I recently received an e-mail from a Southwestern archaeologist. So, why is this e-mail so important to qualify the creation of a blog? I had to ask myself this question. Why did this particular e-mail make me
happy? I finally came to the conclusion that it was because it was a tie to my former self; a time when things actually
worked. It also reminded me of the intellectual conversations I once shared with fellow archaeologists - discussions of prehistoric movements, trade networks, conflicts, and communication. And, of
research. Actual
research. The need and desire to always build upon the known. The place I currently work for says that they do research; however, their "research" is tucked away into a filing cabinet. It is not tested and expounded upon - and reported about.
That is not research.
That e-mail was a slap to me of what I once partook in. And, what I no longer have. I no longer live in Arizona, tromping through the desert searching for answers. Arizona - a state that fully embodies the attitude of the "Wild West." You do not tell Arizonans what to do, or they will do the exact opposite just to spite you. They are an independent, stubborn lot, hell bent on doing things their own way, being true to themselves.
Then there is northern Florida. Please do not confuse the panhandle of this phallic-shaped state with its counterpart, southern Florida. They are as opposite as fire and ice, a dichotomy visible even during the Civil War where Florida had both Confederate and Union regiments. northern Florida is more characteristic of southern Georgia, both in mentality and in vegetative growth. It is a characterization that this anthropologist finds stagnating. I know that this is partly due to my western bias - I was born and raised out west. I am hell bent on being my own person. I do not brown nose. I refuse to conform. If you ask me my opinion, I will give you an honest answer. There is nothing "genteel" about me; what you see is what you get.
This region - I can only characterize as having a "Plantation Mentality" feel. The "haves" try to make the "have-nots" feel as if they should be grateful for their poverty-level wages. I have never had so many people look down their noses at me; refuse to talk to me as an equal, or as an individual who has a
mind and an
intellect of my own. I have never been so micromanaged as I have been here in northern Florida - even when I worked in high school. Until moving to northern Florida, I've always been treated with some degree of respect, even when there was a disagreement. Here in northern Florida, if you are viewed as being a "have-not," then you are treated with as much respect as that reserved for a door mat. I have found an amusing twist to this mental projection of the local snobbery - they
believe that they are monetarily wealthy. They, however, haven't the faintest notion of what actual monetary wealth is. Long Island and Beverly Hills - that is monetary wealth. Treating people with respect and dignity - that would be manners.
