Art and Leisure: Movie "City of Joy"

(Just to clarify, I didn’t watch this movie online. My family rented it but they turned it back in before I thought about getting a picture with it, so a picture of the movie on the computer will have to do) Last weekend I watched “City of Joy” for the first time. The movie, made in 1992 and based on a true story, is primarily in English, but also has a good bit of Hindi, and it can be considered an ethnographic film because it shows a lot of Indian culture, specifically in the slums of Calcutta (now Kolkata). The movie focuses on one particular slum called the “city of joy.” In the beginning of the movie, the Pal family, who lives in a small rural village, is unable to pay off a loan due to economic hardships caused by a famine. They are forced to move into the city of Calcutta, in hopes of finding a more successful life. The father of the family eventually finds a job as a local rickshaw “runner” hired by a powerful man who owns and runs the city of joy. At the same time that the Pal’s story is taking place, an American doctor, Dr. Max Lowe, comes to Calcutta escaping his life as a medical doctor in the states, because he’s been fed up with his job. He eventually crosses paths with the Pal family, as well as a British lady, Joan Bethel, who runs a very sketchy makeshift clinic in the slum. At first Dr. Lowe wants no part in the clinic, providing medical care to the locals in the slum, because of the slum’s overwhelming needs and his desire to remain detached from it all. Eventually his heart changes, as he grows attached to the people in the slum, especially to the Pal family, and he decides to volunteer at the clinic. However, just as he and Ms. Bethel get to be on the same page, the “Godfather” of the slum, the powerful man who Mr. Pal works for, passes away, and his son, who is much less compassionate for the people in the slum and who wants the doctors to go back to their home countries, takes his place. The son takes charge and orders that the clinic be shut down. Dr. Lowe, Ms. Bethel, and others who live in the slum stand up to the son, and struggle through numerous hardships to fight for a decent standard of living for the people of the city of joy.

I found this movie especially interesting because I’ve actually been to Kolkata, and some of the places I rode by looked very similar to scenes of the slum life shown in this movie. Honestly it disturbs me to actually realize that there are people who live in these conditions literally every day of their lives. Their way of life, the system that is in place in the slums as each family fights to just survive, is so different from my own life, that I don’t even know where to start comparing the two. One of the most interesting things that I learned from the movie is that certain slums are “governed” by families who have power and authority over the locals in the slum. The movie didn’t really explain how these certain people come to power over the others in the slums. I would guess that it’s probably based on wealth, but I’m not sure. I’m also not sure how much of a role the local Indian government plays. Relating these things to anthropological concepts, I understand that, although I can learn some things about a culture from short-term exposures to it, such as watching a movie or even travelling through a certain city, I cannot gain a holistic understanding of that culture without prolonged exposure, and a lot of time being invested in observing and immersing myself in that culture. I wish that I understood more about slum life in Kolkata or other places around the world, but in order to do that I will have to invest more time in gaining an understanding that truly is holistic.

Extra Credit Blog: Culture Shock in India

I’ve heard people say that it doesn’t matter where all you may have travelled around the world—go to India and you will have culture shock. Last year (Nov-Jan of 2009) I had the chance to go to India with a missions team. For the majority of the time, we were in Darjeeling, a city located in the foothills of the Himalayas in the very northeast tip of India. Darjeeling itself is a very interesting city, with such a unique blending of ethnicities, cultures, and religions. (And it grows some of the world’s BEST tea) I would love to talk more about Darjeeling, but I specifically want to talk about part of our trip to Darjeeling. We flew into Kolkata and stayed a night before taking a train that took us to another city from which we took jeeps up into Darjeeling. But Kolkata was the kind of city that I envisioned when I thought of India. (Unlike Darjeeling, which is much more like Nepal than most other parts of India) We got into downtown Kolkata by taxi at about 2 in the morning, which is sketchy enough in and of itself. But as we walked around the dark seemingly abandoned streets to find our hotel, we began to notice a handful of people wrapped up in sheets sleeping out on the streets, huddled up against the sides of buildings. After just a little while it was like our eyes were opened and we realized that it was not just a handful of people sleeping out on the streets, but dozens and dozens all over the place, in front of nearly every building around us. It felt a bit eerie to be honest. (One reason it felt so eerie is because we weren’t sure if some of the people we passed were sleeping or dead. Before we left for India, some friends who had travelled to India many times warned us ahead of time that often at night, people in the poorer areas will put out the bodies of those in their family who have passed away, to be collected in the morning, because they are too poor to afford to do anything else with the bodies)

