Essay 1 : Older Skateboarders
This ethnography is titled “Shredding Again,” by Mark Simborg. This author observed
how many aged individuals who skated back when they were younger have begun to skate
again due to the increasing popularity of skate parks, especially in urban areas. This author
uses an extensive amount of imagery in his writing in order to truly set the scene of where he
wants to take the author. For example, “...and he is about to score the best waves of the day crowd-free, wetsuit-free, no bone-chilling water or sharks or heavy equipment” (Simborg). He
writes of how these skaters used to skate in their young lives, teenagers to young adults, now
skate again, even if they are in their forties.
This essay meets the criteria for an ethnography because all of the field research was
unobtrusive. This makes for a successful ethnography because the members of the subculture
will act the same way, and not be distracted by the researcher. This author also has fresh eyes
on the scene, and has never taken part in skateboarding. This author also writes as though the
skateboarders themselves will read this essay, and he wants to impress them with his writing.
He goes so far as to slightly delve into the history of skateboards, and what made them so
popular. “...translucent wheels that didn’t jam stop at every pebble and also gripped the
pavement…” (Simborg). This ethnography is well-written and is interesting to read.
Essay 2: Truck Stop Culture
This ethnography is titled “Friday Night at Iowa 80,” by Rick Zollo. This author observed
a truck stop and everything that goes on there in a night. This author uses imagery, but not as
much as the previous author. He mentions a hole that had once been the south-side front
section of a parking lot, and by using that, you can kind of see where the actual station is
situated (par. 4). He writes of the people that stop in at the full-service restaurant, and he also
writes of truck traffic. This goes to show that he may have visited the truck stop at a busy time,
or at least busy for the little station.
This essay is an ethnography because the author has never been a part of trucking, so
he has very fresh eyes. He is able to use a fresh vision free from bias because of this fact. This
essay also qualifies as an ethnography because the author was almost unnoticeable, so the
environment was mainly untouched. “But before I could even consider eating, I had to walk the
grounds” (Zollo). One reason why this ethnography is not quite fully qualified is because the
author uses personal pronouns, when he is not supposed to unless it is a direct quote.
Essay 3: Priceless Passion
This ethnography is titled “Priceless Passion,” by Student K. This ethnography is written
about the Lowe High School dance team. The essay says both dancers and cheerleaders, so I
am not sure if these are the same groups or not. Anyways, the author writes of a rough time
that both the coach and the dancers experienced. “...became frustrated with how the practice
was going…responded with negative looks and feelings” (Student K). This author writes of how
even though they have this negative experience, all of the members enjoy what they do, and
you can see their passion for the sport whenever they perform.
This essay qualifies as an ethnography because the author is not a part of this group, so
he or she is able to perform quality research as a result of being unbiased. This essay can also
qualify as an ethnography due to the fact that the author collected all forms of evidence and
notes before writing the essay. This means that the author had a plethora of information
needed to write this ethnography.