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A Plethora of Prompts - 4. Prompt #122 - Field Notes
An anthropologist is assigned to study a unique culture: a middle school cafeteria. Write their field notes. Include observations on eating habits, hierarchies, rituals, speech, and rules.
March 6, 1983
I have started my third week observing the students of Kennedy Middle School. They’ve acclimated to my existence, so pay me no mind anymore. I finally feel I am observing them in their natural state. Table three continues to be the “jock table”, where mainly members of various sports teams congregate. There is some crossover between tables two and four, although it’s mainly the same individuals at the same table. Table ten is the “geeks”, which is apparently another word for outcasts. They are not visited by the members of the other tables, although occasionally someone from tables two-four will fling something in their direction and snicker. Next to the geeks, at table nine, are the “metalheads”. They listen to heavy metal music, wear what the teachers call “inappropriate clothing” consisting of band t-shirts, ripped jeans, and leather jackets. Despite being beneath the legal age to acquire cigarettes, they frequently smell of smoke.
I’ve been able to discriminate one more subculture of this establishment – the “preps”. They wear acid-washed jeans and use safety pins to adhere the cuffs tightly around their ankles. They also wear polo shirts with the collars flipped up instead of the more traditional down.
There is very little intermingling among these subcultures. The most common is between the preps and jocks, but occasionally a prep will appear to befriend a geek. Sometimes this results in a negative outcome, with a ‘prank’ being played on the geek. There is also occasional crossover with the geeks and metalheads. The societal implication of being seen with someone outside their subculture can produce a large gossip event across all subcultures.
For example, a prominent member of the metalhead group came in today dressed in preppie clothing. He was immediately ostracized by the metalheads and met with skepticism from the preps. It will be interesting to see the ultimate outcome of this group switch. Will he integrate or remain an outcast? Perhaps he will return to his metalhead roots, if the betrayal is not considered too much.
I have determined the societal hierarchy to be the following: jocks, preps, geeks, metalheads. The first three tend to be looked upon favorably by the adult overlords, while the metalheads are treated as lost causes. I would like to follow these groups over time to see how this hypothesis bears out.
The speech patterns of the various groups appears to differ. The preps have adopted a new way of speaking called “Valley Girl”. Some common phrases include “like”, “totally tubular”, “grody to the max”, and “whatever”. They speak with a rising pitch at the end, as if asking a question. “Like, oh my God!”. It makes them appear less intelligent than they are. This is another area I would like to track over time, to see how long it remains in their vernacular.
Lunch fare appears to be split into two categories – those who bring their lunch from home and those who buy it in the cafeteria. There is also a subculture among those who buy their lunch, since poorer individuals’ food is subsidized and paid for by the school. There is rigorous trading among those who bring their lunches for items of apparent lesser and greater value to those doing the trading. Favorite choices of those who purchase their food appear to be rectangular pizzas and chocolate milk. I question the nutritive value; however, they generally consume it with gusto.
Tomorrow, I will focus more on the rules and rituals of this fascinating culture. It’s time to get myself a rectangular slice of baked dough and cheese.
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Note: While authors are asked to place warnings on their stories for some moderated content, everyone has different thresholds, and it is your responsibility as a reader to avoid stories or stop reading if something bothers you.
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