what is anthropology

think I may have pissed a lot of people off today.
I am not a theorist and I am not a philosopher, but I am here to learn. I am not sure where my problem lies at the moment, but I am increasingly disullioned with anthroplogy at the moment. i can't read the pieces, it often is a load of drivel that is pompous and makes me wonder what the point of academia is if it can't be applied.
IS there a need for an ivory tower, if someone has no relevance or interest in their surroundings and others around them, no interaction, how can they provide relevance or do any greater good rather than write books that only a few will ever read and if its an obsure enough title become the one with the greatest knowledge. the more I learn about some anthropology, the more I think that it is dated and colonial. the analogy that I can think of is going on a holiday to a destination that is slightly different , "exotic" maybe, and maybe talking to the locals, but only those of interest to them and then going home with the souvenirs and forgetting about it. What about the impact of tourism? what about the impression that foreigners leave with the locals
My feeling is that often anthroplogy is selfish drivel in the land of academia. If it cannot be applied to the life of mere mortals then what is the point. I have a problem with this kind of thinking, there is no grasp of reality, I feel that it is bullshit, but as ian said where there is bullshit, ideas will grow - what is the point of ideas unless they can be nurtured.
I think it is laziness and a distance of reality that most people want in this type of academia.
I don't like it and am struggling. I wish I had done something different. I guess I went into this inspired by Paul Farmer and thought it would be dynamic and forward thinking.
my letter of ideas and complaints would be that the adninistation department are the most ineffectual and unfriendliest that I have come across.
they are disorganised , greedy, and old fashioned with most articles deriving from the 1990 s and described modern.. it is not grasping new ideas and taking them forward.
I  should stop moaning, I have had the opprtunity to learn and discuss and think and have access to material that I would have not thought of even existed..