The next morning we got up and out and about to head to the train station. The same quiet streets were now jam packed with noisy traffic, crowds of people flooding the sidewalks, and local vendors who’d set up little shops and market places beside the streets. We took taxis to the train station, and I literally wondered if we were going to die on the way. I went to high school in Taiwan, and Taiwan is notoriously bad for having horrible taxi drivers—driving in the opposite lanes, no concern for speed limits, nearly hitting bicyclists and motorbikes every few minutes, etc. But this taxi ride was far, far worse than any that I’d taken before. Many parts of the road were totally unmarked, so in a stretch of payment that should have been perhaps three maybe four lines, you would have six lanes of traffic all trying to merge in together. In certain areas there was no sense of being behind another car in your lane; it was more like a mob of cars all jammed packed together trying to fight each other for positions. I remember our driver speeding out in front of an oncoming truck to get around a driver in front of us, and swerving back into our “lane” at the last second. At one intersection, a taxi in front of us, with the other members of the group, pulled out directly in front on a huge bus that had to slam on its breaks, stopping just a few feet away. Our driver then proceeded to take advantage of the opportunity and gun it while the bus was still stopped. Every few minutes, the drivers would have to swerve or hit the breaks to avoid the cows that wandered freely in the roads. It was pretty intense.

It was crazy to me, but the funny thing is that it wasn’t crazy to them; it was normal. Everyone knew that there were little or no markings on the road. That was not an issue like it would be in America, or many other countries of the world. Every driver drove offensively rather than defensively, with a common mentality of looking forward and, as long as every driver understands this shared mentality, there is a system of driving that works. My initial reaction was culture shock—I was in a situation that did not make sense to my system of what traffic rules and driving should look like. But now, thinking back on that experience, it’s easier to understand that although I felt endangered, being out of my system, the taxi drivers, as well as the other drivers, were quite at home in their way of driving which is mutually understood.

Foods: Surin West Thai restaurant

Saturday night my family and I went out to eat at Surin West in Five Points. It was the first time I’d ever eaten there. I’ve had a bit of Thai food before, but not much, and I wasn’t sure how authentic it was. We ordered a couple plates of Thai noodles (or “phad thai”), which is the only Thai food that I have had before, a plate of chicken masaman with avocado, a plate of a variety of vegetables in Thai sauce, and fried rice. All of the food that we ordered was delicious. I’d heard a lot about Surin’s before, and many people I’ve talked to have referred to it as one of the more authentic Thai restaurants around Birmingham. It was great food and a great experience. I’d love to go back again.

It’s hard to say whether eating at a certain culture’s restaurant should be considered similar or different than my own culture, because food tends to cross cultural boundaries more easily than other things. For example, “American food” might invoke images of hot dogs and hamburgers, yet, if you ask a handful of Americans what different kinds of foods they eat, you’re likely to get a handful of completely different answers from each. “Foreign” foods are becoming less and less foreign worldwide. So I guess that I could say eating Thai food is different from my non-Thai culture, but it is becoming more and more similar as different culture’s foods spread throughout the world.

Hearing that Surin’s was one of Birmingham’s more authentic Thai restaurants, I envisioned that the restaurant itself would be smaller and more casual, and that it would have a larger percentage of Asians than non-Asians. I was surprised to see that it was a larger, fancier restaurant with a mostly Caucasian population. I think there’s a stereotype that most of the different ethnic/cultural restaurants within the States are not very authentic, because food has to become “Americanized” (think fortune cookies or Chinese buffet) for Americans to appreciate it; however, eating at Surin’s made me wonder if more Americans than we realize are actually looking for more and more authentic “foreign” foods.

