A friend invited me to a pumpkin carving party she goes to every year. I didn't realize that everyone there knew each other well, many related to each other or grew up together.
I am not good in crowds, and I am not very good with meeting new people. Ergo, I am not good in crowds of new people(and by "crowd" I mean "5+ people at a time"-- there were about 7-8 adult carvers). So I listened, laughed at the right times, and looked for opportunities to jump into general conversation. At some point it occurred to me that I felt like a cultural anthropologist-- participating as much as possible without actually trying to influence anything so that I could study what was happening. My findings from this limited sample are that people are much more alike than they are different. Except that I don't see myself trying to get my father when he's in his 70s to be submitting a profile to an online dating service and shaving a few years off his age to make him more attractive to the laydeez.
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I know exactly what you mean, except that I rather like crowds, and crowds of new people. Sometimes it is fun to just settle into a slightly out of the way spot with a good view for the purposes of observation. I go to my neighbor's various product parties for that very purpose. I find it fun to listen to this converstation and that.
Unlike you, however, I do not find that people are very much alike on many levels. Some groups speak of money money money. Others are busy with their spot in the pecking order, is this one the most macho, that one the the woman with the most attitude. Others revolve in devotion and caring of their families and relatives. Yet others look primarily for the moment by moment physical pleasure, alcohol, sex, the big screen TV.
I often feel like a rather alien being, on an anthropological expidition. They are so interesting, these humans their interests and motivations so very different from mine.
And yet here are Mater and Dr. Lorimer, both feeling like cultural anthropologists.
"Where there no giant bananas at Mater's carving party?" Rian adds, suddenly thoughtful. "Last night Rian found a Pregnant Bride and a very very very tall Sparkling Vampire. Cultural anthropology, indeed."
h- it's true what you say about groups being interested in money or status or family, etc. and being different in that way. But even in that, there seem to be common themes within each group-- mostly thier problems, I guess. No matter the kind of people I am with, someone (or more than one someone) will be having in-law problems, a wife will be making light of problems in her marriage to pretend that they are no big deal, workers are being underappreciated by their employers (*raises hand on that one*),parents are being frustrated by their children, etc.
I have that "alien" feeling, too, most of the time. Even when "these folks", whoever they may be at the moment, have simliar concerns to mine, they seem to handle them differently.
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