Breaching Social Norms

It was a warm, lively afternoon where everyone was donning on summer clothing- tops and shorts. I am sitting in a sheltered bus stop near Hitchcock hall, a place where students are walking to class or waiting for bus. From where I am sitting, I could hear the chatters of peers, the beeping sound from the traffic light and the sound of vehicle’s engine. I was the first one to sit on the benches provided in the sheltered bus stop while some of my peers were standing near the marked sign. When another person came in to sit too, he did not sit right next to me, instead he sat at the other end of the bench. When the bus engine grew louder, it was clear than a bus was approaching, however no one flag for the bus. Instead, the bus stops near the marked …show more content…
That is why, generally, people who reach a crosswalk alone when the light is red are more likely to cross the road when they deemed that it is safe to cross now; while those surrounded by other pedestrians waiting for the ‘walk’ signal feel more committed to social norms and therefore tend to stick to it. The reason is that when we are alone, we are less concerned about being criticize by others and there is less social pressure to conform, so we tend to deviate from the norm. Our attitudes and behaviors will change to match the attitudes and behaviors of the people around us as we are concern about what others think of us. So when a person say ‘thank you’ to the driver, the person behind the one who said it will likely to say ‘thank you’ too. It is just like when people sneezes, you will often hear respond like ‘bless you’. Also, we do not rush in to get on the bus when the bus arrive, instead we always politely allow others in first. That will show others that you are well mannered and it is an impression that you give others. A good first impression will allow you to socialize better. Thus, how people perceive you as an individual is important in American culture. Hence women often go out with make-up on and dresses in an appropriate manner for appropriate setting as first impression counts. For instance, it was a warm afternoon, you will not see anyone wearing winter coat …show more content…
Every day, I will walk down the sidewalk to class, occupying the farthest right while the person walking in the opposite direction will occupy the far left. We do not cut each other’s path nor do we walk side by side, there is always personal space between us. Initially, when I first experience the American culture, I did not really know about the amount of personal space to give to an individual as I am accustomed to having minimal personal space back in Singapore. That is because we often have to squeeze and stay in a tight area with many people around you when taking public transport. I only started to realize that most American need at least an arm length of personal space when I infringed into theirs and they ended up giving me a discomfort look while taking a few steps back. It is also only through interacting with my peers do I know that people say ‘bless you’ when someone sneeze just like how you will say ‘thank you’ to people who are holding the door for you. I feel that all this is out of courtesy. You will not want a stranger to deem you as rude because you did not thank him, making yourself leaving a bad impression to others. Socialization makes me unknowingly get accustomed to the American norms. First impression is important as it is how people often perceive you. Thus, it is a must to dress appropriately. Wear fashion tops and shorts when you are out shopping with friends instead of an OSU