Violating A Social Norm Essay

The daunting task of violating a social norm, something that I could be ostracized and ridiculed for, I still chose to do. Social norms are the rules of behavior that are considered acceptable in a group or society. Doing weird things in public while surrounded by strangers is a recipe for disaster, especially for somebody like myself. I am awkward and have plenty of trouble talking to new people. Most of us are told not to talk to strangers when we are younger because there are all sorts of crazy people out there. There could not be a better way to break out of my shell and violate a social norm than to sit down and talk to total strangers while they eat.
Being told that talking to strangers is dangerous since we were four can alter how we think about all of the unknown people around us. Somewhere along the line, the fear of being kidnapped and murdered transitions into not wanting to talk to some weirdo or to be rude. There are situations where it is perfectly okay to talk to a person you don’t know, like at a party. However, there are times when you should not talk to strangers, such as when they are eating. When you are alone, eating is usually a private experience, or when you are with

Jumbling up my words and needlessly long pauses are a common occurrence in my attempts to converse with people. With this in mind, I set out to communicate with the fine folks in the food court of Cordova Mall. Normally I would shy away from such a task, but for my own personal benefit this was the best option. The main goal of this experiment was to record how the subjects reacted to my presence while they dine. My expectations were for people to feel awkward about my being there and want me to leave, I was quickly proven otherwise. Two of the tests shattered my belief that I would be