I don’t know that there’s one particular Anthropological term that I can relate all of this to, but I believe it can be compared to the way that anthropologists attempt to understand not only cultures, but also the blending and meshing of different cultures as they come together. It’s interesting to see parts of different cultures like fashion, music, or in this case food, travel across cultural boundaries as they are embraced by people of other ethnicities in different countries all over the world. It’s also interesting how a place such as Surin West in southside Birmingham can be a representation of two cultures: A little taste of Thai culture in downtown Birmingham, as well as a picture of a newer broader culture forming in America as pieces other cultures from all over the world are incorporated into our own.

Economics, different political and class ideologies: LGBT panel

Last week in class I was part of one of the discussion groups that met with a panel of members of the LGBT community. My group had about ten or so students from the class, and we had two members representing the LGBT community on our panel: Lane, a male student currently attending UAB, and Alisa, a woman who has been married for five years now after going to Massachusetts in order to get a legal marriage. Alisa is a teacher in the area. Our discussion time started off with Lane and Alisa telling their stories. We then went around the room and responded to their stories, and then wrote down questions we would like them to answer. Lane and Alisa were free to answer whichever questions they chose to, and covered the majority of them. Overall it was definitely a unique experience that gave me a lot to think about. I was glad that we were able to meet with the panel members face to face as opposed to only talking in class about engaging in differences. Although for me it wasn’t one of the most comfortable experiences, I felt like it was more real life learning.

This experience definitely falls under the category of engaging in difference for me. I am straight, and although I’ve known a few people who are not straight, all of my close friends throughout my life have always also been straight. This was the first time I’ve had the opportunity to ask others who are not straight questions directly, as well as share my views, which was uncomfortable at times. I am also a Christian, and that affects the way that I view all parts of life. My relationship with God and life experiences lead me to believe that God created man for woman and woman for man. So in times designated for us to share our views and responses, I honestly did find it a bit awkward sharing what I believe because I hate conflict with people and in our society that is all about accepting others in a way that says “That can be right for you and this can be right for me” I realize sharing that I do not agree that a certain lifestyle is right, makes me sound intolerant and ignorant, but that truly is what I believe. I did learn a lot from what Lane and Alisa said. Lane especially pointed out that very many stereotypes, especially of gay guys, are not accurate. I found it interesting that he said he can’t stand it when others flaunt the fact that they’re gay, many doing so for attention’s sake. Lane said that because the majority of people don’t go around saying “Hi, my name is so-and-so. I’m straight” he doesn’t immediately make sure that people know he is gay. He said that to him, sexuality is much more of a private thing. A lot of what Lane said really did do away with many of my own stereotypes that have been partly formed from my own life experience and partly formed by the media. I found it interesting that Alisa and Lane pointed out that when the media shows images of a “Gay Pride parade” they always show the pictures of the most dressed up bizarre looking people in the parade, rather than the typical, more “normal” looking members of the LGBT community. I believe the most relevant anthropological concept in this experience is the way that we were able to hear from an emic perspective on these issues. Everything up until last week that I have known about the LGBT community has been from my experiences on outside looking in, but because we were able to hear directly from Lane and Alisa, we were able to listen to insiders’ perspectives. This really is the best way to learn about others’ lives, to hear directly from them.

