Running head: THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS

Reading Reflection The Cocktail Waitress

Karin Fonseca
Valdosta State University

THE COCKTAIL WAITRESS

Reading Reflection The Cocktail Waitress

This study enlightens the three most important principles of Ethnography. As
stated in the article, Ethnography is the careful description of another
culture in its own terms (Spradley & Mann, p.6). The purpose of this study
was to show what means to act like a woman in a traditional role in the
western culture as well as the general aspects of the feminine style of such
culture (p.6).
The three principles that guided the study are as follows:
Every Human group creates its won reality, a shared culture.
Although most of us live our lives without even paying attention, a
culture that has been passed along from generations has made of us
what we are. Our perceptions and reactions are part of the culture we
live in and although we might think that it is the only truth, what we
might perceive as one thing can be seeing totally different by someone
form another culture. Being from another country myself, I do
experience this and perceive culture differences frequently, yet
sometimes I do not realize that by embracing the new culture I am in, I
am also changing. Spradley & Mann states, that culture is a recipe for
putting together the ingredients of human thought and action (p.7).
And indeed, our thoughts and actions are a consequence of the culture
that has been deeply developed in us.
Everyone takes their own culture for granted.
People believe that their own way of acting and thinking is the only
possible way, because that is their culture. The point here is that most
people is not even aware of their own culture, and for Spradley and
Mann this mean that in general people take their culture for granted.
One example used is how we learn a certain language since we are
born and develop the understanding of that language without thinking
of the complexity of it, simply because that particular language is part
of your culture. Language is only one aspect of culture, which
determines how you think and express as well as how you interpret
others. The way people dress, eat, play are also parts of the
determined culture one is from. What happens is that people take all
this little natural things for granted not realizing it is part of their
culture, and that others have a completely different way of acting,
thinking or reacting. Sprandley and Mann argues, Ethnography is a
toll for finding out the things people have learned but forgotten, the
things that they use every day of their to tell others they are men and
woman (p.8). For this study analyzing the difference in culture that
sets the dimensions of man and woman were important.
There is frequently more than one culture perspective for any social
situation.
There are still many differences that can be found within the same
society. Specially when looking at how man and woman, as they think

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in different ways about the same situations of life. Woman and men,
even in the same society grows up learning different sets of behavior
that is accepted, expected and are set as part of who they are. This
differences in behavior for men and woman are unique to each society
and it allows us to study the distinctive cultural perspectives of man
and woman. Some tribes, small groups of people, have a strong sense
of themselves and the culture is quite clear to be analyzed, however
cultures like ours is very complex with many different culture
perspectives for any particular situation. For the Study of Ethnography
it is important to consider the many kinds of people that are part of a
particular complex society, as the researcher should preserve the
integrity of each cultural perspective according to Spradley and Mann
(p.10).
The study presented, The Cocktail Waitress, had the goal of analyzing the life in a bar, form the
female at work in a male world. This type of studies tends to add to the social invisibility of
woman. Once that is developed and created by the social identifies and behaviors of people in
the society. Spradley and Mann explains that when a person turns into an object, as to when a
person is qualify as less than others, people will not listen to them or take them into
consideration. They are not less of a person, but they are simply ignored, or treated down by the
own system of society and culture identity (p.11). It was expressed in this study that woman is
treated as a variable and studied against a set of rules that are standardized for studies based on
males, rather than studying them, the woman from their own perspectives. This does not
provide a realistic result as they are based on set of norms that would not necessary apply.
Most studies have been done by males, that in itself provides a different perspective than if they
were done by woman. For this and many reasons, woman at work is not seen as an important
factor to study because most societies man are symbols of power, higher status, authority and
dominate in the work force with higher level positions.

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Reference
Mann, B. J., & Sprandley J. P., (n.d.). The cocktail waitress: Womans work in a mans world.
New Youk, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.