Family play (?)
Great-grand-mother, to her son the anthropologist, about one of his cousins: "Vera [almost 6] is very bright. John [Vera's grand-father] taught her how to read time on a [non-digital] watch! Vera! 'What time is it?'" Vera stares intently at the watch and states "It's a quarter past ten." Everyone: "Bravo!" The anthropologist cannot resist and tells Vera: "You should have told us 'I am not a trained monkey, check your own time'" Vera looks at him puzzedly while the other people present turn at the anthropologist and tell him "this is not the time to play these games!" even as he attempts to give a mini-lecture about ethno- methodology. Vera grabs a turn and asks "Is this why, when I ask dad 'what time is it?' in the evening he never tells me the time but says 'It is time to go to bed!'" At this point the anthropologist, triumphantly,applauds "This is indeed a bright little girl."
Political critique
McDermott's work on the consequences of learning lesson questions