Violating Social Norms

Personal space. All people value this as social boundary and create appropriate norms. As we were assigned this task of violating a social norm in public, I began to consider all the strange personal space norms our society and campus holds. For example, while riding the bus if there a few people on it, you are typically going to sit two seats or more away from one another. However, when the bus is packed to the brim, which is the only time you are permitted to sit right beside a person or stand right up next to them. I found this fascinating; how in our campus society, people try to stay as far away from each other as possible. Moreover, the reason behind why I decided to violate this norm on the way home from class. First, I observed how everyone at the bus stop refuses to sit next to the person on the only bench. People would rather stand than to sit next to a complete stranger. While standing, I also observed how spread out everyone was standing. Every person at the bus stop was standing at least five to six feet away from each other. This is just beginning to show how within our campus society,
This action is frequently taught as forbidden since childhood as a means of protection; people are taught not to interact with strangers. This lesson is soon applied, carried on, and conditioned to how we interact for the rest of our lives, people become afraid and uncomfortable being so close to one another. As a culture, people are afraid to become close or be around those people they are not accustomed. Nevertheless, why people disapprove of sitting or standing right next to one another is only acceptable when forced upon us in what we believe are limited circumstances. It also shows how much we value our own personal space. That as a culture, that I have observed we must create these boundries in order to keep others at a