Digital Parfait - A Day at the Mall by Douglas Gorton

This piece is a participant observation of me observing a mall at Christmas as if I had no idea what I was seeing,
or anything about the culture.

Upon entry to the large building seemingly labeled as a "mall", (seen on a sign outside the premises) the first thing that hit me was the massive number of people who were milling all about the place. In addition to a great number of individuals milling about, the diversity of the people was of quite a shock as well. The sizes and ethnicity of the people there were quite varied-both tall and small, old and young, and light skinned and dark.

While in our culture the entire family typically travels together, in the observed culture that may not be so. Although I did observe some people walking in groups which appeared to be families, consisting of both parents and possibly kids, in many cases I saw simply a lone male or female walking alone, and not necessarily of a young age. As for large groups of people moving about, the only instances I noticed of these such behaviors were a collection of young girls moving around very close together. In some cases, I saw couples of young age (possibly ages 17-19) walking around with their hands together or arms intertwined. In retrospect, on a few occasions I observed a very old couple walking along barely even acknowledging one another's presence. In one certain instance, I noticed an older man and woman walking together, probably joined. They exchanged a few words, and the man sat down next to me as the woman trailed off in a random direction. She returned a few minutes later only to say a couple words to the man and walk off in another direction. A short while later she returned and the two of them left together. These behaviors are quite interesting and varied. It seems as if people of this culture are very emotional and not particularly afraid to show it. The young couples seem to be all over each other and the older ones aren't quite so close and sometimes leave one another for long periods of time. It is not surprising, though, that this difference occurs. It is quite possible that the younger may be more radical and frivolous with their feelings where as the older generation may be used to closeness and therefore not indulge quite so regularly.

It seems that the culture isn't terribly friendly or conversational, as I encountered many individuals who would sit down nearby and not even say a word. Even after eye contact, individuals would not respond. The older couple I watched that I described earlier displayed the sort of behavior I'm referring to-they were walking right next to each other, fairly closely, and they were barely looking at each other. These finding come to me as a shock because they contradict the conclusions which I made I the previous part of my report. There seems to be, overall, a wide range of emotions that people in the culture and it's difficult to determine what that emotion is dictated by. It may simply depend on how that individual or group of individual is feeling at that moment and not who they're with or what they're doing.
There was another distinct aspect of the culture and surroundings which I noticed. At any time during a person's journey throughout the vast building that I observed in for a long period of time, they would often carry a bag. Such bags were fairly well made, able to withstand a certain amount of wear and tear, and were adorned on the sides with markings. Many different people's bags wore different markings, but there were some sets of markings that were the same. Girls and women carry a second bag with them at most times. I believe that the bags are used to carry around people's belongings and the women also use a second, smaller bag, because they need a safer, sturdier place to keep their jewelry and other precious things. The markings on the sides of the bags denote the owner's names so in the event their belongings get misplaced, they can be quickly returned. There are many instances of repetition of names because the culture probably uses similar names-possibly parents passing on names to their kids. There is a definite class system that can be determined based on the number of bags carried around, which directly correlates to the amount of material possessions that person owns. Because of this importance placed on material possessions, there may be some quarrels or ill feeling between the classes created, whether those bouts are visible to the common observer or not.

Another major aspect that I saw in the culture that I observed was the first time that I examined the people and surroundings I noticed that in the center of the huge building there was a gathering of people. Many of these individuals standing in an orderly line were young, and appeared to be waiting with a parent or guardian the entire time. In the front of the curved line there was an old man dressed in red and white clothes with a white beard. As the children neared the front of the line, they would sit on the man's lap and talk to them for a short while. They would be handed something little, and then get off the man's lap, allowing the next child to go. The parents wouldn't get near the man, they'd just stand off to the side. From these observations, the man would most likely be characterized as a sort of elder of the community. It's possible that he offered them advice, blessings, or even some sort of spiritual healing. His striking clothes indicate that he may be into some sort of religious practices or related rituals. As the children get older, maybe they no longer need the guidance of the elder and therefore let the younger kids see him in their place.

In conclusion, the observed culture seems to have a strong spiritual side to them, however they do not necessarily act kindly or regard all of the people in their culture with the same reverence as they do their rituals. Companionship is an important part of daily life and noticeably changes with age. People seem to carry much of if not all of their belongings with them at all times; the status of an individual can be directly inferred by the amount of "baggage" they carry with them. What I've experienced of this culture is probably only a sampling of what there is, limited by my limited observation time. Concrete conclusions more than likely require an extended period of coexistence.

One of the bags which was described. Note the markings on the side. Also, these bags are doubled up; see the second bag being stored inside this one (denotes more possessions and status)