By: Janet Wessing

Janet Wessing — Mon, 26 Feb 2007 21:29:28 +0000

Thanks for that Johnny! You get an upfront and close encounter with an element of society that most people don’t even care about. And yet, you get a peek into their personal lives and what matters to them. I guess that’s what makes us “ethnographers,” right? I’m going to bet that you have more human feelings for them, as opposed to labeling them. I ride the bus to my college, and we stop at the “Drunk tank,” if you will. I’ve come to identify some of the regulars as “blow and goes;” they get off across the street from the building, go in and “blow” (breath alcohol levels), and are ready and waiting by the time the bus goes through its route and gets to the other side of the street. It always puts a smile on my face to see them because it’s like a regular coffee clutch they have formed on the bus, a source of support and encouragement; an affirmation that they are valued and have worth.

Comments on: Who needs soap operas?

By: Janet Wessing