Social Deviance Experiment

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SOCIAL DEVIANCE

LET'S SIT RIGHT BACK AND HEAR A TALE, A TALE OF A FATEFUL TRIP, THAT STARTED ON THIS DESERT ISLE, ON THIS TINY SHIP.... WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT YOURSELF AFLOAT IN THIS OCEAN OF PEOPLE, IT DOESN'T TAKE MUCH TO KICK UP A STORM AND CAPSIZE. FOR AN ENTIRE DAY I WAS A ONE MAN TROPICAL DEPRESSION. MY PARTNER AND I WANDERED AROUND TOWN WITH ONLY A GOAL OF INVADING OTHERS' PERSONAL SPACE. THROUGHOUT THE CITY, WE CROWDED PEOPLE AT PAYPHONES, SAT NEXT TO PEOPLE ON PARK BENCHES, SNUGGLED UP TO SINGLE RIDERS ON ELEVATORS, BROKE THE LAW OF URINAL ETIQUETTE ABD GENERALLY ANNOYED PEOPLE IN A LIBRARY. WITH THE PAYPHONE WE MADE THE INITIAL DECISION TO ALTERNATE, MY PARTNER BEING FEMALE AND I MALE, TO ALSO SEE THE DIFFERENCE RESPONSES TO MALE VS. FEMALE INTRUSION. WE WOULD ALTERNATELY WALK UP TO AND STAND BESIDE THE KIOSK OR BOOTH. WE MADE A DRAMATIC DEMONSTRATION OF NOT LISTENING TO THE CONVERSATION BY DIGGING THROUGH PURSE OR WALLET OR TOEING AROUND SOME IMAGINARY OBJECT ON THE GROUND. ON PARK BENCHES WE USED THE SAME IDEA. WE ONLY STUCK OURSELVES INTO THE SITUATION IF THERE WAS ONLY A SOLO RIDER AND ENOUGH ROOM FOR US TO HAVE STOOD A DISTANCE AWAY. CROWDING SOMEONE IN AN EMPTY 10' X 8' ELEVATOR OR PLOPPING DOWN NEXT TO SOMEONE ON A PARK BENCH SURROUNDED BY FOUR TO FIVE EMPTY BENCHES SEEMED TO SHOW THE MOST DRAMATIC RESPONSE. WE DECIDED THAT THE RULES NORMALLY ADHERED TO IN A LIBRARY SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE DEFINITION OF PERSONAL SPACE, JUST THAT THE SPACE HAD BEEN EXPANDED IN SIZE AND WIDENED TO INCLUDED SOUND PRODUCED BY ANOTHER. MY PARTNER SET HER CELL PHONE AND PAGER IN FRONT OF HER O A TABLE, SLID HER HEADPHONES INTO PLACE TO MAKE IT EASIER TO IGNORE BOTH AND SAT THERE. I MOVED TO THE STACK AREA AND CALLED HER PAGER AND PHONE REPEATEDLY. THE MOST QUESTIONABLE WAYS TO TEST PERSONAL SPACE WERE MINE, ASSUMING THEY WERE ALSO THE EASIEST TO DRAW VIOLENCE. I SPENT AN HOUR INSIDE THE THE WALK IN LOBBY OF A BANK IN THE DAYLIGHT AND AGAIN AFTER MIDNIGHT GETTING WHAT WAS EVIDENTLY TOO CLOSE TO PEOPLE USING ATM MACHINES. THE LAST DEVIANT ACT WITHIN THE REALM OF PERSONAL SPACE WAS DONE ONCE AND ONLY ONCE. WITHIN A BANK OF SEVEN URINALS IN A RESTROOM, I WAITED FOR ONE TO BE USED (THE FAR RIGHT WAS PICKED), THEN MOVED TO THE SECOND FROM THE RIGHT.

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