Quote of the Day: Nigel Barley

Not that we've been having "quotes of the day," but it sounds good. Plus, it gives me an opportunity to mention Nigel Barley, my favorite anthropologist. (The only one I know anything about, in fact.) Bob & Martha introduced his books to me last year, and I've just started a new one, Ceremony, on my lunch break.

Anyway, I liked this quote -it's pretty accurate of me at least:

We are all overdrawn at the moral bank. The slightest challenge by authority draws on deep wells of guilt.

Okay, time to run outside for a few minutes of sunshine before going back to the fluorescent lights...

Note: Ok, I realize now that quote is not very striking without the context of a story, but I'm too lazy to share any of my own right now. (Nigel was waiting in some customs official's very uninviting office in Cameroon, with plenty of time to think what he might have done wrong.)

Andrea says...
One thing about myself that drives me absolutely crazy is whenever I see a police car in my vicinity, I freak out. It doesn't matter if I'm doing anything wrong or not! I am still paranoid that I'm going to be 'caught' - at what, I don't know, but the fear is still there. Dumb.