What I Learned In Anthropology Today
Okay, today I learned something that astounded and slightly confused me. You see, small-scale societies often have their own ways of dealing with conflict. Most cultures emphasize a solution that returns the society to its former state of peacefulness, rather than attempting to punish the wrongdoer. Apparently, in Inuit culture (this may not still be true) the preferred method of conflict resolution is the SONG DUEL. What happens is the two people having a conflict write up a song that outlines their grievances with the other party, while doing so in a manner that is both humourous and insulting to the other person. The rest of the society then gathers to hear the songs, which are sung in a back and forth fashion. When the society feels one person has proven themself in the right, they join in the chorus with that person. Afterwards, the other person realizes they don't have the support of the community and sees the other person as right.
Does anyone else see something deeper here? This is the ancient precursor to the rap battle! RAPPERS ARE RIPPING OFF THE INUIT!
The class is still fucking boring, but every once in a while there's a gem like that, compared to what I learned in the archaeolgy section of the course:
"These are the seven generally accepted layers of soil, or strata, found in the Earth. The relevance to archaeology is great. Count with me as I count the strata. One...two...three...four...five...LISTEN THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR ARCHAOLOGICAL CAREER."
Except text doesn't really convey tone, so imagine Ben Stein saying that, only if you think Ben Stein is funny, an unfunny version of him.
Does anyone else see something deeper here? This is the ancient precursor to the rap battle! RAPPERS ARE RIPPING OFF THE INUIT!
The class is still fucking boring, but every once in a while there's a gem like that, compared to what I learned in the archaeolgy section of the course:
"These are the seven generally accepted layers of soil, or strata, found in the Earth. The relevance to archaeology is great. Count with me as I count the strata. One...two...three...four...five...LISTEN THIS IS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR ARCHAOLOGICAL CAREER."
Except text doesn't really convey tone, so imagine Ben Stein saying that, only if you think Ben Stein is funny, an unfunny version of him.