A project I have recently finished for AP Psychology. Enjoy :)
In every modern society, there are certain unspoken "rules" which we do not break. When you first meet someone and greet them by shaking hands, you do not make this shake typically any longer than a few seconds. People give people a set amount of personal space and expect the same in return. When the usual person walks in an elevator, they refrain from talking and just stare at the numbers. It may seem silly, but these are but a few rules in society that could be a big no-no to break, and that's exactly what i plan on doing. I will be breaking 3 social norms, in public at the Orange Park Mall, and documenting the reactions of 3 victims of each. What will happen when i break someone's comfort zone? The results will amaze you.
High-Fiving: Holding up your hand for someone to smack as a sign of approval or sucess. This action is mostly limited to friends and relatives, but everyone should have a little encouragement in their day! My first test subject was a girl trying on clothes in Pac Sun. She was modeling her style in a new blue shirt and skinny jeans, so decided to boost her confidence. I raised my hand and said in my nicest voice, "Who's looking good?! High-Five!!". She was a little confused at first, but when her friend started laughing and told her to do it, she finally slapped my still-awkwardly-raised hand. I, of course, whooped in the middle of the store to show my thanks, and then walked mysteriously away. The next person wasnt so nice. He was a sullen-looking boy in Hot Topic, purchasing a punk cd and a "Korn" shirt. I thought it was perfect timing on my part, because the young man had decided on this fateful day to use his Member Discount Card, and so i cheered "Saving money! High-Five!!", though he wasnt as thrilled and simply carried out his purchase without even acknowledging my existence and walked swiftly out of the strore with his bag. The cashier smiled a little though, and finally gave me a high five after holding my hand there for quite a while. Upon going to my favorite resturaunt in the mall, "Big Easy Cajun", I encountered my final prey, the hard-working Free Samples Girl. After i tried the sample, i said a very loud and innappropriate "Deliscious! High Five!!" and raised my hand. This victim was especially helpless, as she was holding a large tray of samples and deemed unable to high-five. She seemed very dis-sinterested, though, and once she slowly realized i wasnt joking she apologized and pointed to her tray, making sure to avoid eye contact, as if she were willing me away. I held my hand there for at least a full minute while she was just staring into space pretending not to see me while serving other prospective customers. After a long wait, i finally said a dissppointed "Aww..." and sulked off.
I decided my next conquest would be to go from store to store listening for songs that i knew, start singing them, and ask people to join in. People generally avoid this kind of fun-loving behavior while in public, and yet everyone jams out when they're just "chilling with the homies". They say music heals the soul, but apparently this healing process is a private affair. Time to break the norm. The first place i could think of that plays music in their store was, naturally, FYE (For Your Entertainment). This store sells music and movies, making it the perfect target for music-afficianados. I picked up a stack of party cd's that feature songs that most people in the general public would know, such as "I'll tell ya What i Want, What i Really Really Want", "YMCA", "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "I Like Big Butts" and several others. I popped in the first disc, "Play That Funky Music" (coincidence?) started ringing in my ears, and i sang my heart out. Loudly. After i noticed a few people looking my direction, i slid off my headphone and asked if anyone would like to join me. "Come onnnn, everyone loves this song!". My first target was a hispanic teen with a few of his friends, so they all just laughed at me, mumbling something like, "Naww, Man" and walked as far away as possible, watching me the rest of the time i was in the store. My second victim was actually someone i had seen a few times in school but never talked to, so they felt obligated to answer my call. Here i was, singing obnoxiously for the entire store's listening pleasure, with this girl just standing next to me, laughing and occassionally chiming in a few words of "Respect". She seemed VERY uncomfortable, but i kept saying "Wait, wait, this is the best part!" whenever she made an excuse to leave, and so she stayed awkwardly there for the duration of the song. My third subject wasnt very interested, either, but once i started wailing "My Humps" he laughed, sang like one or two words after i pressured him into it, said "Yeah, i like this song, too", and then walked away blushing with embarassment. Nobody that i met wanted to sing with me. I think they were intimidated by my talent.
Social Norm #3: Bathroom Conversations. By far my favorite experiment, i couldnt help but use it on more than 3 people. Usually, conversation and pleasantries are reserved for outside the stalls of the public bathroom, but you never know when you'll ever get to speak to someone again, so i decided to give a few lucky women the conversation of their lives. The first lady that went into the stall next to me seemed quite off-put when i said "Excuse me, Ma'am, but does it seem cold in here to you?" After making certain that i was, indeed, talking to her, all she would say was that she was using the bathroom. Later, i asked a little old woman if she had 23 cents! The best part: she did! She just pulled it right out of her big, beige purse and handed it to me under the stall. She did ask me why i needed it, eventually, and i just told her i was thirsty. I'll admit, she was an unusually comfortable victim. One confused teenager listened as i droned on and on about how my mother was "being so uncool by making me text her every 30 minutes to make sure I was safe", but she didnt really say much except for the occassional "Uh-huh" and "Yeah". I tried to get one girl open up more, asking her questions like "What's your favorite store?" or "What did you come to shop for today?", but she just made her answers as breif as possible so she could get out of the stall. Later, i was talking to someone about "the troubles of public restrooms" and they just flushed the toilet mid-sentence. Rude! The most common reaction was that nearly everyone tried to be polite and say at least one thing in return, but no one really wanted to start having a friendly chat.
Society may be able to function without these rules, but the general public are never quick to break them. By disregarding these rules, i have learned that a society prefers to stay with what they know, and that failing to comply often results in ostrasization and ridicule. Sticking to the status quo is what keeps our world running smoothly, and if everyone were to corrupt this system of underlying societal rules, life would be chaotic and without order.
Stay Nifty! ;)
Christy
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