Social Science

Don't you think it's weird how people interact? There are these arbitrary rules that various societies put in place which dictate how people should approach one another, how we should make small talk, what we may or may not share and while these rules keep us within our comfort zone it amazes me at how different the social outlines are from one community to another.

I have a friend who is an amazing guy, but he's seen by many as being somewhat socially retarded, even though he isn't really. But why is he seen that way? It's not because he's that different from any of us, it's because he will, on occasion, break the social norms in some rather surprising manner that makes everyone somewhat weary of him.

And yet I don't think he sees himself as breaking the norm. He comes from a different community and nothing he is doing is blatantly weird, it's just the small things that are not what we'd expect. The way he carries himself makes all the difference...

You see, when people are pushed from their comfort zones they either sink or swim, and most people would rather paddle back to shore than go diving. Ok, that's a crap way of saying it but you know what I mean.

I love hanging out with this friend of mine simply because he makes other people uncomfortable. I find it so amusing to see how people try and interact with this person who isn't doing anything wrong and yet they are on edge. Also, he's a really great guy.

I for one, absolutely love adhering to social norms in some ways so that I can break them in other ways, thereby getting a far more violent reaction from people. I'll wear a collared shirt and then headbang to Lamb of God, or speak about a passage of scripture and then call someone a cunt. It's wonderful. That look on their face, the expression in their eyes; priceless.

But who decided that these are the rules we should follow? Who decided that this is how we should interact? I don't know how these norms were formed, although I'm sure the debate would be extremely interesting and would require a massive amount of research, but I am glad that they exist. Without them people would be on edge even more than they already are, and I would have been cheated of some of the most entertaining moments in my life.