Rituals: Birmingham's Buddhist Temple

Last Tuesday night I was able to go with William (from our anthropology class) to the Buddhist temple in Birmingham. It was a very interesting experience. On our way in, William let me know that I should take off my shoes at the doorway. By the time we got inside and sat down on the floor, the group of people meeting (maybe about twenty to twenty five) had already started a discussion of how different Buddhist principles and teachings apply to their everyday lives. The conversation was passed around the room to different people who asked questions or gave insight, and occasionally the “leader” (for lack of a better word), a monk from Tibet, would share his insight or experience. This discussion time lasted perhaps twenty minutes, after which everyone stood up and mingled for a while, while a few set up pillows in rows on the floor for what was next. Before everyone took their seats to read together from a small Buddhist booklet, the monk made some sort of signal to which the majority of the people in the room responded by getting on their knees and putting their head to the ground, like a position of prayer, and then standing back up and repeating the motion a few times. I asked William about it after the service, and he told me that it’s called “prostration,” and it is a way to show respect to the monk as well as prepare for the time of reading and meditation. Next, everyone took their seats and read along with the monk from the Buddhist booklet. When everyone finished the first reading, the monk, sitting at the front of the room, tapped a bell which signaled the first time of meditation. Everyone was silent for several minutes, and eventually the monk signaled that the time of meditation was over. Everyone flipped to another page and read another section together, after which there was another time of meditation for several minutes. When this finished, the service was over. People stood up, put their pillows and booklets away, hung around with one another and had tea.

I have been exposed to Buddhism in several Asian countries. I have been in many temples, watched people offer prayers with incense, seen prayer flags hung from trees, etc., but until Tuesday, I had never seen Buddhism practiced in the States. From my past experiences, Buddhist temples seemed to be very reverent and quiet places, without much interaction going on between people. So from my perspective, visiting this temple in Birmingham had more of the feel of a house-church, compared to say, visiting a cathedral. In the same way I have a community of Christians that make up my church and share in parts of my life, these people meeting at the Buddhist temple had their own small community, only practicing and talking about beliefs different to my own. I learned that Buddhism still has much of an Asian flavor to it, even being practiced in America: the smell of the incense, the paintings and decorations on the walls, prayer flags hung around the room, and in the front of the room a picture of the Dalai Lama set up on a very Asian-looking mantle. Out of the group of about twenty or so, I would say maybe six or seven appeared to be ethnically Asian. I have to say, I expected to see a higher percentage of Asians, and to be honest it shocked me just a little bit to see that the majority of the group was white. I guess the most relevant anthropological concept to this experience is the importance of suspending judgment when dealing with new and unexplored situations. Too often, we see different as bad, or at least not as good as our way of doing things. I have to be honest and say that things do get a bit fuzzy when you are looking through two lenses: the lens of what you personally believe to be true, and the lens of being the anthropologist in a situation. However, in the midst of this gray area, I am convinced that it is much better to suspend your own judgment in order to see things for what they truly are.

Global Connections: Sojourns Fair Trade Store

On Saturday I went with my brother and sister to Sojourns, the fair trade store downtown that has been mentioned in class. I loved it. It’s a small store, and it felt like a museum, displaying little windows into cultures from all around the world. The store has small drums and a few other instruments, music from different cultures, jewelry, pottery, colorful linens and hand bags, artwork, tea and coffee from around the world, and all kinds of small handmade crafts and various items. Many of the items have a sheet of paper beside them, explaining where the item comes from, who made it, and how fair trade is helping those individuals. One of my personal favorites to read was about how fair trade organizations are working alongside local small farmers in Darjeeling (a city in the foothills of the Himalayas in northeast India known for its tea). I was actually able to spend about six weeks in Darjeeling a little bit over a year ago on a missions trip, and backpacked through some of the local tea estates in various villages, so it’s cool to be able to put faces to some of those farmers. Overall, the store has a blaring theme of global connectedness. You can see it in specific pieces of artwork, in crafts, and in quotes you find throughout the store. One piece of artwork shows people holding hands lining the outside of the planet. Another picture shows a tree with an enormous amount of branches that are all connected to one huge trunk. But you also see this theme just by being in the middle of the store, looking around and realizing that everything around you was made my real people literally all over the globe, and yet here it is all together in one place, in a small shop in downtown Birmingham. It really helped me remember that even though we’re from all kinds of cultures and backgrounds, we all have our humanity in common which is a similarity that vastly outweighs our differences.

