparation, disrespect for her host family and truthfulness, she did acquire the bias between the village people of Barbados and the Rastas. By visiting the Rasta’s cave and inquiring about their daily routine she did gain insight and “felt’ that they were misunderstood by the villagers. Was it a misunderstanding between the cultures or was there truth in it. Were Rastas lazy and smoke marijuana or was it something else. Further study would be necessary and a long-term relationship would need to be established to build up trust.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting. I can't imagine how scary it would be to be completely out of your element and to unknowingly violate the norms of the culture you are studying. Johanna was unaware of the differences in the social classes of Barbados and was shunned after associating with the Rastas that the locals had an extreme distaste for. She learned the lesson the hard way in Barbados, but maybe now in future assignments, she will learn to recognize the difference in the social struture of different cultures.
ReplyDeleteI found this article to be a very interesting read. In the beginning the article talks about naïve realism and how we grow up shapes our view of the world. I think Johanna feel victim to this because she failed to realize (despite warnings from villagers) how strictly they followed the class system. While, she was warned I really don’t think she understood the full consequences of her actions at the time. It was fortunate for her that her teacher was able to make some amends and her host family allowed her to stay ;however , some of the damage was to much. Everyone in the village continued to shun her until she left. I also feel bad for the host family as I am sure they had to feel the fall out from this for longer than Johanna. The whole situation is really unfortunate and I do hope she learned that in the future she should take the advice of the people she is with very seriously.
ReplyDeleteI think Johanna was not naive in what she was doing. She knew how the village felt about the Rastas and wanted to do her own thing instead of living like the people she was with. She should have explicitly spoken with her host family about going off with the Rasta. She should have just learned about the neighborhood people's feelings about the Rastas, not actually go to the Rastas' home. I thought it was interesting that she faced so little repercussions for her actions. My opinions would be different depending on if her assignment had been different.
ReplyDeleteI do not think that Johanna was fully aware of the differences between the societies. It was very naive of her to run off with a Rastafarian even though she knew that the villagers did not like them. She was not intending on causing problems with the villagers that she was staying with. What surprises me is that she does not quite realize why they "turned on her" and is shocked by the villagers' reactions.
ReplyDeleteI found this article very interesting. Through her experiences, Johanna received a very difficult lesson in fixed class structures that are very foreign in America. Like many people who are immersed into a foreign culture for the first time, she was still operating under American cultural values and motivations. Through Johanna's experience, the reader can learn how serious cultural class structures are, and how necessary it is for those rules to be followed. As well, the reader can gain an understanding of how foreign cultures operate. Most Americans believe that all people are equal and no one should be treated differently or kept out of society because of what they believe or the way they are. But many cultures have defined class and social barriers that separate certain groups of people, which can be very difficult for foreigners to accept and treat as the social norm. Although Johanna's experience was very difficult for her, it proves to be a very valuable lessons for many students and travelers who follow in her footsteps.
ReplyDeleteEven though Johanna had harmless intentions while she was in Barbados by learning about the Rastas and the villagers in Freeman Hill by trying to learn about the way that both people in each group lived, however after having been warned by the villagers that they did not like her talking to the Rastas she continued to do so. I think this actually shows a little bit of Johanna thinking that American culture was superior to the culture in Barbados because there really is no class distinction in America, and she wanted to learn about the Rastas with Joseph, she decided to not obey the social rules in the village and stick with her own beliefs.She thought that even though the villagers she was staying with told her not to associate with the Rastas that she would do it anyway and maybe change their culture to fit hers so they would accept what she was doing. It is a great lesson for people to realize that just because of the way we are in America does not mean that everyone wants their culture to be like ours and we have to respect that.
ReplyDelete