Ethnography as an Outsider: a Day in the Life of a Panhandler

2691 Words11 Pages
The bitter cold bit at my cheeks as I tried to muster the strength to hold up the sign I had created just days ago. It was a simple sign that I made on my own but nonetheless it was an essential prop for the role I was about to play. I had only seen one play performed on stage while in America but it was relatable to performances people put on back home where people dress up and play roles they do not normally have. For my role today, I had chosen to dress in a costume that consisted of a pair of soft pants and a long sleeve button up shirt that was red and black. The pants were way too big and covered in stains and the shirt was extremely faded, missing a few buttons, and reeked of cigarettes. I had a light jacket that I wore over the shirt even though it did nothing to help keep me warm. I put on a pair of men’s black boots and finished off my look by covering each hand with a black, greasy glove. I did not wash my body or hair today. In fact, I attempted to make myself appear dirtier than I was by smearing some black stuff in tiny amounts on my face along with some dirt. My hair was left ratted and in tangles, pulled back, and held place with a piece of string that I wrapped around it and tied into a knot. I definitely looked like I fit the role, but is it enough to convince total strangers? I stood there taking in my surroundings; saddened by the smell of poisons filling the air, trash along the side of the paths as though it were decoration or pieces of art, and a constant flow of people passing right in front of me. “It’s only one day, you can do this,” I told myself. Slowly I inched myself closer toward the corner of the path I‘d chosen to be my stage, opened up my sign, and finally lifted it up for all to see. I was now playing the role of a panhandler; a part of the American culture that had peaked my interest just weeks ago. If you had asked me a month ago

More about Ethnography as an Outsider: a Day in the Life of a Panhandler

Open Document