My own culture is such a mix of different places that I’ve lived, so I’m not quite sure how similar or different this experiences was to it. I guess that because I have grown up in a few different cultures, I do prefer being in places that are more culturally aware. So in that sense, it felt like “home.” One of the main things I learned from this experience is that we all have the responsibility of helping our world by the way we spend our money. It’s good to be reminded that everything we buy is being made some someone, somewhere—a real person just like you and just like me. And when we support a company by buying their product, we indirectly support everything that company is doing, whether good or bad. Ignorance is a poor excuse. Fair trade is a way of doing business that ensures economic and social justice. Sojourns’ website says, “The key goals of fair trade are to empower low-income, disadvantaged artisans, laborers and farmers around the globe, and to promote understanding between them and industrialized nations” (http://www.adventureartpeace.com/What_is_Fair_Trade_.html). As far as preconceived notions/stereotypes I had before this experience that were changed, however backwards this may seem, I realized that Americans can live lives that are very much globally aware. Growing up overseas and being surrounded by people whose lives are in tune with everything going on internationally, I’ve had a prejudice against “ignorant Americans.” But actually living here, that prejudice is slowly changing, which is exciting. One of the connections to an anthropological concept I found from this experience was realizing that all of us have “etic” perspectives of other cultures initially, and the only way to gain a true “emic” perspective would take lot of time, which is obviously why anthropologists must spend years and years absorbed in another culture to gain that culture’s perspective.

Cultural Anthropology blog: Introduction

My name is John Sides, and I’m twenty years old. When people ask me where I’m from I usually don’t know exactly what to say. I’ve moved around a lot, which complicates things. My concept of home is very different from someone who has grown up in the same city, or even the same state, their entire life. My “home” is invested in people and places spread all over the world. In a initial conversation with someone, when I’m trying to explain where I’m from, I usually try to give a brief answer because most people aren’t looking for much more, but I feel like for the purposes of explaining my “cultural perspective” I have to go a bit more in depth, because my lifestyle has been one of the most significant factors that has shaped who I am.


I grew up in northeast Alabama in a really small town, until I was nine. My Dad was a doctor and owned his own practice, originally thinking that he and my mom would raise my older sister, my younger brother, and I, live a pretty normal life, and eventually retire. However, my Dad (let me add in that my family members are all Christian which is probably and hopefully the most significant part of my “cultural perspective”) felt God calling our family to live overseas as missionaries. So when I was nine we moved to a city in southeast China called Macau. We lived in Macau for two and a half years, moved back to the states for two years, went back to China as career missionaries for a year, and then I moved to a Christian and American boarding school in Taiwan for all of high school. For the record, I speak only a little Mandarin, although I’m taking classes here at UAB to hopefully improve! After finishing high school in ’08, I moved to Australia for six months to be a part of a school run by YWAM, a Christian missions organization. Then the second semester of last year I spent travelling back and forth between Macau, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, staying with friends and family. I think that listing out all the places you’ve been and things you’ve done in your life sometimes comes across as bragging, and I hope I don’t come across that way. This has just been my life so far, and it helps explain why I am who I am.


So my “culture” is a blend of many different things. I’ve lived in Asia for eight years out of my twenty, which throws things off. When I’m in Asia, I feel American, and when I’m in America I feel more Asian. (Actually, my girlfriend who is American but grew up her whole life in Taiwan and is currently in Australia, hates being in large public places like shopping malls in the States because even though she’s white, she feels like everyone is staring at her). It’s hard for me to feel like I fit in, unless I’m around people who have had similar lifestyles, which I guess would be true for most of us. So I’m white on the outside, but I’m a weird and hard to define mix of cultures on the inside. I don’t feel like any one label fits my life, and I hate it when people try to label my life in a word or two.


I think that moving around a lot, especially moving away from your home country, makes it a lot easier to see people as people, rather than "American," "Chinese," “Taiwanese,” etc. We’re all so complicated on the inside, and yet so very similar. As much as we stereotype people in an attempt to rationalize differences, no one particular label will fully describe anyone. We all have so much to learn from each other from the differences we do have, and we have so much potential to relate and work together from our many similarities. Our world is so fascinating.