THE SHOPPING MALL: A CULTURAL VIEW

 Running head: THE SHOPPING MALL: A CULTURAL VIEW
The Shopping Mall: A Cultural View
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THE SHOPPING MALL: A CULTURAL VIEW 2
The Shopping Mall: A Cultural View
Introduction
One quick search online and the definition of culture can be obtained: “The totality of
socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human
work and thought (“Culture Definition,” n.d.).” Given this basic and simple definition of culture,
it is easy to surmise that culture is indeed a very broad term that may encompass an expansive set
of spectrum. Just about anything can cover culture but it is such a distinct phenomenon that one
can hardly mistake it, may refer to it, vaguely knowing what it is and yet, being right with his
depiction. Culture is something that will be always be used to explain a variety of things in
human society and a careful study of it is a stepping stone to explain human behavior within this
current civilization. With today’s rapidly expanding world, with frequently clashing societies on
a daily basis, the importance of the study of culture has been more profound as one needs to
break-in the different societies in order to gain an insight to the human mind. The importance of
culture does not even stop there. With the all the ancient treasures our ancestors have gathered
for us to enjoy, the study of culture helps preserve such important artifacts for our future
generation to enjoy (Hunt, 2006). This paper shall discuss the culture inherent in a shopping
mall, as observed by the author.
Location
For this project, the writer of this paper had chosen Towne Mall, located in 1704 N
Dixie Highway, Elizabethtown, KY (“Location,” n.d.). The building itself is not spectacular. It
is a red-brownish, rectangular piece of property, much similar to the normal shopping districts,
THE SHOPPING MALL: A CULTURAL VIEW 3
not very tall, but rather wide. Parking is easy enough to find, even on a windy (65 degrees)
Saturday at 11:00am. The mall usually has events lined up for some special occasions but not
on this day. There are several shops that posts “SALE” on their respective windows but that is
common enough for every shopping mall. The author had decided to sit by the food court, in
front of Mandarin China and Arby’s restaurant. The smell of sizzling food is rampant where
the author sat, in fact the smell can seep through one’s clothes and hair but it offered a good a
view of the children’s play area and their watching parents. The play area is for kids aged 3-10
and there were about 27 kids in there, running around and enjoying themselves.
Elizabethtown, Kentucky is a district where there are about 24,533 residents in 2009
(“General Information,” 2010). The area is predominantly white, with about 83.5% of
residents Caucasians, 11.5% black, 0.4% natives, 2.3% Asian, 4.0% Hispanic (“General
Information,” 2010). The median household income is $49,500 in 2008 (“General
Information,” 2010). These general facts about the town are prevalent with the author’s
observations within Towne Mall. Mostly, the families therein are whites. There is exactly one
Asian child and a couple of Black families (2 black boys) but the rest are Caucasians, enjoying
their Saturday morning together. Elizabethtown is not by any means a prosperous town nor is
it a town stricken by poverty. People live comfortably within their means and a leisurely stroll
within a shopping area can hardly be called a luxurious activity amongst these people. Since a
mall has a certain way of inducing people to buy things not considered a necessity, it is
obvious that even at 11am, some families had already done their shopping for the day and are
enjoying a brunch of some sort in the food court while the kids are off playing.
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Acculturation
Acculturation is a concept in Anthropology that means, “the adoption of the behavior
patterns of the surrounding culture” (“Acculturation Definition,” n.d.). It is a way for one
culture to adapt to another. This process is especially easier for children. The author believes
that racism is discreet within the United States and it does, in fact exist. Given the laws
however, against it, people are encouraged to be tolerable about other cultures. On this day of
observation, the author took particular interest in the one Asian child within the play area. She
is about 7, with slanted eyes, olive skin and straight black hair. Her parents are watching her
from their table and are waving to her from time to time. The child is happily mingling with
the other children. She is happily playing with the Caucasians, and from the looks of it, she
can speak perfect English and she can understand the language well. The other children are
animatedly talking with her and she definitely belongs to one group of playmates. This little
scenario is a perfect example of acculturation. The litt