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[Vector]

I am forced to wonder if the above post was intended to be facetous or there is something dire and sinister about Anthropology of which I have not previously been aware.

Mine?  Facetious?  No.

It's more that there's something dire and sinister about uncertainty.

[Mindmaker]

Huh, really?
I could imagine a different reaction, given that most people are on the hate side of the spectrum when it comes to math.
And while they have only a vague idea what it does look like, they're too afraid to ask, in case the person decides to renew their childhood trauma by lengthy and detailed explanations.
That's at least what I've gathered from the people around me

So I'd expect something along the lines of "Oh. Erm. That's... nice... I guess".

[Fenrir]

It's more that there's something dire and sinister about uncertainty.

What is so dire about not knowing what Anthropology is exactly? I am sorry if this really is something deeper than I realize, as I would not like to mock something that is important to you, but I do not really understand.

[MaximumZero]

Mindmaker, you could always tell people the most utterly vague thing ever. "I study people and humanity and why they are the way they are." No lengthy explanation needed, and the reply "Oh, neat" will sometimes be a little more sincere.

[Vector]

So I'd expect something along the lines of "Oh. Erm. That's... nice... I guess".

Usually, I'm asked "So what do you actually do, anyway" and "so what are you going to do with that."  And, because I'm trying to avoid childhood traumas, I do have to give a rather sculpted response.  Luckily there's a bit of a stunned expression most of the time, which I can take advantage of to ask the other person questions, instead.

And, there can be unsolicited comments of "Ah, secretarial work?" or "Yeah, that's useless."  But those are rare enough.

What is so dire about not knowing what Anthropology is exactly? I am sorry if this really is something deeper than I realize, as I would not like to mock something that is important to you, but I do not really understand.

I meant the unsettling feeling of not knowing if you're doing the right thing, as I quoted, which was what my response was referring to.  There can be different causes for this.  At the very least, I am quite accustomed to that feeling of not knowing if you're pursuing the "correct" feel of study, though I suspect my reasons are different.

Mindmaker, you could always tell people the most utterly vague thing ever. "I study people and humanity and why they are the way they are." No lengthy explanation needed, and the reply "Oh, neat" will sometimes be a little more sincere.

Yeah, my usual explanation is "mathematics is the study of patterns, both geometric and otherwise," and then I try to move on.

[Cthulhu]

It's more that there's something dire and sinister about uncertainty.

What is so dire about not knowing what Anthropology is exactly? I am sorry if this really is something deeper than I realize, as I would not like to mock something that is important to you, but I do not really understand.

I think she means that they're making mindmaker uncertain about his choice.  Anthropology is one of those degrees you never see except from those people who talk for a few minutes on the history channel, and who the hell knows what they do? (They write books, I guess).  So you tell people you're studying to be an anthropologist and they're like "What does that entail" and you're like "Well, uh."

Then you realize you're not sure what it entails, just that it really interests you and you want to do it.  That's not enough for them.

Yeah, I'd say talk to your professor about what kind of jobs there are.  Museum curator?  Professor?  Author?

Faux-edit:  Yeah, what vector said.

[scriver]

Mindmaker, you could always tell people the most utterly vague thing ever. "I study people and humanity and why they are the way they are." No lengthy explanation needed, and the reply "Oh, neat" will sometimes be a little more sincere.

I agree. The explanation you gave me when I asked was good enough, Mindmaker.
Though I can't remember if I asked "what is anthropology?" or "anthropology is x and y, isn't it?". Regardless, I felt like you gave me a good idea of what it's about.

[Mindmaker]

What is so dire about not knowing what Anthropology is exactly? I am sorry if this really is something deeper than I realize, as I would not like to mock something that is important to you, but I do not really understand.

Well, problem is that the only kind of Antrophologists you actually can see, are the ones writing books. However this is only a small subcategory of them.
So the general picture is always a bit vague.

And if you're struggling for answers, when people are asking you questions, then is it really the right direction for you? Shouldn't you know? What do you actually know about it?
Do you know enough to decide that it's the "right thing"?

Even the curriculum a bit airy. Well most are, but that still isn't reassuring.

[Fenrir]

Oh, I am sorry. I was not really sure what Mindmaker meant when he questioned whether he was doing the right thing, so the best I could guess was that he was not sure if trying to explain it to people was the right thing. I think the fact that I would not have thought to question why someone would want to study Anthropology contributed to my confusion.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Got to go to the beach today and visit a friend at his beach house.

However, I am tired as all hell from fighting the Atlantic Ocean's current for hours, and apparently managed to lose somewhere between two and six pounds in the last twelve hours. My everything hurts from muscle fatigue.

[Gamerlord]

Got to finalise my cheat sheet for my Maths Studies 1 exam tomorrow. Then the next day I've got a chemistry exam, then two days after that I've got Math Studies 3 exam.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Arms....full of....painful....jelly.....

[Angel Of Death]

Arms....full of....painful....jelly.....

I am confused... How did the painful jelly get into your arm?

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Arms....full of....painful....jelly.....

I am confused... How did the painful jelly get into your arm?

The painful jelly is whatever currently remains of my muscles. God damn this hurts.

[Angel Of Death]

Arms....full of....painful....jelly.....

I am confused... How did the painful jelly get into your arm?

The painful jelly is whatever currently remains of my muscles. God damn this hurts.

D: How did your muscles get damaged?