1: the science of human beings; especially : the
study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space and in
relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and
culture

2: theology dealing with the origin, nature, and destiny of human beings


Thusly, it would seem to me that the aim of this task is to actively not study people or theorize about them. Admittedly, this is a daunting task for me. I look at strangers. I smile at them. I talk to them. I think about people.

For me Anthropology is like reading. I can't help but to do it. When I see a word in english I can't keep myself from seeing it as a word, and likewise when I see a person I can't help but to notice how they carry themselves, what they decorate themselves with, and what they look like (and as I learned recently how they smell).

Working with the public in various ways I have learned that this isn't the case for everyone. I think that some people perhaps do not ever consider Anthropology. I thought about those people to prepare for this task. The image I thought of was immediately of an iPod listening, sunglass wearing, cellphone talker (ILSWCT). Now before we get too much further I should explain better what I mean. I listen to music. I have a cellphone. Rarely do I wear sunglasses, but I own a couple of pairs. But when I walk down the street in my neighborhood... I endeavor to make eye contact with strangers, grin or nod my head toward them, and sometimes say hi. The average ILSWCT is attempting to avoid these sorts of interactions. When confronted with interaction they may have various reactions ranging from "not hearing you" to eye rolling to outright telling one to go away or leave them alone.

Most of my family lives in Uruguay and from an early age I realized
that International Airports are some of my favorite places. They abound
with diversity. People are acting in all sorts of abnormal ways. They
are tired and in an odd environment. I would sometimes think about how
it was like a laboratory.

I thought it would be a good challenge to make my way to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to accomplish to task of actively not studying people.

In my several hours out I made eye contact with no one. I turned the noise cancellation on on my fancy (lost and found) headphones. I heard no words.

I tried to keep my mind as clear as possible. I could tell when people were near me. I have excellent peripheral vision. Occasionally I would smell a passerby. I, again, just tried to keep my mind clear.

On the BART ride home I discovered that my mp3 player has a couple of video games in it. I thought this was fitting, and I spent the rest of my ride home mindlessly playing games.

I really don't know how or why people endeavor to live this way.
The average ILSWCT must lead a dreadful existence.