As Geertz and his wife ventured to a Balinese village, he did not know that he was going to study so intently the art of the Balinese cockfights. Geertz and his wife were able to overcome culture barriers to enter the Balinese community and observe closely something that had not been studied, the cockfights. The cockfights brought with them a chaotic atmosphere to the quiet Balinese culture. Not only did the cockfights bring entertainment and money to the community, they also hold a deeper meaning. In a country where there is gender equality, only men fight roosters. The roosters are part of the men and more importantly than running the risk of losing money is the risk that challenges the men’s honor. Cockfights are organized to illustrate the importance of honor in the game. Everything from determining the umpire and being able to pay the bet immediately show the importance of trustworthiness and honor in the society. The deep fights involve more equal in strength roosters and attract bigger bets, but what is important for those in deep fights is honor. The shallow fights attract less money and smaller crowds but attract those who only care about the money. They are looked down upon and are in a lower level in the stratified culture of the Balinese. Being the observer, Geertz realizes that the cock fights are a part of the culture having guidelines that everyone must follow. At the end of the day, whether you win or lose is not a drastic change in your life. Winning or losing a cockfight will not change your social status. The cockfights are just a part of the Balinese culture and as an anthropologist Geertz has been able to observe the culture and write down his observations so others can glance into one of the aspects of the Balinese and be able to understand them.
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