Assignment 3

Assignment three asked of us to record observations we made of people in some of the places our tutor asked us to visit. For my assignment i went two of the places we were recommended to go to. I went to a football match and then the casino a few days after. This assignment was about seeing how people act in places like this because there are rules or etiquette when your in such a place.

This assignment has been very interesting because it has made me think of thinks that i've often thought before but never really pay much attention to. The football game i went to see was just an amateur game with about 100 spectators in the regional sunday league. My younger brother plays for the home side so I went to watch him play. Watching people spectate is nothing unusual, I've been watching football games for as long as I can remember. There is obviously a strict etiquette at football matches like this. People dress the same, people talk the same and everyone is obviously from a very similar social background. The people watching the game varied in ages. Most of the people there were boys my age who had a keen interest in football. at the other side of the park there were older people. they probably stood there because they did not want to mix with the younger spectators. Normally at larger games this would be different but because it was an amateur football match not everyone was there solely to concentrate on the game. At this game there was allot of encouragement from the fans. With football like this you don't get 'glory hunters'; people there for the hell of seeing a good team play good football for there entertainment, but instead a large amount of people who have been supporting the team for a long time. People get stuck into the football, if a player messes up he's soon to get an ear full from a fan. This is the kind of behaviour that isn't normally acceptable anywhere apart from a football game. The boys my age seemed to be the kind of people who enjoyed the banter of a football match. There was lots of loutish behaviour often allot of bad language and general arsing about! Most people turn a blind eye to this or sometimes enjoy some of the witty remarks the boys come out with to offend the opposing team. This assignment was supposed to be investigated in a place where we felt uncomfortable. Out of the places we were asked to visit i found this place the least uncomfortable. I felt like i fitted the criterium for a stereotypical supporter very well; young, loutish and supporting a team of importance to me.

The next place I visited was the Casino. I go there quite often and usually gamble a little bit of money. I went to the casino late at night because it's usually at its busiest then. I always feel uncomfortable in there because you know that at any point you could potentially be wrestled to the ground with the suspicion you'd been card counting or trying buy out the casino. The people gambling are often extremely drunk or half cut and you get the feeling the dealer could be leading them on. If you sit at a table to play either a game of roulette or a game of blackjack you feel like its going to be a team effort even though your out to win all the money the casino has for yourself. When i went in I went straight to the bar because there is nothing better to hide behind than a 15cm tall pint of Tennents when your in an uncomfortable situation. I got my drink and i sat next to a few people. I sat next to four other people at the black jack table. one guy was an ice hockey player from chicago. Another guy was an old boy who had lived in dundee all his life and two younger guys who were very drunk about my age. The american was a very nice guy he had allot of presence at the table from the size of the pile of chips he had accumulated. He was feeling very generous and donated me a five pound chip with the promise of another one if I won the hand. The old man wasn't very happy with this. He lost the hand and was obviously down for the night. I think everyone in a casino is slightly uncomfortable because of the security. Its a very nerve racking place to go. It either makes your night or ruins your night and you can see the winners and the losers as you walk through the place. Obviously the casino is a place where you have to dress smartly. However these days it's quite easy to look like some sort of socialite with a shirt and tie and some black shoes you picked up in primark for just over a tenner. I'd say the football game was definately my sort of stage.