Katie Hulse
Professor Nekervis
Intro to Sociology
29 November 2014
Ethnomethodology
Explanation & Prediction: “Ethnomethodology is the study of the ways in which people make sense of their social world. A favored technique among ethnomethodologists is to temporarily disrupt the world which people take for granted and see how they react. The point of this is to expose background assumptions that have been accepted as reality for a long time.” (Nekervis) For this project, I decided on performing an action that did just that. I have a pet pig. Even though the trend of having pet pigs is becoming popular, it is still not viewed as “normal,” especially around where I live in Brick town. I decided to take my pig, Phoebee, for a walk around the Brick township reservoir, which isn’t something you see everyday. There is a sign posted directly before the ramp to enter, which basically expresses that DOGS are welcome as long as they are cleaned up after. There are no signs discussing the rules regarding pigs obviously, but I didn’t think I would have a problem. I predicted I would receive a few strange looks and definitely some questions and some people, probably children that would like to interact with Phoebee. I thought that is wouldn’t be accepted completely but I felt like the people who witnessed me walking my pig would be open to the idea and it would get them thinking.
Conclusion: I went to the reservoir with Phoebee on a sunny Wednesday when the temperature was just about 60 degrees. I chose that day because it was the perfect weather for a walk and there would probably be many people there walking so I would be able to get several reactions. I was wearing normal work clothes and sneakers. Phoebee was wearing her pink camouflage harness and purple leash. When we started our walk, two women ran past us and proceeded to turn their heads and have a double-take to make sure what they saw was real, but they continued running with no comment. A few minutes later, an elderly couple stopped to talk to me and pet her. They said, “well isn’t this different!” and then continued on about how cute she was. Several more people commented on how cute she was and wanted to pet her. All of the reactions I received were positive except one. A mother was pushing her son in a stroller, who was about six years old. When he saw Phoebee, he began to yell, “PIG! PIG! MOMMY LOOK PIG!” She stopped and stared with a look of disgust on her face. He son began to lean out of the stroller reaching for Phoebee when she began to push the stroller again and move forward. She said not to touch because “ that pig is dirty and could have a disease.” Little did she know that may pig is very clean and smells like oatmeal. If Phoebee were a puppy, would she have said that? No. But any animal could be dirty and have a disease. Just because my pet is associated with being dirty doesn’t mean she actually is. I learned a lot from this project. I learned how some people can be very open-minded and accepting, while others can be very narrow-minded and discriminatory. That lady who was disgusted by Phoebee automatically assumed that she was dirty and probably that I was weird just because she was a farm animal and I was walking her. Stereotypes exist in all aspects of life, not only regarding people, but animals as well. However, even though I received that one negative comment, I wouldn’t change my choice in pets or my openness of bringing Phoebee out in public. I don’t care what people think. Being different is something that should be embraced, not hidden.
