Carl:

We begin this journey by posing a simple question: Who is in control of your life?  This question has been answered by philosophers, theologians, politicians, and over the past two centuries or so, a breed of scholars who call themselves “sociologists.”

Pattie:

Georg Simmel, in 1922, wrote about the ways in which people create groups with each other in “Die Kreuzung sozialer Kreise.” Literally translated into English, as “intersection of social circles.”  Reinhard Bendix in his 1950 translation of Simmel’s work, felt that social circles was too vague a term and thus entitled it “The Web of Group-Affiliations.”  The question of how the individual and society create each other was addressed in Simmel’s text.  Simmel seems to be answering the question that we control our lives by the ways in which we choose our social circles, but then our social circles help shape who we are. 

Carl:

We posed the question:  “Who is in control of your life and how do you know this?” to a number of people in Victoria.  We greatly appreciate those who took the time to answer this question on the air. 

Pattie:

Even though most said they were in some control of their lives, we heard a range of answers. There were those who said unequivocally that they were in control.

Carl:

There were those who said they were in control, but showed some hesitation.

Pattie:

There were those who said they hoped they were in control.

Carl:

There were those who said their friends or families were in control.

Pattie:

There was one who said society controlled his life.

Carl:

Finally, one who suggested no one was in control.

Pattie:

UCLA Sociologist, Harold Garfinkel, has related a story about teaching that seemed relevant to our project this week, not so much because he talks of control as his experience is similar to the one we had even posing this question to strangers.  Garfinkel assigned his graduate seminar a sociological experiment whereby they would get on a bus with only a few people on it and instead of sitting in one of the empty seats, they would walk up to someone and ask for their seat.  This breaking of a social norm seemed benign enough.  However, after three weeks none of his students had accomplished the assignment and they complained that it was too difficult.  Garfinkel decided to prove to them that it was not difficult, so he had the small class get on the bus at one stop and then he got on at later stop and was to perform the experiment in front of them to demonstrate the ease of the assignment.  All went well until the moment that Garfinkel had to approach the stranger and ask for the seat.  He reports that his palms began to sweat and he felt physically ill as he asked the question.  In that moment, he realized how truly difficult it is to ask something of a stranger outside the expectations of society.

What’s Your Dream Holiday?

Pattie:

As a mobile society, Canadians hold their quote holidays close quote as sacred. It is a time when people go somewhere. George Ritzer, in his book, Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption, suggested that the somewhere is changing as North Americans become more consumption driven. A great deal of the consumption done on holidays has always centred on food, a place to stay and souvenirs. The latter has been kitschy for quite sometime now, especially with the advent of plastics in the 1920s and 30s. But Ritzer asserts that the fakeness has spread to the food and the places to stay as well as the little plastic trinkets marking the trips. Amusement parks have outgrown the Ferris wheels and roller coasters of the 1950s and 60s to become full-scale shopping meccas where people eat, sleep, shop and get thrills: Ritzer writes, quote For one thing, malls have become tourist destinations. ... Malls have everything. They have an amusement park. They have a roller coaster. Mom and dad can get what they want. ... this combination is spectacular and a powerful lure to the traveler. In Canada, the largest tourist attraction is not Niagara Falls but rather the Edmonton Mall. close quote. We asked people in Victoria one summer's afternoon what they thought was the ideal holiday.

Why Are You Having a Garage Sale?

Carl:

It's early April.
Hunting season has begun.
Almost every Saturday morning, I pull myself out of bed.
I kiss my wife good-bye or leave her a love note.
And then I take the maps and other documents I compiled the night before
And I go into the jungle.
I set my sights on specific game.
I know what I want.
I know how to track it.
And I know what I'm willing to sacrifice to get it.
There are others in the jungle.
Some are happy to bag almost anything.
I am not. I would rather come back empty handed than carry any unworthy trophy.
But I do have great trophies.
The 15-dollar television.
The 5-dollar VCR.
The 2-dollar wooden coffee table in very good condition or VGC.
Two 50 cent lamps, several 25 cent books.
And my favourite, the one-dollar microwave oven.
And you should have seen the one that got away.

I am speaking, of course, of garage sales. And I am not alone on the streets. Go out any sunny, Spring Saturday in Victoria And hundreds of people are driving around in circles, parking anywhere they can and sorting through other people's stuff. Hundreds of other people are pulling their stuff out of their garages and onto their lawns, putting out make-shift ads on lamp-posts and waiting for people to come and sort through their stuff. This ritual is repeated weekly and replicated throughout North America.

Every once in awhile, when I've been out on my rounds, I've happened upon an open garage with stuff laid out in an organized fashion. Excited to be the first to arrive, I have wandered into the garage only to be confronted by a rather puzzled homeowner who is explaining to me that I am on his property. After much confusion, I figure out that no sale in progress or about to begin and this is just his storage place.

On the other hand, I happened upon a sale in Victoria, a few weeks ago, where a very nice man explained to me that he had not set out to have a garage sale that day. He had started the day intending to clean and organize his garage. After he pulled his stuff out onto his lawn, however, people started stopping at his house and asking how much he wanted for things. After a few cars and sending people away, he gave up and started selling things. He was having a garage sale based upon consumer demand. It is hard to tell I guess a sale of junk from a collection of junk.

The seasoned hunter dickers. The asking price is not the selling price. That is my mantra. I am sometimes amused that training my training in market economics and finance as an MBA seems to be more valid in micro interactions than in so-called business transactions. This is rational exchange, pricing according to the market. No manipulation propagandizing. Just buying and selling, tete-a-tete, making or breaking the deal.

So I wondered, am I the only one who thought about garage sales in market terms? I decided to invite my wife on one of my hunting trips and instead of looking for my usual targets, we interviewed the other in my weekly ritual. We talked people holding garage sales.

Can You Make Your Dog Talk to Us?

Carl:

The sun is bright and warm. Safely away from the busy city streets, along the shoreline, people walk or run. Some choose to head down the bluff to the shore itself and enjoy the cool salty waters of the Straits of Juan de Fuca, watching a passing sea lion or bird or boat or ship. Some push their bodies to the limits, running or jogging full speed, burning calories and enjoying the feeling of movement as rubber sole hits tarred pavement in a rhythmic ritual as the landscape passes through their vision as a blur. Some stroll casually along the path enjoying the scent of the flowers and the sea air, mindfully taking in the beauty of the coastline.

They push walkers or strollers or wheel chairs. They talk with friends. They listen to their personal, alone in the crowd.

They pursue these various activities in orderly fashion, yielding for the quickest among them, in choreographed movements that belie their happenstance. Like good members of the community, most do not stray from the paths provided.

That is, most of the two-legged creatures stay on the path.

Dallas Road is a dog haven. On any summer afternoon or evening, dogs happily run, fetch, drool, swim, roll on their backs and check out every smell they possibly can find. Some of them stay close to their human companions; others run freely, happy to let out their innerwolves to roam the bluffs. While some are more shy than others, all of them seem quite pleased to be out in the sun, doing what comes naturally.

Originally, we approached several dogs and their human companions to see if we could record some barking and panting noises to add as background for our show. What we ended up recording was a wonderful collection of human/dog interaction.

copyright by Pattie Thomas and Carl Wilkerson 2003