Welcome to my site! The goal of this blog is to learn about and talk about life in these United States of America. The inspiration for this blog is the Mass Observation Project of the United Kingdom.

Click on Blog to read my responses to the Directives and then click on Responses to add your response or you can email me at obstheseunitedstates@gmail.com.

The Mass Observation Project and Observations: These United States of America

Several books have been written from material in the database of responses to directives from the Mass Observation Project (MOP) in England. The responses come from people of all stripes, economic standing, and classes. The responses provide a window into the lives of Britons from 1937 to the early 1950s and again since 1981. The project was begun by: Tom Harrisson (an anthropologist and ornithologist), Humphrey Jennings (a painter and film-maker) and Charles Madge (a poet and Daily Mirror journalist) (Mass Observations).

According the its history:

The Archive results from the work of the social research organisation, Mass Observation. This organisation was founded in 1937 by a group of people, who aimed to create an ‘anthropology of ourselves’. They recruited a team of observers and a panel of volunteer writers to study the everyday lives of ordinary people in Britain. This original work continued until the early 1950s. (Mass Observations)

Since I first learned of this project, I wanted to gather information about life in America to create a snapshot of our country, its changes, its culture, and the diverse experiences of those who live here.

I have assigned writing projects to my students based upon directives from the MOP and some I have written myself. These assignments generally produce some of the best writing my students submit. They teach students to think critically, to take notice of the world around them, and to express themselves. It gives them the opportunity to share their lived experiences.

I have created a very basic blog on WordPress with the hope to create a community of volunteers who will contribute to the Observations: These United States of America project. I hope to capture a snapshot of America as it is today and in the future. My readers and participants can learn from diverse others who experience life in America in different ways.

I invite your to participate. I will post new directives several times a month and I invite you can respond by hitting reply. You may also reply to the post by email. Send your response to OBSTheseUnitedStates@gmail.com if you want to remain anonymous. I will post the content of the responses I receive by email without a name or with a pseudonym.

My responses to the directives are available on the blog. Please check there to read my response and respond to the directives.

 

Work Cited

“Mass Observation, 1937-1950s.” Mass Observation, 1937-1950s, University of Sussex, 2015, http://www.massobs.org.uk/mass-observation-1937-1950s.