In my introductory course, Anthropology 160, the Forms of Folklore, I try to show the students what the major and minor genres of folklore are, and how they can be analyzed.

My academic identity is that of a folklorist, and for many years I have taught only folklore courses.

Americans often have trouble enjoying the present moment.

Life, it seems, is nothing if not a series of initiations, transitions, and incorporations.

Polls are frequently taken to try to tease out or determine likely directions and trends, but once taken, they belong to the past, requiring that new polls be taken.

I mentioned that one of the tripartite formulas in American worldview involves time: past, present, and future.

In the light of our culture, these are not unreasonable questions and tactics, but if once again, we try to see the lens through which we look, we can see that there is far too great an emphasis placed on the future.